Free-ranging eastern chipmunks (Tamias striatus) infected with bot fly (Cuterebra emasculator) larvae have higher resting but lower maximum metabolism

Abstract

Given the ubiquity and evolutionary importance of parasites, their effect on the energy budget of mammals remains surprisingly unclear. The eastern chipmunk ( Tamias striatus (L., 1758)) is a burrowing rodent that is commonly infected by cuterebrid bot fly ( Cuterebra emasculator Fitch, 1856) larvae. We measured resting metabolic rate (RMR) and cold-induced Vo2-max (under heliox atmosphere) in 20 free-ranging individuals, of which 4 individuals were infected by one or two larva. We found that RMR was significantly higher in chipmunks infected by bot fly larvae (mean ± SE = 0.88 ± 0.05 W) than in uninfected individuals (0.74 ± 0.02 W). In contrast, Vo2-max was significantly lower in chipmunks infected by bot fly larvae (4.96 ± 0.70 W) than in uninfected individuals (6.37 ± 0.16 W). Consequently, the aerobic scope (ratio of Vo2-max to RMR) was negatively correlated with the number of bot fly larvae (infected individuals = 5.74 ± 1.03 W; noninfected individuals = 8.67 ± 0.26 W). Finally, after accounting for the effects of body mass and bot fly parasitism on RMR and Vo2-max, there was no correlation between the two variables among individuals within our population. In addition to providing the first estimate of Vo2-max in T. striatus, these results offer additional evidence that bot fly parasitism has significant impacts on the metabolic ecology of this host species.