GENETIC DIVERSITY AND CAPILLARIA HEPATICA (NEMATODA) PREVALENCE IN MICHIGAN DEER MOUSE POPULATIONS

There have been few field tests of the hypothesis that homozygous populations are prone to high levels of disease. I tested for a negative correlation between genetic diversity and parasitism by estimating the allozyme heterozygosity, population density, and proportion of individuals infected by Capillaria hepatica (Nematoda) in nine Michigan populations of deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus). Parasite prevalence was correlated negatively with heterozygosity when the effects of density were held constant, but was not correlated with population density after controlling for the effects of genetic diversity. These data support the prediction that inbred populations will be more susceptible to parasite infestations.