Thermal Behavior in a Parasite-Insect Association

寄生虫可能会对寄主的分布产生微妙的影响，包括改变温度偏好。一种热敏性棘头虫的未成熟阶段，在被吃掉之前，在老鼠体内达到成熟之前，会寄居在几个蟑螂宿主身上。蟑螂等昆虫可以通过选择温暖的微生境来引发发烧行为。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，蟑螂温度选择如何影响寄生虫水平，以及温度是否影响感染对蟑螂繁殖和寿命的影响。通过使用几种蟑螂，本研究考察了不同的蟑螂属性对发热表达的影响。这是第一次研究蠕虫与昆虫之间的发热关系，为了评估它对几种宿主的生存和繁殖的影响2)检验另一种假设，即改变寄生动物的行为可能有利于宿主(发烧)和寄生虫(增加传播到捕食者)和3)将昆虫的发热反应放在一个比较的，系统发育背景。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 .