Prediction of Parasite Infection Dynamics in Primate Metapopulations Based on Attributes of Forest Fragmentation

Abstract

Although the effects of forest fragmentation on species and ecological processes have been the focus of considerable research in conservation biology, our capacity to predict how processes will be altered and which taxonomic or functional groups will be most affected by fragmentation is still poor. This problem is exacerbated by inherent temporal and spatial variability in fragment attributes. To improve our understanding of this interplay, we examined how various fragment attributes affect one potentially important ecological process, parasite infection dynamics, and considered how changes in this process affect host metapopulations. From August 1999 to July 2003 we surveyed red colobus (Piliocolobus tephrosceles) metapopulations inhabiting nine fragments (1.2 to 8.7 ha) in western Uganda to determine the prevalence and richness of strongyle and rhabditoid nematodes, a group of potentially pathogenic gastrointestinal parasites. We used noninvasive fecal flotation and sedimentation (n = 536) to detect parasite eggs, cysts, and larvae in colobus fecal samples. To obtain an index of infection risk, we determined environmental contamination with Oesophagostomum sp., a representative strongyle nematode, in canopy (n = 30) and ground vegetation plots (n = 30). Concurrently, physical (i.e., size, location, and topography) and biological (i.e., tree diversity, tree density, stump density, and colobine density) attributes were quantified for each fragment. Interfragment comparisons of nine potential factors demonstrated that an index of degradation and human presence (tree stump density) strongly influenced the prevalence of parasitic nematodes. Infection risk was also higher in the fragment with the highest stump density than in the fragment with the lowest stump density. These results demonstrate that host-parasite dynamics can be altered in complex ways by forest fragmentation and that intensity of extraction (e.g., stump density) best explains these changes.

First parasitological survey of Endangered Bornean elephants Elephas maximus borneensis

“…The majority of English language conservation textbooks published between 1970 and 2009 made no mention of parasites (Nichols & Gómez 2011). Calls are growing for re -.search to improve our understanding of parasites in conservation because parasites can play an important role in ecosystem function, host evolution, fitness and survival, especially in small populations of endangered species (Lafferty 1997, Gregory & Hudson 2000, Marcogliese 2004, Whiteman & Parker 2005, Gillespie & Chapman 2006, Gómez et al 2012, Suzan et al 2012). …”

Forest Fragmentation as Cause of Bacterial Transmission among Nonhuman Primates, Humans, and Livestock, Uganda

“…Relationships among isolates were inferred from Rep-PCR genotypes by using published methods that maximize the correspondence of such inferences to the standard of multilocus sequence typing (30). Population genetic analyses available in the computer program (11) and from Gillespie and Chapman (12), as well as on qualitative assessments of forest clearing rates and intensities of human activity gathered from ground surveys in 2005-2006. #BWC had been extirpated from Kiko 1 fragment shortly before this study began, and RC were extirpated from the fragment shortly after sampling was completed, between January and July 2006.…”

“…Fragmentation also alters patterns of gastrointestinal helminthic and protozoan infection in certain species (12)(13)(14). Whether host susceptibility, transmission dynamics, or a combination of these factors drive such trends remains unclear (15).…”

Primatology in southern Brazil: a transdisciplinary approach to the conservation of the brown-howler-monkey Alouatta guariba clamitans (Primates, Atelidae)

“…The incidence of helminth eggs and protozoan oocytes was 19.23% in samples from the most continuous forest of São Pedro hill, and almost doubled to 38.05% in samples from the more-fragmented forests of Lami district. As indicated by previous studies (SANTA CRUZ et al, 2000;GILLESPIE & CHAPMAN, 2006), parasitism increased qualitatively and quantitatively according to the level of habitat fragmentation, and could be a useful indicator of environmental quality to be considered in developing management strategies for the species.…”