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Gebrezgiher GB, Makundi RH, Katakweba AAS, Belmain SR, Lyimo CM, Meheretu Y. Arthropod Ectoparasites of Two Rodent Species Occurring in Varied Elevations on Tanzania’s Second Highest Mountain. BIOLOGY 2023; 12:biology12030394. [PMID: 36979086 PMCID: PMC10045264 DOI: 10.3390/biology12030394] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2023] [Revised: 02/23/2023] [Accepted: 02/24/2023] [Indexed: 03/06/2023]
Abstract
Climate change causes organisms, including species that act as parasite reservoirs and vectors, to shift their distribution to higher altitudes, affecting wildlife infestation patterns. We studied how ectoparasite distributions varied with altitude using two rodent species, Montemys delectorum and Rhabdomys dilectus, at different elevations (1500–3500 m). The ectoparasites infesting the two rodent species were influenced by the host sex, species, and temperature. We expected host density to predict parasite infestation patterns, because hosts in higher densities should have more parasites due to increased contact between individuals. However, temperature, not host density, affected ectoparasite distribution. Since temperatures decrease with elevation, parasite prevalences and abundances were lower at higher elevations, highlighting that the cold conditions at higher elevations limit reproduction and development—this shows that higher elevation zones are ideal for conservation. The rodents and ectoparasite species described in this study have been reported as vectors of diseases of medical and veterinary importance, necessitating precautions. Moreover, Mount Meru is a refuge for a number of endemic and threatened species on the IUCN Red List. Thus, the parasitic infection can also be an additional risk to these critical species as well as biodiversity in general. Therefore, our study lays the groundwork for future wildlife disease surveillance and biodiversity conservation management actions. The study found a previously uncharacterized mite species in the Mesostigmata group that was previously known to be a parasite of honeybees. Further investigations may shed light into the role of this mite species on Mount Meru.
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Affiliation(s)
- Genet B. Gebrezgiher
- African Centre of Excellence for Innovative Rodent Pest Management and Biosensor Technology Development, Sokoine University of Agriculture, Morogoro P.O. Box 3110, Tanzania
- Institute of Pest Management, Sokoine University of Agriculture, Morogoro P.O. Box 3110, Tanzania
- Department of Wildlife Management, Sokoine University of Agriculture, Morogoro P.O. Box 3073, Tanzania
- Department of Biology, Mekelle University, Mekelle P.O. Box 231, Ethiopia
- Correspondence: ; Tel.:+255-710-421-237
| | - Rhodes H. Makundi
- African Centre of Excellence for Innovative Rodent Pest Management and Biosensor Technology Development, Sokoine University of Agriculture, Morogoro P.O. Box 3110, Tanzania
- Institute of Pest Management, Sokoine University of Agriculture, Morogoro P.O. Box 3110, Tanzania
| | - Abdul A. S. Katakweba
- African Centre of Excellence for Innovative Rodent Pest Management and Biosensor Technology Development, Sokoine University of Agriculture, Morogoro P.O. Box 3110, Tanzania
- Institute of Pest Management, Sokoine University of Agriculture, Morogoro P.O. Box 3110, Tanzania
| | - Steven R. Belmain
- Natural Resources Institute, University of Greenwich, Chatham Maritime ME4 4TB, UK
| | - Charles M. Lyimo
- Department of Animal, Aquaculture and Range Sciences, Sokoine University of Agriculture, Morogoro P.O. Box 3004, Tanzania
| | - Yonas Meheretu
- Department of Biology, Mekelle University, Mekelle P.O. Box 231, Ethiopia
- Institute of Mountain Research and Development, Mekelle University, Mekelle P.O. Box 3102, Ethiopia
- Department of Wildlife, Fish and Environmental Studies, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, 901 83 Umea, Sweden
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Zamora-Camacho FJ, Zambrano-Fernández S, Aragón P. Long-term sex-dependent inflammatory response of adult frogs to ammonium exposure during the larval stage. CHEMOSPHERE 2022; 307:136202. [PMID: 36037957 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2022.136202] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2022] [Revised: 08/08/2022] [Accepted: 08/22/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Among others, the global change involves a worldwide increase in cropland area, with the concomitant rise in nitrogenous fertilizer supplementation and species range alterations, including parasites and pathogens. As most animals rely on their immune systems against these infectious agents, studying the potential effects of nitrogenous compounds on animal immune response is vital to understand their susceptibility to infections under these altered circumstances. Being subjected to an alarming process of global declines, amphibians are the object of particular attention, given their sensitivity to these compounds, especially to ammonium. Moreover, whereas adults can actively avoid polluted patches, larvae are confined within their waterbodies, thus exposed to contaminants in it. In this work, we test whether chronic exposure to a sublethal dose of ammonium during the larval stage of Pelophylax perezi frogs, released from all contamination after metamorphosis, leads to impaired inflammatory response to phytohemagglutinin in adults. We also test whether such a response differs between agrosystem individuals as compared with conspecifics from natural habitats. We found negative carryover effects of chronic exposure of larvae to ammonium on adult inflammatory response, which could imply a greater susceptibility to pathogens and parasites. However, this damage is only true for males, which, according to the immunocompetence handicap hypothesis, could be a consequence of a testosterone-triggered impairment of male immune function. In disagreement with our prediction, however, we detected no differences in the inflammatory response of agrosystem frogs to phytohemagglutinin as compared with natural habitat conspecifics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francisco Javier Zamora-Camacho
- Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, (MNCN-CSIC), C/ José Gutiérrez Abascal 2, 28006, Madrid, Spain; Universidad Complutense de Madrid, C/José Antonio Novais 2, 2804, Madrid, Spain.
