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Krasnov BR, Khokhlova IS, Berrizbeitia MFL, Matthee S, Sanchez JP, van der Mescht L. Functional similarity affects similarity in partner composition in flea-mammal networks. Parasitol Res 2024; 123:203. [PMID: 38705882 PMCID: PMC11070403 DOI: 10.1007/s00436-024-08229-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2024] [Accepted: 04/30/2024] [Indexed: 05/07/2024]
Abstract
Functional signal in an interaction network is a phenomenon in which species resembling each other in their traits interact with similar partners. We tested the functional signal concept in realm-specific and regional flea-host networks from four biogeographic realms and asked whether the species composition of (a) host spectra and (b) flea assemblages is similar between functionally similar flea and host species, respectively. Analogously to testing for phylogenetic signal, we applied Mantel tests to investigate the correlation between flea or host functional distances calculated from functional dendrograms and dissimilarities in sets of interacting partners. In all realm-specific networks, functionally similar fleas tended to exploit similar hosts often belonging to the same genus, whereas functionally similar hosts tended to harbour similar fleas, again often belonging to the same genus. The strength of realm-specific functional signals and the frequency of detecting a significant functional signal in the regional networks differed between realms. The frequency of detecting a significant functional signal in the regional networks correlated positively with the network size for fleas and with the number of hosts in a network for hosts. A functional signal in the regional networks was more frequently found for hosts than for fleas. We discuss the mechanisms behind the functional signal in both fleas and their hosts, relate geographic functional signal patterns to the historic biogeography of fleas and conclude that functional signals in the species composition of host spectra for fleas and of flea assemblages for hosts result from the interplay of evolutionary and ecological processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Boris R Krasnov
- Mitrani Department of Desert Ecology, Swiss Institute of Dryland Environmental and Energy Research, Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Sede Boqer Campus, 84990, Midreshet Ben-Gurion, Israel.
| | - Irina S Khokhlova
- French Associates Institute for Agriculture and Biotechnology of Drylands, Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Sede Boqer Campus, 84990, Midreshet Ben-Gurion, Israel
| | - M Fernanda López Berrizbeitia
- Programa de Conservación de los Murciélagos de Argentina (PCMA) and Instituto de Investigaciones de Biodiversidad Argentina (PIDBA)-CCT CONICET Noa Sur (Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas), Facultad de Ciencias Naturales E IML, UNT, and Fundación Miguel Lillo, Miguel Lillo 251, 4000, San Miguel de Tucumán, Argentina
| | - Sonja Matthee
- Stellenbosch University, Private Bag X1, Matieland, 7602, South Africa
| | - Juliana P Sanchez
- Centro de Investigaciones y Transferencia del Noroeste de la Provincia deBuenos Aires - CITNOBA (CONICET-UNNOBA), Ruta Provincial 32 Km 3.5, 2700, Pergamino, Argentina
| | - Luther van der Mescht
- Stellenbosch University, Private Bag X1, Matieland, 7602, South Africa
- Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of the Free State, 205 Nelson Mandela Dr, Park West, Bloemfontein, 9301, South Africa
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Krasnov BR, Khokhlova IS, López Berrizbeitia MF, Matthee S, Sanchez JP, Shenbrot GI, van der Mescht L. Relationships between functional alpha and beta diversities of flea parasites and their small mammalian hosts. Parasitology 2024; 151:449-460. [PMID: 38433581 PMCID: PMC11043902 DOI: 10.1017/s0031182024000283] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2023] [Revised: 02/08/2024] [Accepted: 02/28/2024] [Indexed: 03/05/2024]
Abstract
