Experimental demonstration of the energetic cost of parasitism in free-ranging hosts

@article{Booth1993ExperimentalDO,
  title={Experimental demonstration of the energetic cost of parasitism in free-ranging hosts},
  author={David Terrington Booth and Dale H. Clayton and Barbara A. Block},
  journal={Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Series B: Biological Sciences},
  year={1993},
  volume={253},
  pages={125 - 129}
}
  • D. Booth, D. Clayton, B. Block
  • Published 23 August 1993
  • Biology
  • Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Series B: Biological Sciences
Although some parasites have obvious pathogenic effects, others appear to have subtle, indirect effects that are poorly understood, particularly in natural populations. Indirect effects may result from parasites altering host metabolic rate and hence host energy needs, yet no experimental studies have shown this to be the case for non-laboratory hosts. We report the results of a long-term field experiment designed to test the impact of parasites on host energetics. We measured the energetics of… 
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