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Trouble with parasites? Just migrate

Changes in migrating hosts' environment might help them get rid of their parasites

Date:
May 27, 2016
Source:
University of Chicago Press Journals
Summary:
A new model has been designed to explore whether combating infection could, in theory, be a potential benefit of migration.
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Why do animals migrate? Explanations behind the evolution of such a costly, yet common behavior are varied. However, rarely do parasites and pathogens figure into the story. Researchers from the University of Minnesota and the University of Neuchâtel think this is an important oversight, and have worked out the math to prove it.

Animal migration typically takes place over a huge range of different environments. For example, animals may move from fresh to salt water, cool to hot temperatures or humid to dry climates. The researchers wondered whether these changes in the hosts' internal and external environment might actually help them get rid of their parasites.

This idea isn't as unlikely as it sounds: In the pet and aquaculture industry, fish and crustaceans are commonly dipped in water of different salinities to remove ectoparasites and reduce skin infections. Birds, fish and insects are also known to seek out warmer or cooler habitats to help combat infection. Building on this concept, the team developed a model to explore whether so-called "migratory recovery" could, in theory, be a potential benefit of migration. They found that there are biologically realistic conditions under which recovery from pathogens can lead to the evolution of both migration and partial migration. Although parasite loss via changes in the host's internal or external environment have not been explicitly studied in the context of migration, the researchers highlight a number of empirical systems where there is potential for migrants to benefit from losing their parasites. The researchers encourage others to build on their model and not overlook the role that these often inconspicuous creatures have in affecting animal movement!


Story Source:

Materials provided by University of Chicago Press Journals. Original written by Allison K. Shaw and Sandra A. Binning. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.


Journal Reference:

  1. Allison K. Shaw, Sandra A. Binning. Migratory Recovery from Infection as a Selective Pressure for the Evolution of Migration. The American Naturalist, 2016; 187 (4): 491 DOI: 10.1086/685386

Cite This Page:

University of Chicago Press Journals. "Trouble with parasites? Just migrate." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 27 May 2016. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/05/160527190415.htm>.
University of Chicago Press Journals. (2016, May 27). Trouble with parasites? Just migrate. ScienceDaily. Retrieved March 18, 2024 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/05/160527190415.htm
University of Chicago Press Journals. "Trouble with parasites? Just migrate." ScienceDaily. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/05/160527190415.htm (accessed March 18, 2024).

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