title: Sarcoptic mange breaks up bottom-up regulation of body condition in a large herbivore population.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Both parasitic load and resource availability can impact individual fitness, yet little is known about the interplay between these parameters in shaping body condition, a key determinant of fitness in wild mammals inhabiting seasonal environments.
  
  
  METHODS
  Using partial least square regressions (PLSR), we explored how temporal variation in climatic conditions, vegetation dynamics and sarcoptic mange (Sarcoptes scabiei) severity impacted body condition of 473 Iberian ibexes (Capra pyrenaica) harvested between 1995 and 2008 in the highly seasonal Alpine ecosystem of Sierra Nevada Natural Space (SNNS), southern Spain.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Bottom-up regulation was found to only occur in healthy ibexes; the condition of infected ibexes was independent of primary productivity and snow cover. No link between ibex abundance and ibex body condition could be established when only considering infected individuals.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The pernicious effects of mange on Iberian ibexes overcome the benefits of favorable environmental conditions. Even though the increase in primary production exerts a positive effect on the body condition of healthy ibexes, the scabietic individuals do not derive any advantage from increased resource availability. Further applied research coupled with continuous sanitary surveillance are needed to address remaining knowledge gaps associated with the transmission dynamics and management of sarcoptic mange in free-living populations.
authors.affiliation: Centro de Estudos do Ambiente e do Mar (CESAM), Departamento de Biologia, Universidade de Aveiro, Campus Universitário de Santiago, 3810-193, Aveiro, Portugal. jlcarvalho@ua.pt.|Servei d'Ecopatologia de Fauna Salvatge (SEFaS), Departament de Medicina i Cirurgia Animals, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, E-08193, Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain. jlcarvalho@ua.pt.
authors.forename: João
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Carvalho
authors.affiliation: Espacio Natural Sierra Nevada, Carretera Antigua de Sierra Nevada, Km 7, E-18071, Pinos Genil, Granada, Spain. josee.granados.ext@juntadeandalucia.es.
authors.forename: José E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Granados
authors.affiliation: Servei d'Ecopatologia de Fauna Salvatge (SEFaS), Departament de Medicina i Cirurgia Animals, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, E-08193, Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain. jordi.lopez.olvera@uab.cat.
authors.forename: Jorge R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: López-Olvera
authors.affiliation: Espacio Natural Sierra Nevada, Carretera Antigua de Sierra Nevada, Km 7, E-18071, Pinos Genil, Granada, Spain. franciscoj.canomanuel@juntadeandalucia.es.
authors.forename: Francisco Javier
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Cano-Manuel
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Biología Animal, Biología Vegetal y Ecología, Universidad de Jaén, Campus Las Lagunillas, s.n., E-23071, Jaén, Spain. jperez@ujaen.es.
authors.forename: Jesús M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Pérez
authors.affiliation: Agencia de Medio Ambiente y Agua, Isla de la Cartuja, E-41092, Sevilla, Spain. pfandos@agenciamedioambienteyagua.es.
authors.forename: Paulino
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Fandos
authors.affiliation: Estación Biológica de Doñana (CSIC), Av. Américo Vespucio, s.n., E-41092, Sevilla, Spain. soriguer@ebd.csic.es.
authors.forename: Ramón C
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Soriguer
authors.affiliation: Servei d'Ecopatologia de Fauna Salvatge (SEFaS), Departament de Medicina i Cirurgia Animals, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, E-08193, Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain. roser.velarde@uab.cat.
authors.forename: Roser
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Velarde
authors.affiliation: Centro de Estudos do Ambiente e do Mar (CESAM), Departamento de Biologia, Universidade de Aveiro, Campus Universitário de Santiago, 3810-193, Aveiro, Portugal. cfonseca@ua.pt.
authors.forename: Carlos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Fonseca
authors.affiliation: Servei d'Ecopatologia de Fauna Salvatge (SEFaS), Departament de Medicina i Cirurgia Animals, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, E-08193, Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain. arian.raez@gmail.com.|Espacio Natural Sierra Nevada, Carretera Antigua de Sierra Nevada, Km 7, E-18071, Pinos Genil, Granada, Spain. arian.raez@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Arian
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ráez
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Biología Animal, Biología Vegetal y Ecología, Universidad de Jaén, Campus Las Lagunillas, s.n., E-23071, Jaén, Spain. jcerrato@ujaen.es.
authors.forename: José
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Espinosa
authors.affiliation: Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London, Regent's Park, London, NW1 4RY, UK. nathalie.pettorelli@ioz.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Nathalie
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Pettorelli
authors.affiliation: Centro de Estudos do Ambiente e do Mar (CESAM), Departamento de Biologia, Universidade de Aveiro, Campus Universitário de Santiago, 3810-193, Aveiro, Portugal. emmanuel.serrano.ferron@gmail.com.|Servei d'Ecopatologia de Fauna Salvatge (SEFaS), Departament de Medicina i Cirurgia Animals, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, E-08193, Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain. emmanuel.serrano.ferron@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Emmanuel
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Serrano
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D006041:Goats / Q000469:parasitology*; D060434:Herbivory; D012520:Sarcoptes scabiei / Q000254:growth & development*; D012532:Scabies / Q000473:pathology* / Q000662:veterinary*; D013030:Spain