Data from: Host and parasite life history interplay to yield divergent population genetic structures in two ectoparasites living on the same bat species

Host–parasite interactions are ubiquitous in nature. However, how parasite
population genetic structure is shaped by the interaction between host and
parasite life history remains understudied. Studies comparing multiple
parasites infecting a single host can be used to investigate how different
parasite life history traits interplay with host behaviour and life
history. In this study, we used 10 newly developed microsatellite loci to
investigate the genetic structure of a parasitic bat fly (Basilia nana).
Its host, the Bechstein's bat (Myotis bechsteinii), has a social
system and roosting behaviour that restrict opportunities for parasite
transmission. We compared fly genetic structure to that of the host and
another parasite, the wing-mite, Spinturnix bechsteini. We found little
spatial or temporal genetic structure in B. nana, suggesting a large,
stable population with frequent genetic exchange between fly populations
from different bat colonies. This contrasts sharply with the genetic
structure of the wing-mite, which is highly substructured between the same
bat colonies as well as temporally unstable. Our results suggest that
although host and parasite life history interact to yield similar
transmission patterns in both parasite species, the level of gene flow and
eventual spatiotemporal genetic stability is differentially affected. This
can be explained by the differences in generation time and winter survival
between the flies and wing-mites. Our study thus exemplifies that the
population genetic structure of parasites on a single host can vary
strongly as a result of how their individual life history characteristics
interact with host behaviour and life history traits.