AUTHOR=Nouri Kimia , Blumstein Daniel T. 

TITLE=Parasites Are Associated With Noisy Alarm Calls

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution

VOLUME=7

YEAR=2019

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/ecology-and-evolution/articles/10.3389/fevo.2019.00028

DOI=10.3389/fevo.2019.00028

ISSN=2296-701X

ABSTRACT=<p>Many animal signals used for mate choice assessment are condition dependent, but less is known about the condition dependence of other biologically important signals. We asked whether yellow-bellied marmot (<italic>Marmota flaviventer</italic>) alarm calls varied as a function of parasite infection and/or neutrophil:lymphocyte ratios (a measure of immunological challenge). We found that marmots infected with <italic>Eimeria</italic>, an intestinal parasite, had noisier calls. This is potentially because of an immunostimulating effect of <italic>Eimeria</italic> infection which may draw energy from nonvital functions. The results suggest calls potentially contain information about parasite status which could be used by receivers to estimate a caller's condition. Future studies are required to determine whether infection influences caller reliability and how receivers respond to alarm calls from parasitized individuals.</p>