Long-term spatiotemporal stability and dynamic changes in helminth infracommunities of bank voles (Myodes glareolus) in NE Poland

SUMMARYParasites are considered to be an important selective force in host evolution but ecological studies of host-parasite systems are usually short-term providing only snap-shots of what may be dynamic systems. We have conducted four surveys of helminths of bank voles at three ecologically similar woodland sites in NE Poland, spaced over a period of 11 years, to assess the relative importance of temporal and spatial effects on helminth infracommunities. Some measures of infracommunity structure maintained relative stability: the rank order of prevalence and abundance ofHeligmosomum mixtum, Heligmosomoides glareoliandMastophorus murischanged little between the four surveys. Other measures changed markedly: dynamic changes were evident inSyphacia petrusewicziwhich declined to local extinction, while the capillariidAonchotheca annulosafirst appeared in 2002 and then increased in prevalence and abundance over the remaining three surveys. Some species are therefore dynamic and both introductions and extinctions can be expected in ecological time. At higher taxonomic levels and for derived measures, year and host-age effects and their interactions with site are important. Our surveys emphasize that the site of capture is the major determinant of the species contributing to helminth community structure, providing some predictability in these systems.

Download Full-text

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

Parasitology ◽

10.1017/s0031182018000987 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 146 (1) ◽

pp. 50-73

Author(s):

Jerzy M. Behnke ◽

Anna Bajer ◽

Jolanta Behnke-Borowczyk ◽

Natalie Clisham ◽

Francis Gilbert ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Rank Order ◽

Spatial Effects ◽

Spiny Mice ◽

Age Dependent ◽

Female Bias ◽

Temporal And Spatial ◽

Host Evolution ◽

Host Parasite ◽

Acomys Dimidiatus

AbstractThe importance of parasites as a selective force in host evolution is a topic of current interest. However, short-term ecological studies of host–parasite systems, on which such studies are usually based, provide only snap-shots of what may be dynamic systems. We report here on four surveys, carried out over a period of 12 years, of helminths of spiny mice (Acomys dimidiatus), the numerically dominant rodents inhabiting dry montane wadis in the Sinai Peninsula. With host age (age-dependent effects on prevalence and abundance were prominent) and sex (female bias in abundance in helminth diversity and in several taxa including Cestoda) taken into consideration, we focus on the relative importance of temporal and spatial effects on helminth infracommunities. We show that site of capture is the major determinant of prevalence and abundance of species (and higher taxa) contributing to helminth community structure, the only exceptions beingStreptopharausspp. andDentostomella kuntzi.We provide evidence that most (notably the Spiruroidea,Protospirura muricola,Mastophorus murisandGongylonema aegypti, but with exceptions among the Oxyuroidae, e.g.Syphacia minuta), show elements of temporal-site stability, with a rank order of measures among sites remaining similar over successive surveys. Hence, there are some elements of predictability in these systems.

Download Full-text

Long-Term Spatiotemporal Stability and Dynamic Changes in the Haemoparasite Community of Bank Voles (Myodes glareolus) in NE Poland

Microbial Ecology ◽

10.1007/s00248-014-0390-9 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 68 (2) ◽

pp. 196-211 ◽

Cited By ~ 26

Author(s):

Anna Bajer ◽

Renata Welc-Falęciak ◽

Małgorzata Bednarska ◽

Mohammed Alsarraf ◽

Jolanta Behnke-Borowczyk ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Myodes Glareolus ◽

Dynamic Changes ◽

Ne Poland ◽

Bank Voles

Download Full-text

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

Parasitology ◽

10.1017/s0031182008004484 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 135 (8) ◽

pp. 999-1018 ◽

Cited By ~ 30

Author(s):

J. M. BEHNKE ◽

A. BAJER ◽

P. D. HARRIS ◽

L. NEWINGTON ◽

E. PIDGEON ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Rank Order ◽

Common Species ◽

Myodes Glareolus ◽

Spatial Effects ◽

Bank Voles ◽

Helminth Communities ◽

As Species ◽

Site Variation ◽

Stable Core ◽

The Common

SUMMARYThe relative importance of temporal and spatial effects was assessed in helminth communities of bank voles (Myodes glareolus) in 3 woodland sites in N.E. Poland in the late summers of 1999 and 2002. Among common species the rank order of sites in relation to prevalence and abundance of infection was maintained between surveys. Site effects accounted for most of the deviance (in statistical models), and time was less important, so the exact location from which voles were sampled was of critical importance. The only exception wasSyphacia petrusewiczi. In contrast, for derived measures such as species richness and diversity, most deviance was accounted for by host age, and the interaction between site and year was significant, implying that rank order of sites changed between years. Temporal effects on derived measures were generated primarily by a combination of relatively small changes in prevalence and abundance of the common, rather than the rare, species between the years of the study. In the medium-term, therefore, helminth communities of bank voles in N.E. Poland had a stable core, suggesting a substantial strong element of predictability.

