Readme file to the hostchoice.csv data file

18/08/2014

This table represents the results from the host choice experiment.
Since each trial consisted of a bat pair, one of the two bats was randomly assigned 'bat 1'(B1) and the other 'bat 2'(B2). Each line in the table therefore corresponds to a single trial with the biometrics of the two bats involved.

Column definitions:
N.B. For each column with 'B1' in its name, and equivilant exists for 'B2' corresponding to the values of bat 1 and bat 2 respectively.

Date		The date the trial was performed, bats were caught 36 hours earlier.
Ring_B1		The unique identifing code on the ring of bat 1.
B1Weight 	The total body mass in grams, measured at the time of capture.
B1Length	The fore-arm length in millimeters.
B1Sex		The sex of the bat: M=male, F=female.
B1Age		The age of the bat: A=adult, SA=sub adult.
B1Infection	Did the bat blood test positive for P. murinus by PCR? TRUE=positive, FALSE=negative. Each bat was tested using the same PCR protocol as in Megali et al. (Mol. Ecol. 2011)
B1Gameto	The parasitemia of bat 1: the number of P. murinus gametocytes counted in a blood smear in 15 minutes, as a measure of infection intensity.
B1Nyct_or	The number of Nycteribia kolenatii bat flies found on, and collected of, bat 1 at the time of capture.
...		the same columns as above but for bat 2 follow.
next follow the data from the experiment
B1_Nyct_0h	The number of Nycteibia kolenatii on bat 1 after 0 hours of the trial (i.e. at the beginning of the trial, 9 o'clock).
B2_Nyct_0h	The number of Nycteibia kolenatii on bat 2 after 0 hours of the trial (i.e. at the beginning of the trial, 9 o'clock).
B1_Nyct_2h	The number of Nycteibia kolenatii on bat 1 after 2 hours of the trial.
B2_Nyct_2h	The number of Nycteibia kolenatii on bat 2 after 2 hours of the trial.
etc. etc. total of 12 columns (there are no measurements at 10 hours).
next follow the same data, but in raw form. For each fly at each time point the host (bat)1 or (bat)2 is noted. 
Fly1_9h		The bat host on which bat fly 1 of this trail was at 09:00.
Fly2_9h		The bat host on which bat fly 2 of this trail was at 09:00.
...
Fly8_21h	The bat host on which bat fly 8 of this trail was at 21:00.

NB. Bat flies 1-4 started on bat 1, bat flies 5-8 on bat 2. Bat flies 1,2,5,6 were always male, bat flies 3,4,7,8 were always female. All bat flies used in the experiment were N. kolenatii.