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First published online June 16, 2005
Journal of Experimental Biology 208, 2489-2496 (2005)
Published by The Company of Biologists 2005
doi: 10.1242/jeb.01676

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Energy costs of blood digestion in a host-specific haematophagous parasite

Michal Sarfati^1,2, Boris R. Krasnov^1,*, Lusine Ghazaryan^1,2, Irina S. Khokhlova³, Laura J. Fielden⁴ and A. Allan Degen³

¹ Ramon Science Center and Mitrani Department of Desert Ecology, Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Mizpe Ramon 80600, Israel
² Albert Katz International School for Desert Studies, Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Sede Boqer Campus, Israel
³ Desert Animal Adaptations and Husbandry, Wyler Department of Dryland Agriculture, Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva 84105, Israel
⁴ Science Division, Truman State University, Kirksville, MO 63501, USA

^* Author for correspondence (e-mail: krasnov{at}bgumail.bgu.ac.il)

Accepted 4 May 2005

Fleas consume and digest blood from their hosts. We hypothesized that the energy costs of digestion of blood by fleas is dependent on the host species. To test this hypothesis, we studied CO₂ emission, a measure of energy expenditure, during digestion of a blood meal taken by Parapulex chephrenis from a preferred (Acomys cahirinus) and a non-preferred (Gerbillus dasyurus) host. We predicted that the energy cost of digestion would be lower for A. cahirinus blood than that for G. dasyurus. Male and female fleas consumed similar amounts of blood per unit body mass, independent of host species. Our prediction was supported in that fleas expended significantly more energy digesting blood of G. dasyurus than blood of A. cahirinus. We also found CO₂ emission rates of fed fleas were higher than those of unfed fleas and differed significantly among stages of blood digestion when a flea fed on G. dasyurus but not when it fed on A. cahirinus. When fed on G. dasyurus, fleas spent less energy during earlier than later stages of digestion.

Key words: CO₂ emission, digestion, flea, host specificity, metabolic cost, Acomys cahirinus, Gerbillus dasyurus

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