We studied the relationships between functional alpha and beta diversities of fleas and their small mammalian hosts in 4 biogeographic realms (the Afrotropics, the Nearctic, the Neotropics and the Palearctic), considering 3 components of alpha diversity (functional richness, divergence and regularity). We asked whether (a) flea alpha and beta diversities are driven by host alpha and beta diversities; (b) the variation in the off-host environment affects variation in flea alpha and beta diversities; and (c) the pattern of the relationship between flea and host alpha or beta diversities differs between geographic realms. We analysed alpha diversity using modified phylogenetic generalized least squares and beta diversity using modified phylogenetic generalized dissimilarity modelling. In all realms, flea functional richness and regularity increased with an increase in host functional richness and regularity, respectively, whereas flea functional divergence correlated positively with host functional divergence in the Nearctic only. Environmental effects on the components of flea alpha diversity were found only in the Holarctic realms. Host functional beta diversity was invariantly the best predictor of flea functional beta diversity in all realms, whereas the effects of environmental variables on flea functional beta diversity were much weaker and differed between realms. We conclude that flea functional diversity is mostly driven by host functional diversity, whereas the environmental effects on flea functional diversity vary (a) geographically and (b) between components of functional alpha diversity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Boris R. Krasnov
- Mitrani Department of Desert Ecology, Swiss Institute for Dryland Environmental and Energy Research, Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Sede Boqer Campus, 8499000 Midreshet Ben-Gurion, Israel
| | - Irina S. Khokhlova
- French Associates Institute for Agriculture and Biotechnology of Drylands, Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Sede Boqer Campus, 8499000 Midreshet Ben-Gurion, Israel
| | - M. Fernanda López Berrizbeitia
- Programa de Conservación de los Murciélagos de Argentina (PCMA) and Instituto de Investigaciones de Biodiversidad Argentina (PIDBA)-CCT CONICET Noa Sur (Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas), Facultad de Ciencias Naturales e IML, UNT, and Fundación Miguel Lillo, Miguel Lillo 251, 4000 San Miguel de Tucumán, Argentina
| | - Sonja Matthee
- Stellenbosch University, Private Bag X1, Matieland 7602, South Africa
| | - Juliana P. Sanchez
- Centro de Investigaciones y Transferencia del Noroeste de la Provincia de Buenos Aires – CITNOBA (CONICET-UNNOBA), Ruta Provincial 32 Km 3.5, 2700 Pergamino, Argentina
| | - Georgy I. Shenbrot
- Mitrani Department of Desert Ecology, Swiss Institute for Dryland Environmental and Energy Research, Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Sede Boqer Campus, 8499000 Midreshet Ben-Gurion, Israel
| | - Luther van der Mescht
- Clinvet International (Pty) Ltd, Universitas, Uitsig Road, Bloemfontein 9338, South Africa
- Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of the Free State, 205 Nelson Mandela Dr, Park West, Bloemfontein 9301, South Africa
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Del Mar Labrador M, Serrano D, Doña J, Aguilera E, Arroyo JL, Atiénzar F, Barba E, Bermejo A, Blanco G, Borràs A, Calleja JA, Cantó JL, Cortés V, De la Puente J, De Palacio D, Fernández-González S, Figuerola J, Frías Ó, Fuertes-Marcos B, Garamszegi LZ, Gordo Ó, Gurpegui M, Kovács I, Martínez JL, Meléndez L, Mestre A, Møller AP, Monrós JS, Moreno-Opo R, Navarro C, Pap PL, Pérez-Tris J, Piculo R, Ponce C, Proctor HC, Rodríguez R, Sallent Á, Senar JC, Tella JL, Vágási CI, Vögeli M, Jovani R. Host space, not energy or symbiont size, constrains feather mite abundance across passerine bird species. J Anim Ecol 2024; 93:393-405. [PMID: 38100230 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.14032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2023] [Accepted: 11/06/2023] [Indexed: 04/04/2024]
Abstract
Comprehending symbiont abundance among host species is a major ecological endeavour, and the metabolic theory of ecology has been proposed to understand what constrains symbiont populations. We parameterized metabolic theory equations to investigate how bird species' body size and the body size of their feather mites relate to mite abundance according to four potential energy (uropygial gland size) and space constraints (wing area, total length of barbs and number of feather barbs). Predictions were compared with the empirical scaling of feather mite abundance across 106 passerine bird species (26,604 individual birds sampled), using phylogenetic modelling and quantile regression. Feather mite abundance was strongly constrained by host space (number of feather barbs) but not by energy. Moreover, feather mite species' body size was unrelated to the body size of their host species. We discuss the implications of our results for our understanding of the bird-feather mite system and for symbiont abundance in general.
