Sublethal parasites in white-footed mice: impact on survival and reproduction

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Abstract
The potential impact of two parasites on the population density of host white-footed mice (Peromyscus leucopus) was assessed by measuring effects on survival and reproduction in field populations. Thirty-eight mice infected with larvae of the bot fly Cuterebra angustifrons had their larvae removed, another 41 mice remained infected, and 46 other mice were naturally uninfected during the experiment. No effect of bot larvae removal was detected on either survival (measured as attrition) or reproduction (measured as end of reproductive season). However, contrary to expectation, naturally infected mice had lower attrition and a marginally longer reproductive season than naturally uninfected mice. This latter result is probably an artifact, due to underlying differences between naturally infected and uninfected mice. Sixty-seven mice were experimentally infected with the tapeworm Hymenolepis citelli (64 mice were controls), but no effect was detected on attrition from the trappable population nor on the cessation of the reproductive season. Our results indicate that (i) these parasites are unlikely to have any effect on population density of white-footed mice, and (ii) it is potentially misleading to use "natural experiments" (comparison of naturally infected hosts with uninfected hosts) to study the impact of parasitic infection.

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