Helminth parasite communities of macropodoid marsupials of the genera Hypsiprymnodon, Aepyprmnus, Thylogale, Onychogalea, Lagorchestes and Dendrolagus from Queensland

1992 ◽  
Vol 19 (4) ◽  
pp. 359 ◽  
Author(s):  
I Beveridge ◽  
R Speare ◽  
PM Johnson ◽  
DM Spratt
Keyword(s):  
Host Species ◽  
Feeding Behaviour ◽  
Habitat Type ◽  
Single Species ◽  
Helminth Parasites ◽  
Helminth Community ◽  
Parasite Communities ◽  
Helminth Communities ◽  
Host Phylogeny ◽  
Dendrolagus Lumholtzi

Helminth parasites were examined from 4 Hypsiprymnodon moschatus, 18 Aepyprymnus rufescens, 13 Thylogale stigmatica, 13 Onychogalea unguifera, 2 0. fraenata, 8 Lagorchestes conspicillatus and 7 Dendrolagus lumholtzi from north and central Queensland. In all, 63 species of nematodes, ten species of cestodes and a single species of trematode were encountered. Helminth communities in H. moschatus and A. rufescens were characterised by few, highly specific parasites; D. lumholtzi similarly harboured few parasites; those of Onychogalea spp. and L. conspicillatus were more diverse and included a number of taxa shared with other macropodine hosts. The helminth community of T. stigmatica was extremely diverse and was dominated by helminths specific to Thylogale spp. The helminth communities of the various host genera showed little similarity to one another, even in the case of host species that were broadly sympatric. This lack of similarity is probably due to a mixture of factors, some related to host phylogeny and others ecological, particularly habitat type and feeding behaviour. The data presented illustrate a wider range of types of helminth communities in macropodoids than reported to date, and little evidence of exchange of parasites with rock-wallabies, Petrogale spp., examined from the same regions of Queensland.

Helminth parasite communities of kangaroos and wallabies (Macropus spp. and Wallabia bicolor) from north and central Queensland

1998 ◽  
Vol 46 (5) ◽  
pp. 473 ◽  
Author(s):  
I. Beveridge ◽  
N. B. Chilton ◽  
P. M. Johnson ◽  
L. R. Smales ◽  
R. Speare ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Host Species ◽  
Helminth Species ◽  
Helminth Parasites ◽  
Parasite Communities ◽  
Gastrointestinal Helminth ◽  
Helminth Communities ◽  
Digenetic Trematodes ◽  
Single Host ◽  
Wallabia Bicolor ◽  
High Level

The occurrence of gastrointestinal helminth parasites in 40 Macropus agilis, 12 M. antilopinus, 39 M. dorsalis, 28 M. giganteus, 29 M. parryi, 30 M. robustus and 26 Wallabia bicolor from north and central Queensland was examined. A total of 124 morphologically defined species of helminth was encountered, comprising 103 species of strongyloid nematodes, 6 species of trichostrongyloid nematodes, 2 species of spiruroid nematodes, 4 species of oxyuroid nematodes, 7 species of anoplocephalid cestodes and 2 species of digenetic trematodes. Helminth communities in each macropodid host species exhibited a high level of diversity, and were dominated numerically by strongyloid nematodes. A high proportion of the helminth species was restricted to a single host species and there was a low level of similarity between helminth communities in different host species. Similarities that did occur were not apparently related to the phylogenetic relationships between hosts and are best explained by host switching between hosts sharing overlapping habitats and feeding preferences. There was poor separation of the helminth species into ‘core’, ‘secondary’ and ‘satellite’ members of communities.

Helminth Parasite Communities of the Water-rat, Hydromys chrysogaster, from Queensland

1997 ◽  
Vol 24 (4) ◽  
pp. 445 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. R. Smales ◽  
T. H. Cribb
Keyword(s):  
Bimodal Distribution ◽  
Helminth Fauna ◽  
Helminth Community ◽  
Parasite Communities ◽  
Far North ◽  
Core Species ◽  
Helminth Communities ◽  
Eastern Australia ◽  
Hydromys Chrysogaster ◽  
High Diversity

The helminth fauna from 124 water-rats, Hydromys chrysogaster, collected from 33 localities in Queensland was analysed. A total of 45 species of helminths was found, comprising 2 acanthocephalans, 2 cestodes, 13 nematodes and 28 trematodes. The helminth community of the water-rats in the region north of latitude 18˚ (far north) was different from that of water-rats south of 18˚ (central); Sorensen’s Index 45·8% similarity, whereas Holmes and Podesta’s Index gave 32·1% similarity. Comparisons with data from water-rats from southern and Tasmanian regions showed that they were different from each other and from both Queensland regions. The helminth communities were characterised by high diversity, dominated by trematodes in the central and Tasmanian regions, but with nematodes becoming more prominent in the far northern and southern regions. No core or secondary species were found in the Queensland helminth communities, the southern community was suggestive of a bimodal distribution and the Tasmanian had two core species. A checklist of helminth species occurring in water-rats from eastern Australia is provided.

