| precipitation, climate change, and parasitism of prairie dogs by fleas that transmit plague. | fleas (insecta: siphonaptera) are hematophagous ectoparasites that can reduce the fitness of vertebrate hosts. laboratory populations of fleas decline under dry conditions, implying that populations of fleas will also decline when precipitation is scarce under natural conditions. if precipitation and hence vegetative production are reduced, however, then herbivorous hosts might suffer declines in body condition and have weakened defenses against fleas, so that fleas will increase in abundance. w ... | 2017 | 28359175 |