Parasitemia and body condition in sympatric and allopatric Podarcis muralis populations

Sympatrically distributed species provide natural model systems for investigating inter-host differences in parasitic infections. In this study, 40 individuals (20♂♂, 20♀♀) of Podarcis muralis from two different populations (sympatric and allopatric) were compared to examine the effects of population type on intraerythrocytic parasite prevalence and intensity, body condition (Scaled Mass Index), and H/L ratios. Statistically significant differences in body condition between males and females were found in both populations through intra-population comparisons. When sympatric and allopatric populations were compared, parasite intensity differed significantly in both sexes. However, a statistically significant difference in body condition was detected only in females. According to the results, parasite intensity was higher in the sympatric population, while sympatric females exhibited higher body condition values compared to allopatric females. Additionally, parasite intensity was positively correlated with body size in males from both populations, and a strong negative correlation between body condition and H/L ratio was observed in sympatric females. Our findings indicate that parasite intensity is associated with population type, whereas body condition is related to sex.