The effect and relative importance of neutral genetic diversity for predicting parasitism varies across parasite taxa.

ABSTRACT: Understanding factors that determine heterogeneity in levels of parasitism across individuals is a major challenge in disease ecology. It is known that genetic makeup plays an important role in infection likelihood, but the mechanism remains unclear as does its relative importance when compared to other factors. We analyzed relationships between genetic diversity and macroparasites in outbred, free-ranging populations of raccoons (Procyon lotor). We measured heterozygosity at 14 microsatellite loci and modeled the effects of both multi-locus and single-locus heterozygosity on parasitism using an information theoretic approach and including non-genetic factors that are known to influence the likelihood of parasitism. The association of genetic diversity and parasitism, as well as the relati

SUBMITTER: Ruiz-Lopez MJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3458861 | biostudies-literature | 2012

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature