scholarly journals A multi-year survey of helminths from the gastrointestinal tract of wild saddleback (Leontocebus weddelli) and emperor (Saguinus imperator) tamarins

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gideon A. Erkenswick ◽  
Mrinalini Watsa ◽  
Alfonso S. Gozalo ◽  
Shay Dudaie ◽  
Lindsey Bailey ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Group Size ◽  
Parasite Species ◽  
Logistic Models ◽  
Clinical Findings ◽  
Gastrointestinal Parasites ◽  
Infection Status ◽  
New World Primates ◽  
Parasite Species Richness ◽  
Saguinus Imperator

AbstractNoninvasive monitoring of gastrointestinal parasites from wild primates demonstrates that parasite-host relationships are altered during habitat or climatic disturbances. Interpreting changes in parasite measures for population health monitoring is problematic, since wild primates are infected with multiple parasites that fluctuate temporally and seasonally. Individual parasite infection data from two wild populations of New World primates, the saddleback (Leontocebus weddelli) and emperor (Saguinus imperator) tamarin, were collected over three years to: 1) establish baseline levels of parasite species richness (PSR) and variation across demography; 2) test for non-random associations of parasite co-occurrence; and 3) test hypothesized relationships between group size and PSR. Ten distinguishable parasite taxa were identified from 288 fecal samples by light microscopy following centrifugation and ethyl-acetate sedimentation. These samples represented 105 unique individuals (71 saddleback and 34 emperor tamarins), across 13 saddleback and seven emperor groups. Of the parasites identified in this study, none were confirmed as host specific, and only two parasites had statistically different prevalence between the host species. With few exceptions, individual infection status remained relatively unchanged over the study period. Considering yearly pair-wise parasite associations, we detected no marked differences between expected and observed levels of co-infection, nor did we detect statistically significant associations between group size and parasite species richness over 30 group-years. Logistic models of individual infection status did not identify a sex bias; however, age or species predicted the presence of four and three parasite taxa, respectively. Our model found higher PSR for saddleback tamarins. Considering the two most common parasites, one is typically pathogenic and the other is not, reinforcing caution when translating clinical findings of pathology to real-world systems. We now have reliable baseline data for future monitoring of these populations. Next steps should involve the molecular characterization of these parasites, and the exploration of linkages with health parameters.

scholarly journals Parasite infection and host group size: a meta-analytical review

Parasitology ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 140 (7) ◽  
pp. 803-813 ◽  
Author(s):  
JESSE E. H. PATTERSON ◽  
KATHREEN E. RUCKSTUHL
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Group Size ◽  
Parasite Species ◽  
Negative Relationship ◽  
Parasite Prevalence ◽  
Parasite Infection ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Host Group ◽  
Parasite Species Richness ◽  
Parasite Intensity

SUMMARYMany studies have identified various host behavioural and ecological traits that are associated with parasite infection, including host gregariousness. By use of meta-analyses, we investigated to what degree parasite prevalence, intensity and species richness are correlated with group size in gregarious species. We predicted that larger groups would have more parasites and higher parasite species richness. We analysed a total of 70 correlations on parasite prevalence, intensity and species richness across different host group sizes. Parasite intensity and prevalence both increased positively with group size, as expected. No significant relationships were found between host group size and parasite species richness, suggesting that larger groups do not harbour more rare or novel parasite species than smaller groups. We further predicted that the mobility of the host (mobile, sedentary) and the mode of parasite transmission (direct, indirect, mobile) would be important predictors of the effects of group sizes on parasite infection. It was found that group size was positively correlated with the prevalence and intensity of directly and indirectly transmitted parasites. However, a negative relationship was observed between group size and mobile parasite intensity, with larger groups having lower parasite intensities. Further, intensities of parasites did not increase with group size of mobile hosts, suggesting that host mobility may negate parasite infection risk. The implications for the evolution and maintenance of sociality in host species are discussed, and future research directions are highlighted.

Comparative Tests of Parasite Species Richness in Primates

2003 ◽  
Vol 162 (5) ◽  
pp. 597-614 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charles L. Nunn ◽  
Sonia Altizer ◽  
Kate E. Jones ◽  
Wes Sechrest
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Parasite Species ◽  
Comparative Tests ◽  
Parasite Species Richness

scholarly journals Community ecology of the metazoan parasites of namorado sandperches, Pseudopercis numida Miranda-Ribeiro, 1903 and P. semifasciata Cuvier, 1829 (Perciformes: Pinguipedidae), from the coastal zone of the State of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

2008 ◽  
Vol 68 (2) ◽  
pp. 269-278 ◽  
Author(s):  
JL. Luque ◽  
NN. Felizardo ◽  
LER. Tavares
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Rio De Janeiro ◽  
Parasite Species ◽  
Neotropical Region ◽  
Component Community ◽  
New Host ◽  
Metazoan Parasites ◽  
Parasite Abundance ◽  
Parasite Species Richness ◽  
Total Length

One hundred and twenty-eight specimens of namorado sandperches, 62 P. numida and 66 P. semifasciata, collected between October 2002 and June 2003 off the Cabo Frio, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (Lat 23° S and Long 42° W), were examined to study their metazoan parasites. Parasite communities of these fish were composed basically of endoparasites, mainly digenean and cestodes species, with low prevalence and abundance but having high parasite species richness values (at the component community level). Among these values, that found for P. numida is the highest so far recorded for marine fishes from the Neotropical Region. Thirty-nine species of metazoan parasites were collected: 36 from P. numida and 28 from P. semifasciata. Twenty-five parasite species were common to both species of namorado sandperches. Pseudopercis numida and P. semifasciata are new host records for all parasite species collected, with the exception of Microcotyle pseudopercis. Choanodera sp., Leurodera decora, Neolebouria georgenascimentoi, and Proctoeces sp. which were recorded for the first time in the South American Atlantic Ocean. Gnathia sp. from P. numida and Scolex pleuronectis from P. semifasciata were the species having the greatest dominance frequency. Parasite abundance in P. numida and P. semifasciata were positively correlated with the host total length. Only in P. numida was parasite species richness correlated positively with the host total length. No significant differences between endoparasite infracommunities of P. numida and P. semifasciata were detected. The ectoparasites of P. numida had higher values for parasite abundance, parasite richness, Brillouin index, evenness index, and Berger-Parker index than those of the ectoparasites of P. semifasciata. Comparisons among all ecto- and endoparasites showed the ectoparasites of P. numida as the most heterogeneous group. Low similarity values were observed among the three types of parasite infracommunities of the two hosts.

Parasite diversity and microsatellite variability in native and introduced populations of four Neogobius species (Gobiidae)

Parasitology ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 139 (11) ◽  
pp. 1493-1505 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. ONDRAČKOVÁ ◽  
A. ŠIMKOVÁ ◽  
K. CIVÁŇOVÁ ◽  
M. VYSKOČILOVÁ ◽  
P. JURAJDA
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Parasite Species ◽  
Drainage System ◽  
River System ◽  
Parasite Fauna ◽  
Source Population ◽  
Parasite Diversity ◽  
Parasite Species Richness ◽  
Introduced Populations ◽  
Microsatellite Diversity

SUMMARYSpecies introduced into new areas often show a reduction in parasite and genetic diversity associated to the limited number of founding individuals. In this study, we compared microsatellite and parasite diversity in both native (lower Danube) and introduced populations of 4 Ponto-Caspian gobies, including those (1) introduced from within the same river system (middle Danube; Neogobius kessleri and N. melanostomus), and (2) introduced from a different river system (River Vistula; N. fluviatilis and N. gymnotrachelus). Microsatellite data confirmed the lower Danube as a source population for gobies introduced into the middle Danube. Both native and introduced (same river system) populations of N. kessleri and N. melanostomus had comparable parasite species richness and microsatellite diversity, possibly due to multiple and/or continual migration/introduction of new individuals and the acquisition of local parasites. Reduced parasite species richness and microsatellite diversity were observed in introduced (different river system) populations in the Vistula. A low number of colonists found for N. fluviatilis and N. gymnotrachelus in the Vistula potentially resulted in reduced introduction of parasite species. Insufficient adaptation of the introduced host to local parasite fauna, together with introduction into an historically different drainage system, may also have contributed to the reduced parasite fauna.

