Life history strategy influences parasite responses to habitat fragmentation

Froeschke, Götz; Mescht, Luther van der; McGeoch, Mélodie A.; Matthee, Sonja

doi:10.1016/j.ijpara.2013.07.003

Cited by 46 publications

(59 citation statements)

References 70 publications

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“…Multiple studies have argued that high host diversity and low levels of anthropogenic disturbance tend to lead to lower intensities and prevalence of parasitism and disease in a wide range of systems (Keesing et al, 2010;Haas et al, 2011;Lacroix et al, 2014;Venesky et al, 2014), with vector-borne diseases in rodents being one important study system (LoGiudice et al, 2003;Friggens and Beier, 2010). However, other studies have failed to find a causal relationship (Giraudoux et al, 2013;Oda et al, 2014), or they have found idiosyncratic relationships across hosts, parasites, and environmental conditions (Froeschke et al, 2013;Salkeld et al, 2013;Young et al, 2013a;Kedem et al, 2014). Here, in contrast to other studies on fleas and flea-borne disease (Thamm et al, 2009;Friggens and Beier, 2010), we find no substantial support for a general effect of either disturbance or host diversity on frequency or levels of flea parasitism.…”

Section: Across Populationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…physiology of hosts or differences in ecology of flea communities that typically infect these hosts. Variation in host body size (Froeschke et al, 2013;Van der Mescht et al, 2013), extent of sexual dimorphism Krasnov et al, 2005), longevity (Rozsa, 1997), sociality (Hart, 1994;Loehle, 1995), and immune parameters (De Coster et al, 2010) are examples of host life-history factors that may interact with environmental factors in explaining flea parasitism at the population level among species.…”

Section: Across Populationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Drivers of Intensity and Prevalence of Flea Parasitism on Small Mammals in East African Savanna Ecosystems

Young

Dirzo

McCauley

et al. 2015

Journal of Parasitology

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Section: Across Populationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Across Populationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Drivers of Intensity and Prevalence of Flea Parasitism on Small Mammals in East African Savanna Ecosystems

Young

Dirzo

McCauley

et al. 2015

Journal of Parasitology

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“…They can also transmit pathogens to domestic animals, which may act as an additional reservoir for human exposure[25]. Given the above it is quite possible that elevated disease risk might be associated with landscape characteristics that facilitate higher rodent densities through the provision of resources (food, shelter and water)[26–28] or the absence of predators[29]. …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Landscape characteristics influence helminth infestations in a peri-domestic rodent - implications for possible zoonotic disease

Froeschke

Matthee

2014

Parasites & Vectors

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BackgroundAnthropogenic habitat change often results in altered landscapes that can provide new environments where hosts, parasites and pathogens can interact. The latter can have implications for human and animal health when in close proximity to developed areas. We recorded the helminth species richness and level of infestation in the peri-domestic rodent, Rhabdomys pumilio, in three different human linked landscapes. The aim was, to investigate the potential of R. pumilio to act as a reservoir host for zoonotic helminths and to compare the effect of anthropogenic habitat change on its parasite infestation patterns.MethodsRodents (n = 518) were trapped in natural areas (nature reserves) and in three human linked landscapes (crop, livestock and urban fragments). Gastrointestinal parasite burdens were recovered and helminths identified from each animal. Generalized linear models were applied to investigate the effect of different landscape types on helminth infestation.ResultsRhabdomys pumilio was the most abundant rodent species within each landscape type. Eight helminths species were recovered and overall helminth prevalence was 86.68%. Mean helminth species richness, prevalence and abundance were significantly higher in crop fragments compared to natural landscapes and overall lower for nematodes in livestock and urban areas. Cestode prevalence showed a tendency to be elevated at anthropogenic linked landscape types.ConclusionsHost parameters and parasite infestations were strongly influenced by landscape characteristics. Resource-rich landscapes (crop fragments) provide favorable conditions for helminth infestations, while landscapes that are more closely associated with humans (livestock and urban landscapes) pose a larger risk by zoonotic species.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/1756-3305-7-393) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

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“…The spreading dynamics of pathogenic infection in response to habitat fragmentation is largely determined by the life history of the pathogen, specifically by its transmissibility, host specificity and virulence (Krasnov and Matthee, 2010;Froeschke et al, 2013). Here, we found that the response of the pathogen to habitat fragmentation was indeed determined by its transmissibility, virulence and the trophic level of its host.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 65%

“…As such, fragmented landscapes could become detrimental to the invasion and transmission of pathogens (Su et al, 2009a). Interestingly, the effect of habitat destruction is also mediated by the life-history traits of the pathogen (Froeschke et al, 2013). To this end, it is important to examine (1) how the transmission dynamics of pathogens is influenced by the spatial structure of habitat, and (2) how the coupling of habitat structures and pathogen life-history traits affects the dynamics of an IGP system.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of the transmissibility and virulence of pathogens on intraguild predation in fragmented landscapes

Hui

Zhen-shan

2015

Biosystems

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It is well known that pathogenic infection can have a profound effect on the outcome of competition and predation, however the role of pathogenic infection in systems where predators and prey also compete for other resources is yet to be explored (i.e. in systems of intraguild predation). Using a cellular automaton model, we here explore the effect of pathogenic infection on the spatial dynamics of species that also engage in intraguild predation (IGP) in a fragmented landscape. First, the shared pathogen by the predator and prey can enhance species coexistence in the IGP system, consistent with results for non-spatial IGP systems. Second, equilibrium population sizes of the predator and prey depend crucially on the pathogen virulence to the predator but are insensitive to the change in the virulence to the prey. This asymmetric response to virulence change is due to the fact that the predator species has to juggle between predation, resource competition and pathogenic infection. Finally, the response of the pathogen to habitat fragmentation is largely determined by its life-history strategy (transmissibility and virulence) and the trophic level of its host. These results enrich our understanding on the role of pathogens in the ecosystem functioning of eco-epidemiological systems.

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Life history strategy influences parasite responses to habitat fragmentation

Cited by 46 publications

References 70 publications

Drivers of Intensity and Prevalence of Flea Parasitism on Small Mammals in East African Savanna Ecosystems

Drivers of Intensity and Prevalence of Flea Parasitism on Small Mammals in East African Savanna Ecosystems

Landscape characteristics influence helminth infestations in a peri-domestic rodent - implications for possible zoonotic disease

Effects of the transmissibility and virulence of pathogens on intraguild predation in fragmented landscapes

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