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Affiliation(s)
- María Del Mar Labrador
- Doñana Biological Station (CSIC), Seville, Spain
- SEO-Monticola Ornithological Group, Autonomous University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | | | - Jorge Doña
- University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois, USA
- University of Granada, Granada, Spain
| | | | | | | | | | - Ana Bermejo
- SEO-Monticola Ornithological Group, Autonomous University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | | | - Antoni Borràs
- Museu de Ciències Naturals de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Juan A Calleja
- SEO-Monticola Ornithological Group, Autonomous University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain
- Autonomous University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | | | | | - Javier De la Puente
- SEO-Monticola Ornithological Group, Autonomous University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Diana De Palacio
- SEO-Monticola Ornithological Group, Autonomous University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | | | | | | | | | - László Z Garamszegi
- Institute of Ecology and Botany, Centre for Ecological Research, Vácrátót, Hungary
| | - Óscar Gordo
- Doñana Biological Station (CSIC), Seville, Spain
| | - Míriam Gurpegui
- National Institute for Agricultural and Food Research and Technology (CSIC), Madrid, Spain
| | - István Kovács
- 'Milvus Group' Bird and Nature Protection Association, Târgu Mureş, Romania
| | | | - Leandro Meléndez
- Biodiversity Research Institute (Univ. of Oviedo-CSIC-Princ. Asturias), Mieres, Spain
| | | | | | | | - Rubén Moreno-Opo
- SEO-Monticola Ornithological Group, Autonomous University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | | | - Péter L Pap
- Babeş-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
- University of Debrecen, Debrecen, Hungary
| | | | | | - Carlos Ponce
- SEO-Monticola Ornithological Group, Autonomous University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | | | | | - Ángel Sallent
- Naturalists Association of Southeast (ANSE), Murcia, Spain
| | | | - José L Tella
- Doñana Biological Station (CSIC), Seville, Spain
| | | | | | - Roger Jovani
- Doñana Biological Station (CSIC), Seville, Spain
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Krasnov BR, Shenbrot GI, Khokhlova IS. Nestedness of flea assemblages harboured by small mammalian hosts revisited: phylogenetic and functional nestedness do not follow compositional nestedness. Parasitol Res 2024; 123:111. [PMID: 38270673 DOI: 10.1007/s00436-024-08132-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2023] [Accepted: 01/17/2024] [Indexed: 01/26/2024]
Abstract
We studied compositional, phylogenetic, and functional nestedness in the flea assemblages of 14 host species across regions. Our main questions were (a) are a host's flea assemblages compositionally, phylogenetically, or functionally nested? (b) Do similar processes drive these nestedness facets? (d) Are a host's biological traits associated with nestedness of its flea assemblages? Rows of host matrices were ordered by decreasing species richness/the sum of the branch lengths of a phylogenetic tree/functional dendrogram or by decreasing region area or by increasing distance from the centre of a host's geographic range. None of the matrices sorted by species richness/sum of branch lengths were nested from a compositional perspective, but they were significantly nested from phylogenetic and functional perspectives. Compositional, phylogenetic, and functional nestedness of matrices sorted by region area or by distance from the host's geographic range centre varied between hosts. In some hosts, flea assemblages were nested from all three perspectives independently of how matrix rows were sorted, whereas in other hosts, the occurrence of significant nestedness depended on the order of the matrix rows. The degree of phylogenetic and functional nestedness for matrices sorted by the sum of branch lengths was associated with a host species' morphoecological traits and the latitude of its geographic range. We conclude that consideration of nestedness based solely on species composition does not allow a comprehensive understanding of the patterns of parasite community structure. Nestedness should also be considered from phylogenetic and functional perspectives.
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Affiliation(s)
- Boris R Krasnov
- Mitrani Department of Desert Ecology, Swiss Institute of Dryland Environmental and Energy Research, Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Sede Boqer Campus, 84990 Midreshet Ben-Gurion, Beersheba, Israel.
| | - Georgy I Shenbrot
- Mitrani Department of Desert Ecology, Swiss Institute of Dryland Environmental and Energy Research, Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Sede Boqer Campus, 84990 Midreshet Ben-Gurion, Beersheba, Israel
| | - Irina S Khokhlova
- French Associates Institute for Agriculture and Biotechnology of Drylands, Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Sede Boqer Campus, 84990 Midreshet Ben-Gurion, Beersheba, Israel
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Lindsø LK, Viljugrein H, Mysterud A. Vector competence of Ixodes ricinus instars for the transmission of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato in different small mammalian hosts. Parasit Vectors 2024; 17:23. [PMID: 38238796 PMCID: PMC10797980 DOI: 10.1186/s13071-023-06110-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2023] [Accepted: 12/22/2023] [Indexed: 01/22/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Many pathogens and parasites can infect multiple host species, and the competence of different hosts as pathogen reservoirs is key to understanding their epidemiology. Small mammals are important hosts for the instar stages of Ixodes ricinus ticks, the principal vector of Lyme disease in Europe. Small mammals also act as reservoirs of Borrelia afzelii, the most common genospecies of the Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (s.l.) spirochetes causing Lyme disease in Europe. However, we lack quantitative estimates on whether different small mammal species are equally suitable hosts for feeding I. ricinus and whether they show differences in pathogen transmission from host to tick. METHODS Here, we analysed the feeding success and prevalence of B. burgdorferi s.l. infections in 12,987 instar I. ricinus found on captured small mammals with known infection status in Norway (2018-2022). RESULTS We found that larvae were more likely to acquire a blood meal from common shrews (Sorex araneus, 46%) compared to bank voles (Myodes glareolus, 36%) and wood mice (Apodemus sylvaticus, 31%). Nymphs tended to be more likely to acquire a blood meal from wood mice (66%) compared to bank voles (54%). Common shrews harboured few nymphs (n=19). Furthermore, we found that larvae feeding on infected bank voles (11%) were more likely to be infected with B. burgdorferi s.l. than larvae on infected common shrews (7%) or wood mice (4%). CONCLUSIONS Our study provides quantitative evidence of differences in suitability for the instar stages of I. ricinus across taxa of small mammals and highlights how even known small mammal host species can differ in their ability to feed ticks and infect larval ticks with the pathogen causing Lyme disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lars K Lindsø
- Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis (CEES), Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, Blindern, P.O. Box 1066, NO-0316, Oslo, Norway.
| | - Hildegunn Viljugrein
- Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis (CEES), Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, Blindern, P.O. Box 1066, NO-0316, Oslo, Norway
- Norwegian Veterinary Institute, P.O. Box 64, NO-1431, Ås, Norway
| | - Atle Mysterud
- Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis (CEES), Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, Blindern, P.O. Box 1066, NO-0316, Oslo, Norway
- Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA), Torgarden, P.O. Box 5685, NO-7485, Trondheim, Norway
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Lindsø LK, Anders JL, Viljugrein H, Herland A, Stigum VM, Easterday WR, Mysterud A. Individual heterogeneity in ixodid tick infestation and prevalence of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato in a northern community of small mammalian hosts. Oecologia 2023; 203:421-433. [PMID: 37955713 PMCID: PMC10684702 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-023-05476-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2023] [Accepted: 11/05/2023] [Indexed: 11/14/2023]
Abstract
Heterogeneous aggregation of parasites between individual hosts is common and regarded as an important factor in understanding transmission dynamics of vector-borne diseases. Lyme disease is vectored by generalist tick species, yet we have a limited understanding of how individual heterogeneities within small mammal host populations affect the aggregation of ticks and likelihood of infection. Male hosts often have higher parasite and infection levels than females, but whether this is linked to sexual body size dimorphism remains uncertain. Here, we analysed how host species, sex, and body mass influenced Ixodes ricinus tick infestations and the infection prevalence of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (s.l.) in three species of small mammals involved in the enzootic transmission cycle of Lyme disease in Norway from 2018 to 2022. Larval and nymphal ticks were found on 98% and 34% of all individual hosts, respectively. In bank voles and wood mice, both larval and nymphal tick infestation and infection probability increased with body mass, and it increased more with mass for males than for females. Tick infestation in the common shrew increased with body mass and was higher in males, while pathogen infection was higher in females. Sex-biases in infestation did not correspond with level of sexual body mass dimorphism across species. This study contributes to our understanding of how individual heterogeneity among small mammalian hosts influences I. ricinus tick aggregation and prevalence of B. burgdorferi s.l. at northern latitudes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lars K Lindsø
- Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis (CEES), Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, Blindern, P.O. Box 1066, NO-0316, Oslo, Norway.
