Animal trait variation at the within-individual level: erythrocyte size variation and malaria infection in a tropical lizard.

ABSTRACT: High levels of within-individual variation (WIV) in reiterative components in plants such as leaves, flowers, and fruits have been shown to increase individual fitness by multiple mechanisms including mediating interactions with natural enemies. This relationship between WIV and fitness has been studied almost exclusively in plant systems. While animals do not exhibit conspicuous reiterative components, they have traits that can vary at the individual level such as erythrocyte size. It is currently unknown if WIV in animals can influence individual fitness by mediating the outcome of interactions with natural enemies as it has been shown in plants. To address this issue, we tested for a relationship between WIV in erythrocyte size, hemoparasite infection status, and body condition (a proxy

SUBMITTER: Cruz V 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8881909 | biostudies-literature | 2022

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature