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Barelli C, Gonzalez-Astudillo V, Mundry R, Rovero F, Hauffe HC, Gillespie TR. Altitude and human disturbance are associated with helminth diversity in an endangered primate, Procolobus gordonorum. PLoS One 2019; 14:e0225142. [PMID: 31800582 PMCID: PMC6892551 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0225142] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2019] [Accepted: 10/29/2019] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Gastrointestinal parasites colonizing the mammalian gut influence the host immune system and health. Parasite infections, mainly helminths, have been studied intensively in both humans and non-human animals, but relatively rarely within a conservation framework. The Udzungwa red colobus monkey (Procolobus gordonorum) is an endangered endemic primate species living in the Udzungwa Mountains of Tanzania, a global biodiversity hotspot. Since this endemic primate species is highly sensitive to human disturbance, here we investigate whether habitat type (driven by natural and human-induced factors) is associated with helminth diversity. Using standard flotation and sedimentation techniques, we analyzed 251 fecal samples belonging to 25 social groups from four different forest blocks within the Udzungwa Mountains. Five parasitic helminth taxa were recovered from Udzungwa red colobus, including Trichuris sp., Strongyloides fulleborni, S. stercoralis, a strongylid nematode and Colobenterobius sp. We used Generalized Linear Mixed Models to explore the contribution of habitat type, altitude and fecal glucocorticoid levels (as biomarkers of stress) in predicting gut parasite variation. Although some parasites (e.g., Trichuris sp.) infected more than 50% of individuals, compared to others (e.g., Colobenterobius sp.) that infected less than 3%, both parasite richness and prevalence did not differ significantly across forests, even when controlling for seasonality. Stress hormone levels also did not predict variation in parasite richness, while altitude could explain it resulting in lower richness at lower altitudes. Because human activities causing disturbance are concentrated mainly at lower altitudes, we suggest that protection of primate forest habitat preserves natural diversity at both macro- and microscales, and that the importance of the latter should not be underestimated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claudia Barelli
- Department of Biodiversity and Molecular Ecology, Research and Innovation Centre, Fondazione E. Mach, San Michele all’Adige, Trento, Italy
- MUSE–Science Museum, Tropical Biodiversity Section, Trento, Italy
| | - Viviana Gonzalez-Astudillo
- Department of Environmental Sciences and Program in Population Biology, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, United States of America
- Pathology Resident, California Animal Health & Food Safety Laboratory, University of California, Davis, CA, United States of America
| | - Roger Mundry
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Francesco Rovero
- MUSE–Science Museum, Tropical Biodiversity Section, Trento, Italy
- Department of Biology, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | - Heidi C. Hauffe
- Department of Biodiversity and Molecular Ecology, Research and Innovation Centre, Fondazione E. Mach, San Michele all’Adige, Trento, Italy
| | - Thomas R. Gillespie
- Department of Environmental Sciences and Program in Population Biology, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, United States of America
- Department of Environmental Health, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, United States of America
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Salzer JS, Pinto CM, Grippi DC, Williams-Newkirk AJ, Peterhans JK, Rwego IB, Carroll DS, Gillespie TR. Impact of Anthropogenic Disturbance on Native and Invasive Trypanosomes of Rodents in Forested Uganda. ECOHEALTH 2016; 13:698-707. [PMID: 27655649 DOI: 10.1007/s10393-016-1160-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2014] [Revised: 08/10/2016] [Accepted: 08/11/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Habitat disturbance and anthropogenic change are globally associated with extinctions and invasive species introductions. Less understood is the impact of environmental change on the parasites harbored by endangered, extinct, and introduced species. To improve our understanding of the impacts of anthropogenic disturbance on such host-parasite interactions, we investigated an invasive trypanosome (Trypanosoma lewisi). We screened 348 individual small mammals, representing 26 species, from both forested and non-forested habitats in rural Uganda. Using microscopy and PCR, we identified 18% of individuals (order Rodentia) as positive for trypanosomes. Further phylogenetic analyses revealed two trypanosomes circulating-T. lewisi and T. varani. T. lewisi was found in seven species both native and invasive, while T. varani was identified in only three native forest species. The lack of T. varani in non-forested habitats suggests that it is a natural parasite of forest-dwelling rodents. Our findings suggest that anthropogenic disturbance may lead to spillover of an invasive parasite (T. lewisi) from non-native to native species, and lead to local co-extinction of a native parasite (T. varani) and native forest-dwelling hosts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johanna S Salzer
- Program in Population Biology, Ecology, and Evolution, Emory University, 400 Dowman Dr., Math and Science Center 5th Floor, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA
- Poxvirus and Rabies Branch, Division of High-Consequence Pathogens and Pathology, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, 30333, USA
| | - C Miguel Pinto
- Department of Mammalogy and Sackler Institute for Comparative Genomics, American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY, 10024, USA
- Instituto de Ciencias Biológicas, Escuela Politécnica Nacional, PO Box 17-01-2759, Quito, Ecuador
| | - Dylan C Grippi
- Program in Population Biology, Ecology, and Evolution, Emory University, 400 Dowman Dr., Math and Science Center 5th Floor, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA
| | - Amanda Jo Williams-Newkirk
- Program in Population Biology, Ecology, and Evolution, Emory University, 400 Dowman Dr., Math and Science Center 5th Floor, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA
- Rickettsial Zoonoses Branch, Division of Vector-borne Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, 30333, USA
| | - Julian Kerbis Peterhans
- College of Professional Studies, Roosevelt University, Chicago, IL, 60605, USA
- Division of Mammals, Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago, IL, 60605, USA
| | - Innocent B Rwego
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA
- Department of Environmental Health, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA
- Department of Biological Sciences, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda
| | - Darin S Carroll
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA
- Poxvirus and Rabies Branch, Division of High-Consequence Pathogens and Pathology, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, 30333, USA
| | - Thomas R Gillespie
- Program in Population Biology, Ecology, and Evolution, Emory University, 400 Dowman Dr., Math and Science Center 5th Floor, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA.
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA.
- Department of Environmental Health, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA.
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