Richness and diversity of parasite communities in European eels Anguilla anguilla of the River Rhine, Germany, with special reference to helminth parasites

Parasitology ◽  
1999 ◽  
Vol 119 (3) ◽  
pp. 323-330 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. SURES ◽  
K. KNOPF ◽  
J. WÜRTZ ◽  
J. HIRT
Keyword(s):  
Parasite Species ◽  
Sampling Site ◽  
Anguilla Anguilla ◽  
Single Species ◽  
River Rhine ◽  
Helminth Parasites ◽  
Parasite Communities ◽  
Acanthocephalus Lucii ◽  
High Dominance ◽  
First Time

A total of 121 European eels (Anguilla anguilla) from 2 sampling sites on the River Rhine were investigated in respect of their parasite communities. Special attention was given to the swim bladders, intestines, gills and fins of the fish. Twelve different parasite species were found to live in and on the eels. Data from each sampling site were kept separate. Parasites found in descending order of prevalence were: Anguillicola crassus, Trypanosoma granulosum, Myxobolus sp., Paratenuisentis ambiguus, Pseudodactylogyrus sp., Bothriocephalus claviceps, Myxidium giardi, Pomphorhynchus laevis, Trichodina sp., Raphidascaris acus, Acanthocephalus lucii and Acanthocephalus anguillae. Significantly different prevalences were reported for L3 larvae of A. crassus, adult P. ambiguus, B. claviceps and Myxobolus sp. at the 2 sampling sites. The highest number of parasite species was recorded from the intestine, which contained up to 6 different helminths. The coexistence of the acanthocephalans P. laevis and P. ambiguus, which showed clear patterns of distribution within the intestine of the respective hosts, was reported for the first time. Up to 3 different helminth species were found in the intestine of individual fish. Among those, acanthocephalans were the most prevalent worms with the eel-specific parasite P. ambiguus as the dominant species not only of the intestinal but also of the total component communities. Both infra and component communities exhibited low diversity and were dominated by this single species. The evenness reached only approximately 50% or less and it remained unclear why the helminth communities of the eels from the River Rhine with its huge catchment area exhibit such a low parasite diversity and high dominance.

Living apart and having similar trouble: are frog helminth parasites determined by the host or by the habitat?

2016 ◽  
Vol 94 (11) ◽  
pp. 761-765 ◽  
Author(s):  
K.M. Campião ◽  
O.T. Dias ◽  
R.J. Silva ◽  
V.L. Ferreira ◽  
L.E.R. Tavares
Keyword(s):  
Host Species ◽  
Parasite Species ◽  
Helminth Parasites ◽  
Sympatric Populations ◽  
Behavioral Traits ◽  
Parasite Communities ◽  
Host Habitat ◽  
Species Characteristics ◽  
Study Sites ◽  
Leptodactylus Chaquensis

Sympatric hosts are exposed to similar ecological conditions, particularly if they are closely related phylogenetically and share some physiological and behavioral traits. We studied the sympatric frogs Leptodactylus chaquensis Cei, 1950 and Leptodactylus podicipinus (Cope, 1862) to investigate the extent to which the helminth parasite communities were influenced by host species’ characteristics or habitat location. We described and compared the helminth communities of 50 L. chaquensis and 40 L. podicipinus collected concurrently from two different study sites in Brazil’s Pantanal floodplain. Similarities in the prevalence and mean abundance of helminths were higher among allopatric populations of the same species than among sympatric populations of different species. The effects of host species, size, and habitat on helminth composition were significant. The amount of variance in the helminth community composition explained by host species and size was greater than that explained by host habitat. These results indicate that the main factors determining similarities in parasite species in this study system are the coevolutionary and biological constraints of the host species, which either limit or allow infection of the parasite species despite the host habitat.

Helminth parasite communities in four species of sympatric macropodids in western Victoria

2011 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
pp. 13 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Aussavy ◽  
E. Bernardin ◽  
A. Corrigan ◽  
J. Hufschmid ◽  
I. Beveridge
Keyword(s):  
Host Species ◽  
Helminth Parasite ◽  
Helminth Parasites ◽  
Detailed Data ◽  
Sympatric Distribution ◽  
Parasite Communities ◽  
Parasite Specificity ◽  
Wallabia Bicolor ◽  
Western Victoria ◽  
Ecological Differences

Helminth parasites of Macropus fuliginosus, M. giganteus, M. rufogriseus and Wallabia bicolor were examined in a region of western Victoria, Australia, where all four species of hosts are sympatric. M. fuliginosus and M. giganteus shared most of their parasites while the helminth communities of M. rufogriseus and W. bicolor were distinctive. The sympatric distribution of the host species studied provides evidence in support of the hypothesis that the differences between the parasite communities of M. fuliginosus–M. giganteus compared with those of M. rufogriseus and W. bicolor are due to parasite specificity rather than to host ecological differences. However, lack of detailed data on the ecological differences of these hosts in areas of sympatry prevents more precise conclusions being drawn on the reasons for the distinctiveness of the parasite communities.

