Extreme heat reduces host and parasite performance in a butterfly-parasite interaction.

ABSTRACT: Environmental temperature fundamentally shapes insect physiology, fitness and interactions with parasites. Differential climate warming effects on host versus parasite biology could exacerbate or inhibit parasite transmission, with far-reaching implications for pollination services, biocontrol and human health. Here, we experimentally test how controlled temperatures influence multiple components of host and parasite fitness in monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus) and their protozoan parasites Ophryocystis elektroscirrha. Using five constant-temperature treatments spanning 18-34°C, we measured monarch development, survival, size, immune function and parasite infection status and intensity. Monarch size and survival declined sharply at the hottest temperature (34°C), as did

SUBMITTER: Ragonese IG 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10791526 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature