Parasitism: A cryptic determinant of animal community structure

Minchella, Dennis J.; Scott, Marilyn

doi:10.1016/0169-5347(91)90071-5

Cited by 290 publications

(187 citation statements)

References 29 publications

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“…There is increasing evidence that parasites may in fact be as important as competition and predation in structuring animal communities (Minchella and Scott, 1991). Present throughout the food web, parasites are a major component of the ecosystem and can exert influence on their hosts in a variety of ways, ranging from mortality to behavioral changes.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Parasites of Forage Fishes in the Vicinity of Steller Sea Lion (Eumetopias Jubatus) Habitat in Alaska

Moles

Heintz

2007

Journal of Wildlife Diseases

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ABSTRACT:Fish serve as intermediate hosts for a number of larval parasites that have the potential of maturing in marine mammals such as Steller sea lions (Eumetopias jubatus). We examined the prevalence of parasites from 229 fish collected between March and July 2002 near two islands used by Steller sea lions in Southeast Alaska and island habitats in the Aleutian Islands. Sea lion populations have remained steady in Southeast Alaska but have been declining over the last 30 yr in the Aleutian Islands. Even though the fish samples near the Southeast Alaska haul-outs were composed of numerous small species of fish and the Aleutian Islands catch was dominated by juveniles of commercially harvested species, the parasite fauna was similar at all locations. Eleven of the 20 parasite taxa identified were in their larval stage in the fish hosts, several of which have been described from mammalian final hosts. Four species of parasite were more prevalent in Southeast Alaska fish samples, and seven parasite species, including several larval forms capable of infecting marine mammals, were more prevalent in fish from the Aleutian Islands. Nevertheless, parasites available to Steller sea lions from common fish prey are not likely to be a major factor in the decline of this marine mammal species.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Parasites of Forage Fishes in the Vicinity of Steller Sea Lion (Eumetopias Jubatus) Habitat in Alaska

Moles

Heintz

2007

Journal of Wildlife Diseases

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“…However, considerable research has documented changes in host behaviour resulting from parasitism [9,10]. Parasite-induced behavioural changes can be complex (as in Toxoplasma, for example [11]), but most are subtle and involve reductions in host activity levels, which often manifest as lethargy, somnolence and reduced appetite [12].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sickness behaviour associated with non-lethal infections in wild primates

et al. 2015

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Non-lethal parasite infections are common in wildlife, but there is little information on their clinical consequences. Here, we pair infection data from a ubiquitous soil-transmitted helminth, the whipworm (genus Trichuris), with activity data from a habituated group of wild red colobus monkeys (Procolobus rufomitratus tephrosceles) in Kibale National Park, Uganda. We use mixed-effect models to examine the relationship between non-lethal parasitism and red colobus behaviour. Our results indicate that red colobus increased resting and decreased more energetically costly behaviours when shedding whipworm eggs in faeces. Temporal patterns of behaviour also changed, with individuals switching behaviour less frequently when whipworm-positive. Feeding frequency did not differ, but red colobus consumption of bark and two plant species from the genus Albizia, which are used locally in traditional medicines, significantly increased when animals were shedding whipworm eggs. These results suggest self-medicative plant use, although additional work is needed to verify this conclusion. Our results indicate sickness behaviours, which are considered an adaptive response by hosts during infection. Induction of sickness behaviour in turn suggests that these primates are clinically sensitive to non-lethal parasite infections.

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“…Further, some of these parasites may be vectors of bacteria, viruses, or other pathogenic agents. It is widely recognized that parasites play an important role in population and community regulation, as well as in conservation biology (Dobson and Hudson, 1986;Dobson, 1988;Scott, 1988;Minchella and Scott, 1991;Renaud et al, 1996;Morand and Arias-Gonzalez, 1997). For these reasons, the objective of this study was to identify and describe the range of parasites of plateau pikas so that risks to humans and livestock can begin to be assessed.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Parasite Species Associated With Wild Plateau Pika (Ochotona Curzoniae) in Southeastern Qinghai Province, China

Wang

et al. 2009

Journal of Wildlife Diseases

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ABSTRACT:A survey was conducted to determine the prevalence and seasonal abundance of egg, larval, and adult stages of helminths; oocyts of protozoans; and ectoparasites of plateau pikas (Ochotona curzoniae) in seven areas of southeastern Qinghai Province, China, during August 2006 and May 2007. Fecal samples collected from 430 plateau pikas were examined by the modified McMaster technique, which revealed that 83% of the samples contained eggs from two or more helminth species. Mean fecal egg counts were generally moderate and showed the same trend irrespective of the age or sex of the pikas. The prevalence and counts of cestode eggs showed strong seasonal relationships that corresponded with the rainfall pattern in the study area during the study period. Of the 430 plateau pika examined at necropsy, 89% contained adult nematode or cestode species, but none of these contained adult trematode species or protozoans. Overall, six genera of adult nematodes including Oesophagostomum sp., Cephaluris coloradensis, Eugenuris schumakowiescsi, Haemonchus sp., Trichuris sp., and Chbertiinae sp.; three genera of adult cestodes including Schizorchis sp., Ochotonae sp., and Hymenolepis nana; three ectoparasite species including Hypoderma curzonial, Pulex sp., and Ixodes ovatus; and one proscolex stage of a cestode, Echinococcus multilocularis or Echinococcus shiquicus, were encountered during the study. Other genera examined occurred in low numbers, which did not allow any meaningful comparisons. Overall, results suggest that four parasite species, Hypoderma curzonial, Pulex sp., Ixodes ovatus Neumann, and Cephaluris coloradensis, may be regulating factors in controlling future numbers of plateau pika in this study area. These data provide evidence of a natural biologic control mechanism of plateau pika on grassland habitats, and may be of use for identifying the mechanism of transmission of parasites between plateau pika, livestock, and humans.

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Parasitism: A cryptic determinant of animal community structure

Cited by 290 publications

References 29 publications

Parasites of Forage Fishes in the Vicinity of Steller Sea Lion (Eumetopias Jubatus) Habitat in Alaska

Parasites of Forage Fishes in the Vicinity of Steller Sea Lion (Eumetopias Jubatus) Habitat in Alaska

Sickness behaviour associated with non-lethal infections in wild primates

Parasite Species Associated With Wild Plateau Pika (Ochotona Curzoniae) in Southeastern Qinghai Province, China

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