Thermal Behavior in a Parasite-Insect Association

寄生虫可能对宿主的分布有微妙的影响，包括改变热偏好。一种热敏感棘头虫的未成熟阶段在老鼠体内成熟之前会寄生在几个蟑螂宿主体内。蟑螂等昆虫可以通过选择温暖的微栖息地来诱发发烧。这项研究将评估感染和未感染的蟑螂对温度梯度的反应是否不同，蟑螂的温度选择如何影响寄生水平以及温度是否影响感染对蟑螂繁殖和寿命的影响。本研究以几种蟑螂为研究对象，考察了不同蟑螂属性对发热表达的影响。这是第一次研究虫媒之间的发热关系，为了评估它对几种寄主的生存和繁殖的影响，2)验证另一种假设，即被寄生动物的行为改变可能对寄主（发烧）和寄主（增加向捕食者的传播）都有利，3)寄主昆虫也会受益在比较的系统发育背景下的发热反应。研究物种是城市生态系统的重要组成部分。

Parasites may have subtle effects in the distributions of their hosts, including altering thermal preferences. The immature stage of a heat-sensitive acanthocephalan thorny-headed worm inhabits several cockroach hosts before reaching maturity in the rat when eaten. Insects such as the cockroaches can induce fever behaviorally by choosing warm microhabitats. The study will assess whether infected and uninfected cockroaches respond differently to a temperature gradient, how cockroach temperature choice affects parasite level and whether temperature influences the effects of infection on cockroach reproduction and longevity. By using several cockroach species this study examines the effects of diverse cockroach attributes on expression of fever. This is the first study to 1) examine fever in a worm-insect association, and to assess its effects on survival and reproduction of several host 2) test the alternate hypothesis that altered behavior in parasitized animals may benefit the host (fever) as well as the parasite (increased transmission to predators) and 3) place insect febrile responses in a comparative, phylogenetic context. The study species are important elements of urban ecological systems .