PARASITE COMMUNITIES OF TROPICAL FOREST RODENTS: INFLUENCES OF MICROHABITAT STRUCTURE AND SPECIALIZATION

Mammals - parasites;Host-parasite relationships;Parasitism;Rodents

Winker, Ashley M.Adler, Gregory ;

University of Wisconsin

关键词: Mammals - parasites;    Host-parasite relationships;    Parasitism;    Rodents;   

Others  :  https://minds.wisconsin.edu/bitstream/handle/1793/66239/Winker%2c%20Ashley.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y

瑞士|英语

来源: University of Wisconsin

【 摘 要 】

Parasitism is the most common life style and has important implications for theecology and evolution of hosts. Most organisms host multiple species of parasites, andparasite communities are frequently influenced by the degree of host specialization.Parasite communities are also influenced by their habitat ? both the host itself and thehabitat that the host occupies. Tropical forest rodents are ideal for examining hypothesesrelating parasite community composition to host habitat and host specialization.Proechimys semispinosus and Hoplomys gymnurus are morphologically-similar echimyidrodents; however, P. semispinosus is more generalized, occupying a wider range ofhabitats. I predicted that P. semispinosus hosts a broader range of parasite species thatare less host-specific than does H. gymnurus and that parasite communities of P.semispinosus are related to microhabitat structure, host density, and season.During two dry and wet seasons, individuals of the two rodent species weretrapped along streams in central Panama to compare their parasites, and P. semispinosuswas sampled on six plots of varying microhabitat structure in contiguous lowland forestto compare parasite loads to microhabitat structure. Such structure was quantified bymeasuring thirteen microhabitat variables, and dimensions were reduced to a smallersubset using factor analysis to define overall structure. Ectoparasites were collected fromeach individual, and blood smears were obtained to screen for filarial worms andtrypanosomes.In support of my prediction, the habitat generalist (P. semispinosus) hosted moreindividual fleas, mites, and microfilaria; contrary to my prediction, the habitat specialist(H. gymnurus) hosted more individual lice, ticks, and species of ticks. Also contrary tomy prediction, none of the tick species found on P. semispinosus were host-specific. Thesole flea species I collected was Polygenis klagesi, which may be host-specific largely toP. semispinosus, only rarely infesting other mammals. Fleas were associated with forestopenness with respect to trees and were more abundant during the rainy season. Licewere more abundant during the dry season, and ticks were more abundant on male hosts.Male-biased parasitism is common in mammals and presumably results from greatermobility and lower immune response than females. This descriptive study is the first toinvestigate the relationships between parasite communities and microhabitat, hostdensity, and season in a lowland Neotropical forest. It lays the foundation for anexperimental approach to study the interactions of these hosts and their parasites.