Parasite dynamics in an invaded ecosystem: helminth communities of native wood mice are impacted by the invasive bank vole

Abstract

It is becoming increasingly evident that biological invasions result in altered disease dynamics in invaded ecosystems, with knock-on effects for native host communities. We investigated disease dynamics in an invaded ecosystem, using the helminth communities of the native wood mouse (Apodemus sylvaticus) in the presence and absence of the invasive bank vole (Myodes glareolus) in Ireland. Native wood mice were collected over 2 years from four sites to assess the impact of the presence of the bank vole on wood mouse helminth community dynamics both at the component and infracommunity level. We found evidence for dilution (Syphacia stroma), spill-back (Aonchotheca murissylvatici) and spill-over (Taenia martis) in native wood mice due to the presence of the bank vole. Site of capture was the most important factor affecting helminth community structure of wood mice, along with year of capture and host-age and the interactions between them.

Long-term spatiotemporal stability and dynamic changes in helminth infracommunities of spiny mice (Acomys dimidiatus) in St. Katherine's Protectorate, Sinai, Egypt

“…This is much as predicted given that most helminths generate chronic infections in their hosts, and the longer a host lives, the more likely it is to be exposed to infective stages of helminths and hence to accumulate worms in its intestines (Anderson and Gordon, 1982; Pacala and Dobson, 1988). Our data are therefore consistent with many other studies on wild rodent helminths which have established age as a highly predictable feature of these host–parasite systems (Kisielewska, 1971; Montgomery and Montgomery, 1989; Behnke et al ., 1999; Bugmyrin et al ., 2005; Janova et al ., 2010; Loxton et al ., 2017) and, as we have done here, a factor that must be taken into consideration and controlled for in assessing the importance of other explanatory factors.…”

Long-term trends in helminth infections of wood mice (Apodemus sylvaticus) from the vicinity of Malham Tarn in North Yorkshire, England

“…The helminth community of wood mice in our study sites, in the woods surrounding Malham Tarn, is known from earlier study to be relatively depauperate (Behnke et al ., 2009), compared to wood mouse communities studied in other regions of the British Isles (Lewis, 1968; Montgomery and Montgomery, 1988, 1990; Abu-Madi et al ., 2000; Loxton et al ., 2017), in Europe (Feliu et al ., 1997; Mas-Coma et al ., 1998; Tenora, 2004; Milazzo et al ., 2005; Eira et al ., 2006; Bordes et al ., 2012) and further afield in northern Africa and parts of Asia (Asakawa and Tenora, 1996). It has some similarity to that described for bank voles in Norway where the prevalence of helminths was just 29.4% and only 12% harboured more than one helminth species (Tenora et al ., 1979).…”

Phylogenetic and ecological factors affecting the sharing of helminths between native and introduced rodents in Central Chile

“…Biological invasions, including parasites as invaders, have occupied an important position in conservation biology due to their importance in the processes of species loss (Wilcove and Master, 2005; Taraschewski, 2006). The process of host switching of introduced parasites or pathogens from introduced hosts is known as parasite spillover (Grabner et al 2015; Morand et al 2015), and has been observed in helminths transmitted by rodents (Smith and Carpenter, 2006; Romeo et al 2015; Loxton et al 2017). The consequences of the spillover of parasites and pathogens have been studied not only in native hosts (Barrett et al 2002; Tompkins et al 2003), but in human populations as well (Bordes et al 2015).…”