Folstad Iva, Arneberg Per, Karter Andrew J
Department of Ecology/Zoology, IBG, University of Tromsø, 9037, Tromsø, Norway.
Oecologia. 1996 Mar;105(4):556-558. doi: 10.1007/BF00330020.
Development of ornamental characters exposed to directional selection may be particularly sensitive to the effect of parasitic infections. Antlers are ornamental characters of importance in intraspecific interactions, and are in reindeer (Rangifer) developed by both males and females. By antihelmintic treatment of naturally infected female reindeer we show that parasite intensities affect development of antler asymmetry, but not antler length. These results suggest that asymmetry in antlers may reflect parasite intensities and thus be of importance in intraspecific assessment of genetic resistance towards infectious organisms.
暴露于定向选择下的观赏性特征的发育可能对寄生虫感染的影响尤为敏感。鹿角是种内相互作用中重要的观赏性特征，在驯鹿（驯鹿属）中，雄性和雌性都会发育鹿角。通过对自然感染的雌性驯鹿进行驱虫治疗，我们发现寄生虫感染强度会影响鹿角不对称性的发育，但不影响鹿角长度。这些结果表明，鹿角的不对称性可能反映了寄生虫感染强度，因此在种内对感染性生物体的遗传抗性评估中具有重要意义。