Helminth parasite communities of allopatric populations of the frog Leptodactylus podicipinus from Pantanal, Brazil

2012 ◽  
Vol 88 (1) ◽  
pp. 13-19 ◽  
Author(s):  
K.M. Campião ◽  
R.J. da Silva ◽  
V.L. Ferreira
Keyword(s):  
Abiotic Factors ◽  
Landscape Composition ◽  
Helminth Parasites ◽  
Local Conditions ◽  
Parasite Communities ◽  
Allopatric Populations ◽  
Helminth Communities ◽  
Host Sex ◽  
Abundance And Diversity ◽  
Study Sites

AbstractSeveral factors may influence the structure of parasite communities in amphibian hosts. In this study, we describe the helminth parasites of three allopatric populations of the frog Leptodactylus podicipinus and test whether host size and sex were determinants of the structure and composition of the helminth communities. One hundred and twenty-three anurans were collected from three different study sites within the Pantanal wetlands and surveyed for helminth parasites. We found 14 helminth taxa: 7 species of nematodes, 4 species of trematodes, 1 species of cestodes, 1 species of acanthocephalan and one unidentified cyst. Host sex and size did not cause significant differences in helminth abundance or richness. The structure of helminth communities from the three study sites varied in terms of species composition, abundance and diversity. Six out of 14 helminth taxa were found in the three localities. Among those, the nematodes Cosmocerca podicipinus and Rhabdias sp., the trematode Catadiscus propinquus and the helminth cyst showed significant differences in mean abundances. We suggest that such differences found among the three component communities are driven by biotic and abiotic factors operating locally. Moreover, these differences stress the importance of local conditions, such as hydrologic characteristics and landscape composition, on helminth community structure.

Diversity and patterns of interaction of an anuran–parasite network in a neotropical wetland

Parasitology ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 142 (14) ◽  
pp. 1751-1757 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. M. CAMPIÃO ◽  
A. RIBAS ◽  
L. E. R. TAVARES
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Parasite Community ◽  
Taxonomic Diversity ◽  
Community Diversity ◽  
Helminth Parasites ◽  
Mixed Effect ◽  
Parasite Communities ◽  
Mixed Effect Models ◽  
Host Phylogeny ◽  
Host Parasite

SUMMARYWe describe the diversity and structure of a host–parasite network of 11 anuran species and their helminth parasites in the Pantanal wetland, Brazil. Specifically, we investigate how the heterogeneous use of space by hosts changes parasite community diversity, and how the local pool of parasites exploits sympatric host species of different habits. We examined 229 anuran specimens, interacting with 32 helminth parasite taxa. Mixed effect models indicated the influence of anuran body size, but not habit, as a determinant of parasite species richness. Variation in parasite taxonomic diversity, however, was not significantly correlated with host size or habit. Parasite community composition was not correlated with host phylogeny, indicating no strong effect of the evolutionary relationships among anurans on the similarities in their parasite communities. Host–parasite network showed a nested and non-modular pattern of interaction, which is probably a result of the low host specificity observed for most helminths in this study. Overall, we found host body size was important in determining parasite community richness, whereas low parasite specificity was important to network structure.

The ecology of parasites of freshwater fishes: the search for patterns

Parasitology ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 136 (12) ◽  
pp. 1653-1662 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. R. KENNEDY
Keyword(s):  
Community Dynamics ◽  
Parasite Community ◽  
Freshwater Fishes ◽  
Convincing Evidence ◽  
Helminth Parasites ◽  
Parasite Communities ◽  
Space And Time ◽  
Long Time ◽  
Population And Community Dynamics ◽  
Parasite Populations

SUMMARYDevelopments in the study of the ecology of helminth parasites of freshwater fishes over the last half century are reviewed. Most research has of necessity been field based and has involved the search for patterns in population and community dynamics that are repeatable in space and time. Mathematical models predict that under certain conditions host and parasite populations can attain equilibrial levels through operation of regulatory factors. Such factors have been identified in several host-parasite systems and some parasite populations have been shown to persist over long time-periods. However, there is no convincing evidence that fish parasite populations are stable and regulated since in all cases alternative explanations are equally acceptable and it appears that they are non-equilibrial systems. It has proved particularly difficult to detect replicable patterns in parasite communities. Inter-specific competition, evidenced by functional and numerical responses, has been detected in several communities but its occurrence is erratic and its significance unclear. Some studies have failed to find any nested patterns in parasite community structure and richness, whereas others have identified such patterns although they are seldom constant over space and time. Departures from randomness appear to be the exception and then only temporary. It appears that parasite communities are non-equilibrial, stochastic assemblages rather than structured and organized.