| | - Jason L Anders
- Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis (CEES), Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, Blindern, P.O. Box 1066, NO-0316, Oslo, Norway
| | - Hildegunn Viljugrein
- Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis (CEES), Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, Blindern, P.O. Box 1066, NO-0316, Oslo, Norway
- Norwegian Veterinary Institute, P.O. Box 64, NO-1431, Ås, Norway
| | - Anders Herland
- Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis (CEES), Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, Blindern, P.O. Box 1066, NO-0316, Oslo, Norway
| | - Vetle M Stigum
- Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis (CEES), Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, Blindern, P.O. Box 1066, NO-0316, Oslo, Norway
| | - W Ryan Easterday
- Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis (CEES), Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, Blindern, P.O. Box 1066, NO-0316, Oslo, Norway
| | - Atle Mysterud
- Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis (CEES), Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, Blindern, P.O. Box 1066, NO-0316, Oslo, Norway
- Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA), Torgarden, P.O. Box 5685, NO-7485, Trondheim, Norway
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Sidhoum NR, Boucheikhchoukh M, Mechouk N, Deak G. An overview of fleas (Siphonaptera) in wild and domestic mammals from Algeria with new data from the central north and south of the country. Acta Trop 2023; 247:107004. [PMID: 37619901 DOI: 10.1016/j.actatropica.2023.107004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2023] [Revised: 08/14/2023] [Accepted: 08/21/2023] [Indexed: 08/26/2023]
Abstract
Fleas (Siphonaptera) are medically and veterinary important ectoparasites known to infest a wide range of host species. This study presents a systematic review complemented by new data on the diversity of flea species and host associations in Algeria. 198 mammals were examined, including previously understudied hosts such as sheep, red foxes, fennec foxes, and golden African wolves. Of these animals, 108 (54.55%) were infested with fleas. Overall, 1.906 fleas belonging to seven species (Archaeopsylla erinacei s.l., Ctenocephalides felis, C. canis, Nosopsyllus fasciatus, Pariodontis riggenbachi, Pulex irritans, Xenopsylla cheopis) were identified, originating from seven provinces across Algeria. Statistical analysis techniques were employed to process the data, including descriptive statistics, statistical tests, and principal component analysis (PCA). This study reveals the diverse flea fauna in Algeria and their association with various host species, including wild and domestic animals. This comprehensive survey aimed to combine literature reviews, fieldwork, and statistical analysis to understand fleas' diversity and host associations. The findings contribute to the growing knowledge of flea ecology and host-parasite interactions, with implications for public health and veterinary practices in Algeria and potentially other regions with similar ecological characteristics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Noureddine Rabah Sidhoum
- Biodiversity and Ecosystems Pollution Laboratory, Faculty of Life and Nature Sciences, Chadli Bendjedid University, El Tarf 36000, Algeria; Department of Veterinary Sciences, Chadli Bendjedid University, El Tarf 36000, Algeria.
| | - Mehdi Boucheikhchoukh
- Biodiversity and Ecosystems Pollution Laboratory, Faculty of Life and Nature Sciences, Chadli Bendjedid University, El Tarf 36000, Algeria; Department of Veterinary Sciences, Chadli Bendjedid University, El Tarf 36000, Algeria.
| | - Noureddine Mechouk
- Ecology of Terrestrial and Aquatics Systems Laboratory (EcoSTAq), Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Badji Mokhtar University, Annaba 23200, Algeria; Department of Parasitology and Parasitic Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine of Cluj-Napoca, Calea Mănăștur 3-5, Cluj-Napoca 400372, Romania
| | - Georgiana Deak
- Department of Parasitology and Parasitic Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine of Cluj-Napoca, Calea Mănăștur 3-5, Cluj-Napoca 400372, Romania.