| | | | - Pedro Aragón
- Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, (MNCN-CSIC), C/ José Gutiérrez Abascal 2, 28006, Madrid, Spain; Universidad Complutense de Madrid, C/José Antonio Novais 2, 2804, Madrid, Spain
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Phenological variation in parasite load and inflammatory response in a lizard with an asynchronous reproductive cycle. Naturwissenschaften 2022; 109:34. [DOI: 10.1007/s00114-022-01793-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2021] [Revised: 03/12/2022] [Accepted: 03/21/2022] [Indexed: 10/17/2022]
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Álvarez-Ruiz L, Belliure J, Santos X, Pausas JG. Fire reduces parasite load in a Mediterranean lizard. Proc Biol Sci 2021; 288:20211230. [PMID: 34255996 PMCID: PMC8277473 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2021.1230] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2021] [Accepted: 06/22/2021] [Indexed: 01/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Wildfires are a natural disturbance in many ecosystems. However, their effect on biotic interactions has been poorly studied. Fire consumes the vegetation and the litter layer where many parasites spend part of their life cycles. We hypothesize that wildfires reduce habitat availability for parasites with consequent potential benefits for hosts. We tested this for the lizard Psammodromus algirus and its ectoparasites in a Mediterranean ecosystem. We predicted that lizards in recently burned areas would have lower parasite load (cleaning effect) than those in unburned areas and that this phenomenon implies that lizards spending their entire lives in postfire conditions experience a lower level of parasitism than those living in unburned areas. We compared the ectoparasite load of lizards between eight paired burned/unburned sites, including recent (less than 1 year postfire) and older fires (2-4 years). We found that lizards' ectoparasites prevalence was drastically reduced in recently burned areas. Likewise, lizards in older burned areas showed less evidence of past parasitic infections. Fire disrupted the host-parasite interaction, providing the opportunity for lizards to avoid the negative effects of ectoparasites. Our results suggest that wildfires probably fulfil a role in controlling vector-borne diseases and pathogens, and highlight ecological effects of wildfires that have been overlooked.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lola Álvarez-Ruiz
- Centro de Investigaciones sobre Desertificación (CIDE-CSIC), Ctra. Náquera Km 4.5, Moncada, 46113 Valencia, Spain
| | - Josabel Belliure
- Departamento de Ciencias de la Vida, Universidad de Alcalá, Alcalá de Henares, 28805 Madrid, Spain
| | - Xavier Santos
- CIBIO/InBIO (Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos da Universidade do Porto), R. Padre Armando Quintas, 4485-661 Vairão, Portugal
| | - Juli G. Pausas
- Centro de Investigaciones sobre Desertificación (CIDE-CSIC), Ctra. Náquera Km 4.5, Moncada, 46113 Valencia, Spain
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Determinants of prevalence and co-infestation by ecto- and endoparasites in the Atlas day gecko, Quedenfeldtia trachyblepharus, an endemic species of Morocco. Parasitol Res 2021; 120:2543-2556. [PMID: 33748890 DOI: 10.1007/s00436-021-07120-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2020] [Accepted: 03/09/2021] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
The present work was undertaken to investigate the occurrence of ectoparasites (mites and ticks) and endoparasites (haemogregarines and helminths) in the Atlas day gecko, Quedenfeldtia trachyblepharus (Boettger, 1874), a high-altitude Moroccan endemic lizard. The study examinated also the effect of some host parameters (age, sex, size, body condition), in addition to the season and altitude on the prevalence and intensity of parasite infestations. The study was conducted in three localities from May to September 2019. The results indicated that 35% of juvenile geckos were found to be parasited by one type of parasite. Contrarily, up to three types of parasites were detected in the adults. The prevalence of mite infestations was 48.02%, with a mean intensity of 11.80 ± 15.69. The patterns of mite infestations was found to be mainly related to the altitude, while the prevalence and intensity of infestations were linked to the host size, and to the sex and season, respectively. Larvae and nymphs of Ixodes ricinus (Linnaeus, 1758) were the only life stages infesting geckos, with a prevalence and mean intensity of infestations of 4.41% and 2.2 ± 1.48, respectively. The tick infestations observed were mainly related to the season. The prevalence and intensity of haemogregarine infections were, respectively, 7.92% and 0.24 ± 0.15. The altitude was found to be the only factor associated with this infection. This study also revealed the presence of one helminth genus, Spauligodon sp., with a prevalence and mean intensity of 12.33% and 1.46 ± 0.88, respectively. Spauligodon infestations was significantly associated with age, host size and altitude. This finding represents the first citation of this parasite in Quedenfeldtia genus. Our study indicated that there was no significant relationship between parasite load and geckos body condition, which suggested a stable interaction between the gecko and its parasites. However, it showed a difference of infection between the localities, which could be in relation with habitat conditions.
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