Variation in the helminth community structure in bank voles (Clethrionomys glareolus) from three comparable localities in the Mazury Lake District region of Poland

Abstract

(2001) Variation in the helminth community structure in bank voles (Clethrionomys glareolus) from three comparable localities in the Mazury Lake District region of Poland. Parasitology, 123 (4 A note on versions:The version presented here may differ from the published version or from the version of record. If you wish to cite this item you are advised to consult the publisher's version. Please see the repository url above for details on accessing the published version and note that access may require a subscription. We tested the null hypothesis that populations of hosts trapped in isolated neighbouring locations showing comparable habitat quality, should support similar helminth parasite communities. The study was undertaken in a 2-week period in late summer in NE Poland in a single year, thereby eliminating seasonal and between-year variation in parasite burdens. A total of 139 Clethrionomys glareolus (bank vole) were sampled from 3 forest sites of similar habitat quality. Total species richness was 11 (6 nematodes and 5 cestodes) with 85n6 % of the voles carrying at least 1 species and an overall mean species richness of 1n4. At the component community level, the fewest species of helminths were recorded from site 2 (n l 6, compared with 9 at each of the other sites), but site 3 had the lowest Berger-Parker Dominance Index and the highest Simpson 's Index of Diversity. At the infracommunity level, site 3 had the highest mean no. of helminth species\vole, the highest mean Brillouin 's Index of Diversity but the lowest mean no. of helminths\vole. Voles from sites 1 and 3 differed in the nematodes that were most common (site 1, Heligmosomum mixtum -95 % ; site 3, Heligmosomoides glareoli -79n3 %). At site 2 no species exceeded 50 % but prevalence of Syphacia petrusewiczi was higher than at the other sites. The prevalence of cestodes was too low to test reliably (12n9 %), but the highest prevalence of adult cestodes was recorded at site 1 (22n5 % compared with 4n9 and 1n7 % for sites 2 and 3 respectively). Host sex did not influence infection, but mean species richness increased with age. The different sites were responsible for most of the variation in our data, and the intrinsic factors (sex and age) were less important in shaping the component community structure of helminths. We conclude that even locations in relative close proximity to one another (13-25 km), selected on the basis of similar habitat quality, have rodent populations that differ in their helminth parasite communities, although for reasons other than the factors quantified in the present study.

Temporal and between-site variation in helminth communities of bank voles (Myodes glareolus) from N.E. Poland. 2. The infracommunity level

“…The statistical approach adopted has been documented comprehensively in our earlier publications (Behnke et al 2001 ;Bajer et al 2005). We used general linear models (GLM) with Poisson errors (for species richness) or normal errors (for Brillouin's index of diversity) implemented in R version 2.2.1 (R Core Development Team).…”

Variation in the helminth community structure in spiny mice (Acomys dimidiatus) from four montane wadis in the St Katherine region of the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt

“…8, a figure very similar to that recorded for helminths of bank voles in Poland (1 . 44 ; Behnke et al 2001) and wood mice in the UK (1 . 4 and 2 .…”

Temporal and between-site variation in helminth communities of bank voles (Myodes glareolus) from N.E. Poland. 1. Regional fauna and component community levels

“…The study sites were located in Mazury in the north eastern corner of Poland, in the vicinity of Jezioro (Lake) Ś niardwy and the towns of Mikołajki, Ryn and Pisz as described comprehensively by Behnke et al (2001). Site 1 is referred to as Urwitałt (N 53x48 .…”

“…The methods used for trapping rodents, for sampling and processing trapped animals and establishing age categories have all been fully described in Behnke et al (2001).…”