Parasite intensity and fur coloration in reindeer calves - contrasting artificial and natural selection

1. In reindeer, the variation in fur coloration is higher in semi-domesticated than in wild populations. This difference might result from impacts of natural enemies acting on conspicuously coloured individuals with higher intensity in natural than semi-domesticated populations. 2. While predator pressure is rather similar for wild and semi-domesticated populations, semi-domesticated reindeer are less impacted by parasitism due to endectocidic treatment. In this study, we estimated the intensity of warble flies in different reindeer colour morphs in a large sample of untreated calves from multiple semi-domesticated herds in northern Norway. 3. We found that lighter coloured reindeer calves have higher intensities of warble fly larvae than darker ones. This is associated with a decrease in body mass, and may hence influence subsequent fitness of the animals. 4. The high intensity of parasites in white calves implies that they are either more exposed or less resistant to parasitic infections. In either case, parasitism by warble flies appears to be a proximate cause driving coloration of reindeer towards a reduced variability in natural populations.