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8
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Monogenean body size, but not reproduction, increases with infracommunity density. Int J Parasitol 2022; 52:539-545. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpara.2022.03.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2021] [Revised: 03/09/2022] [Accepted: 03/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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9
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Dark host specificity in two ectoparasite taxa: repeatability, parasite traits, and environmental effects. Parasitol Res 2022; 121:851-866. [PMID: 35137286 DOI: 10.1007/s00436-022-07461-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2022] [Accepted: 02/02/2022] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
We applied the concept of dark diversity (species that may potentially inhabit a locality but are absent) to the host spectrum of a parasite and defined it as dark host specificity (DHS). We studied the trait-associated and geographic patterns of dark host specificity in fleas and gamasid mites parasitic on small mammals, asking the following questions: (a) Is dark host specificity repeatable across populations of the same species? (b) Is it associated with morphological and/or ecological species traits? (c) What are the factors associated with geographical variation in the DHS among populations of the same species? The DHS was repeatable within species with a large proportion of variance among samples, accounted for by differences between species. The average DHS of fleas, but not mites, was affected by parasite traits, with the DHS being higher in fleas with larger geographic ranges, higher characteristic abundance levels, and summer reproduction peaks. In the majority of ectoparasites, the regional DHS decreased with an increase in either structural or phylogenetic host specificity. The associations between the DHS and the environmental or host-associated characteristics of a region were revealed in a few species (eight of 22 fleas and three of 12 mites). The DHS decreased with (a) an increase in air temperature in two fleas, (b) a decrease in precipitation in two fleas, and (c) an increase in regional host species richness (in three fleas and three mites). Overall, our results suggest that dark host specificity in arthropod ectoparasites is a species-specific character associated, to a large extent, with the breadth of their host-related niches, while the influences of parasite traits and local environmental conditions are minor.
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Maestri R, Fiedler MS, Shenbrot GI, Surkova EN, Medvedev SG, Khokhlova IS, Krasnov BR. Harrison's rule scales up to entire parasite assemblages but is determined by environmental factors. J Anim Ecol 2020; 89:2888-2895. [PMID: 32936457 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13344] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2020] [Accepted: 08/07/2020] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Harrison's rule states that parasite body size and the body size of their hosts tend to be positively correlated. After it was proposed a century ago, a number of studies have investigated this trend, but the support level has varied greatly between parasite/host associations. Moreover, while the rule has been tested at the individual species level, we still lack knowledge on whether Harrison's rule holds at the scale of parasite and host communities. Here, we mapped flea (parasites) and rodent (hosts) body sizes across Mongolia and asked whether Harrison's rule holds for parasite/host assemblages (i.e. whether a parasite's average body size in a locality is positively correlated with its host's average body size). In addition, we attempted to disentangle complex relationships between flea size, host size and environmental factors by testing alternative hypotheses for the determinants of fleas' body size variation. We gathered occurrence data for fleas and rodents from 2,370 sites across Mongolia, constructed incidence matrices for both taxa and calculated the average body sizes of fleas and their hosts over half-degree cells. Then, we applied a path analysis, accounting for spatial autocorrelation, trying to disentangle the drivers of the correlation between parasite and host body sizes. We found a strong positive correlation between average flea and host size across assemblages. Surprisingly though, we found that environmental factors simultaneously affected the body sizes of both fleas and hosts in the same direction, leading to a most likely deceptive correlation between parasite and host size across assemblages. We suggest that environmental factors may, to a great extent, reflect the environmental conditions inside the hosts' burrows where fleas develop and attain their adult body size, thus influencing their larval growth. Similarly, rodent body size is strongly influenced by air temperature, in the direction predicted by Bergmann's rule. If our findings are valid in other host-parasite associations, this may explain the dissenting results of both support and lack thereof for Harrison's rule.