scholarly journals The comparative ecology and biogeography of parasites

2011 ◽  
Vol 366 (1576) ◽  
pp. 2379-2390 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert Poulin ◽  
Boris R. Krasnov ◽  
David Mouillot ◽  
David W. Thieltges
Keyword(s):  
Niche Breadth ◽  
Comparative Methods ◽  
Comparative Ecology ◽  
Host Interactions ◽  
Biogeographic Patterns ◽  
Parasite Communities ◽  
Fundamental Properties ◽  
Host Phylogeny ◽  
Patterns And Processes ◽  
Special Case

Comparative ecology uses interspecific relationships among traits, while accounting for the phylogenetic non-independence of species, to uncover general evolutionary processes. Applied to biogeographic questions, it can be a powerful tool to explain the spatial distribution of organisms. Here, we review how comparative methods can elucidate biogeographic patterns and processes, using analyses of distributional data on parasites (fleas and helminths) as case studies. Methods exist to detect phylogenetic signals, i.e. the degree of phylogenetic dependence of a given character, and either to control for these signals in statistical analyses of interspecific data, or to measure their contribution to variance. Parasite–host interactions present a special case, as a given trait may be a parasite trait, a host trait or a property of the coevolved association rather than of one participant only. For some analyses, it is therefore necessary to correct simultaneously for both parasite phylogeny and host phylogeny, or to evaluate which has the greatest influence on trait expression. Using comparative approaches, we show that two fundamental properties of parasites, their niche breadth, i.e. host specificity, and the nature of their life cycle, can explain interspecific and latitudinal variation in the sizes of their geographical ranges, or rates of distance decay in the similarity of parasite communities. These findings illustrate the ways in which phylogenetically based comparative methods can contribute to biogeographic research.

scholarly journals Do syntopic host species harbour similar symbiotic communities? The case ofChaetopterusspp. (Annelida: Chaetopteridae)

PeerJ ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
pp. e2930 ◽  
Author(s):  
Temir A. Britayev ◽  
Elena Mekhova ◽  
Yury Deart ◽  
Daniel Martin
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Community Structure ◽  
Host Species ◽  
Interspecific Interactions ◽  
Single Species ◽  
Intraspecific Interactions ◽  
Mean Intensity ◽  
Species Dominance ◽  
High Species Richness ◽  
Symbiotic Community

To assess whether closely related host species harbour similar symbiotic communities, we studied two polychaetes,Chaetopterussp. (n = 11) andChaetopteruscf.appendiculatus(n = 83) living in soft sediments of Nhatrang Bay (South China Sea, Vietnam). The former harboured the porcellanid crabsPolyonyxcf.heokandPolyonyxsp., the pinnotherid crabTetriassp. and the tergipedid nudibranchPhestillasp. The latter harboured the polynoid polychaeteOphthalmonoe pettiboneae, the carapid fishOnuxodon fowleriand the porcellanid crabEulenaios cometes, all of which, exceptO. fowleri, seemed to be specialized symbionts. The species richness and mean intensity of the symbionts were higher inChaetopterussp. than inC.cf.appendiculatus(1.8 and 1.02 species and 3.0 and 1.05 individuals per host respectively). We suggest that the lower density ofChaetopterussp. may explain the higher number of associated symbionts observed, as well as the 100% prevalence (69.5% inC.cf.appenciculatus). MostChaetopterussp. harboured two symbiotic species, which was extremely rare inC.cf.appendiculatus, suggesting lower interspecific interactions in the former. The crab and nudibranch symbionts ofChaetopterussp. often shared a host and lived in pairs, thus partitioning resources. This led to the species coexisting in the tubes ofChaetopterussp., establishing a tightly packed community, indicating high species richness and mean intensity, together with a low species dominance. In contrast, the aggressive, strictly territorial species associated withC.cf.appendiculatusestablished a symbiotic community strongly dominated by single species and, thus, low species richness and mean intensity. Therefore, we suggest that interspecific interactions are determining species richness, intensity and dominance, while intraspecific interactions are influencing only intensity and abundance. It is possible that species composition may have influenced the differences in community structure observed. We hypothesize that both host species could originally be allopatric. The evolutionary specialization of the symbiotic communities would occur in separated geographical areas, while the posterior disappearance of the existing geographical barriers would lead to the overlapped distribution.

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