Table 1.
Selected examples of personality traits (‘temperament’ traits, following terminology outlined by Réale et al. (2007)) that have been demonstrated to differ between parasitized and non-parasitized individuals within a population or species.
| temperament trait | tests | response of parasitized individuals | host | parasite | reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| boldnessa | predator presentation | approached model predator more readily | stickleback | Schistocephalus solidus (Cestoda) | Giles (1983) |
| approached predator odour more readily | rat | Toxoplasma gondii (Protozoa) | Berdoy et al. (2000) | ||
| approached predator odour more readily | mouse | Eimeria vermiformis (Protozoa) | Kavaliers & Colwell (1995) | ||
| more likely to be found close to a predator | isopod | Acanthocephalus dirus (Acanthocephala) | Hechtel et al. (1993) | ||
| no fear of predator odour | mouse | Heligmosomoides polygyrus (Nematoda) | Kavaliers et al. (1997) | ||
| enhanced predator avoidance response | stickleback | Glugea anomala (Microsporidia) | Milinski (1985) | ||
| predator stimulus | reduced escape responses | stickleback | S. solidus (Cestoda) | Barber et al. (2004) | |
| reduced escape responses | ant | Dilepid cestode (Cestoda) | Plateaux (1972) | ||
| returned to food more readily after attack | stickleback | S. solidus (Cestoda) | Giles (1987) | ||
| trappability | more likely to be trapped | pumpkinseed sunfish | Neascus spp. (Trematoda) | Wilson et al. (1993) | |
| less likely to be trapped | pumpkinseed sunfish | Posthodiplostomum minimum (Trematoda) | Wilson et al. (1993) | ||
| more likely to be shot by human hunters | moose | Echinococcus granulosus (Cestoda) | Rau & Caron (1979) | ||
| more likely to be trapped | Rat | T. gondii (Protozoa) | Webster et al. (1994) | ||
| other | more likely to take risks while driving | human | T. gondii (Protozoa) | Flegr et al. (2002) | |
| exploration | open field test | increased exploration of novel objects | rat | T. gondii (Protozoa) | Webster et al. (1994) |
| increased exploration of novel environment | rat | T. gondii (Protozoa) | Berdoy et al. (1995) | ||
| activityb | cage activity test | increased conspicuous behaviours | killifish | Euhaplorchis californensis (Trematoda) | Lafferty & Morris (1996) |
| reduced activity | copepod | Diphyllobothrium spp. (Cestoda) | Pasternak et al. (1995) | ||
| open field test | increased activity | rat | T. gondii (Protozoa) | Webster (1994) | |
| sociabilityc,d | separation test | reduced tendency to join conspecific groups | stickleback | S. solidus (Cestoda) | Barber et al. (1995) |
| reduced tendency to join conspecific groups | killifish | Crassiaphiala bulboglossa (Trematoda) | Krause & Godin (1994) | ||
| aggressiveness | social interactions/dyadic encounters | infected individuals less aggressive | red grouse | Trichostrongylus tenuis (Nematoda) | Fox & Hudson (2001) |
| infected individuals less aggressive | mice | Taenia crassiceps (Cestoda) | Gourbal et al. (2002) | ||
| infected individuals more aggressive | leaf beetle | Chrysomelobia labidomerae (Acarina) | Abbot & Dill (2001) |
aMore than 20 host–parasite systems in Moore 2002, table 3.4.
bMore than 120 examples in Moore 2002, table 3.7.
cMore than 30 examples in Moore 2002, table 4.2.
dAltered tendency to join groups may alternatively be interpreted as altered antipredator behaviour, rather than an example of altered sociability.