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Affiliation(s)
- Renan Maestri
- Departamento de Ecologia, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil
| | - Maico S Fiedler
- Departamento de Ecologia, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil
| | - Georgy I Shenbrot
- Mitrani Department of Desert Ecology, Swiss Institute of Dryland Environmental and Energy Research, Jacob Blaustein Institute of Desert Research, Ben-Gurion Univiversity of the Negev, Midreshet Ben-Gurion, Israel
| | - Elena N Surkova
- A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
| | - Sergei G Medvedev
- Zoological Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, Saint Petersburg, Russia
| | - Irina S Khokhlova
- Wyler Department of Dryland Agriculture, French Associates Institute for Agriculture, French Associates Institute for Agriculture and Biotechnology of Drylands, Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Midreshet Ben-Gurion, Israel
| | - Boris R Krasnov
- Mitrani Department of Desert Ecology, Swiss Institute of Dryland Environmental and Energy Research, Jacob Blaustein Institute of Desert Research, Ben-Gurion Univiversity of the Negev, Midreshet Ben-Gurion, Israel
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Krasnov BR, Shenbrot GI, Korallo-Vinarskaya NP, Vinarski MV, Warburton EM, Khokhlova IS. The effects of environment, hosts and space on compositional, phylogenetic and functional beta-diversity in two taxa of arthropod ectoparasites. Parasitol Res 2019; 118:2107-2120. [PMID: 31187223 DOI: 10.1007/s00436-019-06371-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2019] [Accepted: 06/05/2019] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
We studied the effects of variation in environmental, host-associated and spatial factors on variation in compositional, phylogenetic/taxonomic and functional facets of beta-diversity in fleas and gamasid mites parasitic on small mammals and asked whether (a) the importance of these factors as drivers of beta-diversity differs among its multiple facets and (b) the effects of variation in environment, hosts and space on beta-diversity variation differ between the two ectoparasite taxa. To understand the relative effects of each group of predictors, we used a distance-based redundancy analysis and variation partitioning. The greatest portions of variation in the compositional beta-diversity of fleas were equally explained by host-associated and spatial predictors, whereas variation in host species composition contributed the most to variation in the compositional beta-diversity of mites. Variation in the phylogenetic (i.e. based on phylogenetic tree) beta-diversity of fleas was mainly due to variation in the phylogenetic composition of host communities, while the taxonomic (i.e. based on Linnean taxonomy) beta-diversity of mites was influenced by environmental variation. Unique contributions of spatial and environmental variation explained most of the variation in functional beta-diversity and its species replacement (= turnover) component (i.e. beta-diversity explained by replacement of species alone) in fleas and mites, respectively. Variation in the richness difference component (i.e. beta-diversity explained by species loss/gain alone) of functional beta-diversity was mainly affected by either variation in the functional composition of host assemblages (fleas) or its joint action with environmental variables (mites). We conclude that the pattern of the relative effects of environmental, host-associated and spatial factors on beta-diversity is context-dependent and may differ among different facets of beta-diversity, among different beta-diversity components and also among taxa dependent on biological affinities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Boris R Krasnov
- Mitrani Department of Desert Ecology, Swiss Institute of Dryland Environmental and Energy Research, Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Sede Boqer Campus, 84990, Midreshet Ben-Gurion, Israel.
| | - Georgy I Shenbrot
- Mitrani Department of Desert Ecology, Swiss Institute of Dryland Environmental and Energy Research, Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Sede Boqer Campus, 84990, Midreshet Ben-Gurion, Israel
| | - Natalia P Korallo-Vinarskaya
- Laboratory of Arthropod-Borne Viral Infections, Omsk Research Institute of Natural Foci Infections, Omsk, Russian Federation.,Omsk State Pedagogical University, Omsk, Russian Federation
| | - Maxim V Vinarski
- Saint-Petersburg State University, Saint-Petersburg, Russian Federation.,Omsk State University, Omsk, Russian Federation
| | - Elizabeth M Warburton
- Mitrani Department of Desert Ecology, Swiss Institute of Dryland Environmental and Energy Research, Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Sede Boqer Campus, 84990, Midreshet Ben-Gurion, Israel
| | - Irina S Khokhlova
- Wyler Department of Dryland Agriculture, French Associates Institute for Agriculture and Biotechnology of Drylands, Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Sede Boqer Campus, Midreshet Ben-Gurion, Israel
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