科创中国

The?conservation?behavior?framework?is?useful?to?identify?key?linkages?between?behavior?and?conservation?practice.?We?apply?this?framework?to?a?novel?host-parasite?system?on?the?Galapagos?Islands?and?ask?if?there?have?been?changes?in?parasite?oviposition?behavior?and?host?mortality?patterns?across?the?first?decade?(2004-2013)?of?its?known?association.?The?Dipteran?parasite?Philornis?downsi?was?first?discovered?in?Darwin's?finch?nests?in?1997?and?is?the?biggest?threat?to?the?survival?of?Galapagos?land?birds.?Host?mortality?has?increased?over?the?past?decade.?In?Dipterans,?pupation?and?pupae?size?are?determined?by?access?to?host?resources.?Here,?we?test?the?hypothesis?that?P?downsi?flies?are?laying?eggs?in?finch?nests?earlier?in?the?nestling?phase?to?maximize?larval?feeding?time?and?therefore?chance?of?pupation?success?before?host?death.?The?results?show?fewer?1st?instar?larvae?later?in?the?host?nesting?cycle?in?support?of?earlier?egg?laying?behavior?by?female?flies.?Between?2004?and?2013,?parasite?intensity?increased?from?-28?to?-48?parasites?per?nest,?host?mortality?increased?from?-50%?to?-90%,?and?host?age?at?death?decreased?from?-11?to?-5?days.?The?earlier?age?at?host?death?was?correlated?with?fewer?pupae?(from?-50%?to?-20%)?and?smaller?pupae?size?(-10%?decrease).?Changes?in?parasite?behavior?reveal?new?fitness?costs?to?both?the?parasite?and?Darwin's?finches.?These?findings?un-?derscore?the?need?for?urgent?conservation?action?to?save?Darwin's?finches?from?extinction?due?to?a?novel,?lethal?and?introduced?parasite?[Current?Zoology?60?(4):?542-550,?2014].