Meeting Abstract

P2.36  Sunday, Jan. 5 15:30  Dominance status and gastrointestinal parasites in meerkats (Suricata suricatta) SMYTH, K*; DREA, C; Duke University, Durham, NC; Duke University, Durham, NC kendra.smyth@duke.edu

In many species, testosterone influences the development of male secondary sexual characteristics, as well as the expression of territorial and sexual behavior. The well-documented benefits of elevated testosterone in males, including enhanced aggressiveness and high-quality sexual ornaments, ultimately act to increase reproductive success. Although less studied in this regard, females may also benefit from testosterone. In the meerkat (Suricata suricatta), a cooperatively breeding mongoose characterized by female social dominance and marked female reproductive skew, dominant females benefit from elevated testosterone through increased competitive abilities, enabling them to monopolize preferred food resources and control reproduction via eviction of subordinate females or infanticide. Such benefits may not be without costs, however, as in various species testosterone has been associated with increased mortality owing partly to reduced immune function and increased parasitism. In this study, which represents the first comprehensive immunological assessment of free-ranging meerkats, we applied the techniques of ecological immunology to evaluate health-related costs of dominance. Specifically, we quantified the gastrointestinal parasites infecting dominant and subordinate individuals and found the composition of parasite communities to differ based on host social status.