Patterns in the dynamics and distribution of parasite abundance in small mammals

Abstract

Abundance distribution patterns of the cestode Ditestolepis diaphana (Colodkowsky, 1906) in the common shrew Sorex araneus L., 1758 and the nematode Heligmosomum mixtum (Schulz, 1952) in the bank vole Myodes glareolus (Schreber 1780) populations were investigated. We prove that in most cases parasite abundances are modeled by negative binomial distribution (NBD). The patterns revealed for the parasite species studied evidence relations in the host–parasite system to be quite steady. An attempt was made to interpret NBD parameters describing variations of mean abundance and variance of the parasite abundances, which are apparently due to differences in host susceptibility.

Helminth Communities of Common Fish Species in the Coastal Zone off Crimea: Species Composition, Diversity, and Structure

“…Members of infracommunities, which, in turn, are parts of the component community, can demonstrate a uniform, random, or aggregated distribution and the distribution type can help understand the basic processes in the populations of parasites [ 32 , 72 , 114 ]. An aggregated distribution of parasites, when only a few host specimens demonstrate heavy parasite burdens while for the majority of individuals the infestation indices are low, is very common in natural populations [ 115 ].…”