Estimation of the Endohelminth Parasite Species Richness in Freshwater Fishes From La Mintzita Reservoir, Michoacán, Mexico

2008 ◽  
Vol 94 (1) ◽  
pp. 288-292 ◽  
Author(s):  
María de la Luz Romero-Tejeda ◽  
Luis García-Prieto ◽  
Lorena Garrido-Olvera ◽  
Gerardo Pérez-Ponce de León
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Parasite Species ◽  
Freshwater Fishes ◽  
Parasite Species Richness

Metazoan parasite species richness in Neotropical fishes: hotspots and the geography of biodiversity

Parasitology ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 134 (6) ◽  
pp. 865-878 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. L. LUQUE ◽  
R. POULIN
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Fish Species ◽  
Parasite Species ◽  
Freshwater Fishes ◽  
Parasite Diversity ◽  
Parasite Species Richness ◽  
Metazoan Parasite ◽  
Host Body ◽  
The Caribbean ◽  
Host Associations

SUMMARYAlthough research on parasite biodiversity has intensified recently, there are signs that parasites remain an underestimated component of total biodiversity in many regions of the planet. To identify geographical hotspots of parasite diversity, we performed qualitative and quantitative analyses of the parasite-host associations in fishes from Latin America and the Caribbean, a region that includes known hotspots of plant and animal biodiversity. The database included 10 904 metazoan parasite-host associations involving 1660 fish species. The number of host species with at least 1 parasite record was less than 10% of the total known fish species in the majority of countries. Associations involving adult endoparasites in actinopterygian fish hosts dominated the database. Across the whole region, no significant difference in parasite species richness was detected between marine and freshwater fishes. As a rule, host body size and study effort (number of studies per fish species) were good predictors of parasite species richness. Some interesting patterns emerged when we included only the regions with highest fish species biodiversity and study effort (Brasil, Mexico and the Caribbean Islands). Independently of differences in study effort or host body sizes, Mexico stands out as a hotspot of parasite diversity for freshwater fishes, as does Brasil for marine fishes. However, among 57 marine fish species common to all 3 regions, populations from the Caribbean consistently harboured more parasite species. These differences may reflect true biological patterns, or regional discrepancies in study effort and local priorities for fish parasitology research.

scholarly journals Parasite biodiversity and its determinants in coastal marine teleost fishes of Brazil

Parasitology ◽  
2004 ◽  
Vol 128 (6) ◽  
pp. 671-682 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. L. LUQUE ◽  
D. MOUILLOT ◽  
R. POULIN
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Body Size ◽  
Parasite Species ◽  
Feeding Habits ◽  
Taxonomic Distinctness ◽  
Depth Range ◽  
Metazoan Parasites ◽  
Parasite Species Richness ◽  
Parasite Biodiversity ◽  
Parasite Assemblages

Recent studies of the forces behind the diversification of parasite assemblages have shed light on many aspects of parasite biodiversity. By using only parasite species richness as their measure of diversity, however, previous investigations have ignored the relatedness among parasite species and the taxonomic structure of the assemblages, which contain much information about their evolutionary origins. Here, we performed a comparative analysis across 50 species of fish from the coast of Brazil; we evaluated the effects of several host traits (body size, social behaviour, feeding habits, preference for benthicvs. pelagic habitats, depth range, and ability to enter brackish waters) on the diversity of their assemblages of metazoan parasites. As measures of diversity, we used parasite species richness, as well as the average taxonomic distinctness of the assemblage and its variance; the latter measures are based on the average taxonomic distance between any two parasite species in an assemblage. Unlike parasite species richness, taxonomic distinctness was unaffected by the number of host individuals examined per species. Fish body length proved to be the main predictor of parasite species richness, even when controlling for the confounding influences of host phylogeny and sampling effort, although it did not correlate with measures of parasite taxonomic distinctness. Predatory fish also had higher parasite species richness than planktivores, but this trend could not be confirmed using phylogenetically independent contrasts between host taxa. The main host feature associated with the taxonomic diversity of parasites was schooling behaviour, with schooling fish having more taxonomically diverse parasite assemblages than those of their non-schooling relatives. When focusing on endoparasite species only, both predatory feeding habits and a broad depth range were associated with the taxonomic distinctness of parasites. Our results suggest that certain host traits (i.e. body size) determine how many parasite species a host can accumulate over evolutionary time, whereas different host features influence the processes causing the taxonomic diversification of parasite assemblages.

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