Download Full-text

Multiple Evidence for Climate Patterns Influencing Ecosystem Productivity across Spatial Gradients in the Venice Lagoon

Journal of Marine Science and Engineering ◽

10.3390/jmse9040363 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 (4) ◽

pp. 363

Author(s):

Camilla Bertolini ◽

Edouard Royer ◽

Roberto Pastres

Keyword(s):

Time Series ◽

Primary Productivity ◽

Clustering Analysis ◽

Venice Lagoon ◽

Spatial Effects ◽

Spatial Gradients ◽

Climate Forecasting ◽

Oxygen Production Rate ◽

Temporal And Spatial

Effects of climatic changes in transitional ecosystems are often not linear, with some areas likely experiencing faster or more intense responses, which something important to consider in the perspective of climate forecasting. In this study of the Venice lagoon, time series of the past decade were used, and primary productivity was estimated from hourly oxygen data using a published model. Temporal and spatial patterns of water temperature, salinity and productivity time series were identified by applying clustering analysis. Phytoplankton and nutrient data from long-term surveys were correlated to primary productivity model outputs. pmax, the maximum oxygen production rate in a given day, was found to positively correlate with plankton variables measured in surveys. Clustering analysis showed the occurrence of summer heatwaves in 2008, 2013, 2015 and 2018 and three warm prolonged summers (2012, 2017, 2019) coincided with lower summer pmax values. Spatial effects in terms of temperature were found with segregation between confined and open areas, although the patterns varied from year to year. Production and respiration differences showed that the lagoon, despite seasonality, was overall heterotrophic, with internal water bodies having greater values of heterotrophy. Warm, dry years with high salinity had lower degrees of summer autotrophy.

Download Full-text

Seroprevalence of Trichinella spp. infection in bank voles (Myodes glareolus) – A long term study

International Journal for Parasitology Parasites and Wildlife ◽

10.1016/j.ijppaw.2019.03.005 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 9 ◽

pp. 144-148 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Maciej Grzybek ◽

Aleksandra Cybulska ◽

Katarzyna Tołkacz ◽

Mohammed Alsarraf ◽

Jolanta Behnke-Borowczyk ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Myodes Glareolus ◽

Term Study ◽

Bank Voles ◽

Long Term Study

Download Full-text

Bank voles (Myodes glareolus) and house mice (Mus musculus musculus; M. m. domesticus) in Europe are each parasitized by their own distinct species ofAspiculuris(Nematoda, Oxyurida)

Parasitology ◽

10.1017/s0031182015000864 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 142 (12) ◽

pp. 1493-1505 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

J. M. BEHNKE ◽

A. STEWART ◽

A. BAJER ◽

M. GRZYBEK ◽

P. D. HARRIS ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mus Musculus ◽

Distinct Species ◽

Myodes Glareolus ◽

House Mice ◽

Laboratory Mice ◽

Mus Musculus Musculus ◽

Bank Voles ◽

The Uk ◽

Aspiculuris Tetraptera ◽

Host Evolution

SUMMARYThe molecular phylogeny and morphology of the oxyuroid nematode genusAspiculurisfrom voles and house mice has been examined. Worms collected fromMyodes glareolusin Poland, Eire and the UK are identified asAspiculuris tianjinensis, previously known only from China, while worms fromMus musculusfrom a range of locations in Europe and from laboratory mice, all conformed to the description ofAspiculuris tetraptera. Worms from voles and house mice are not closely related and are not derived from each other, withA. tianjinensisbeing most closely related toAspiculuris dinnikifrom snow voles and to an isolate fromMicrotus longicaudusin the Nearctic. BothA. tianjinensisandA. tetrapteraappear to represent recent radiations within their host groups; in voles, this radiation cannot be more than 2 million years old, while in commensal house mice it is likely to be less than 10 000 years old. The potential ofAspiculurisspp. as markers of host evolution is highlighted.

Download Full-text

Long-term presence of tick-borne encephalitis virus in experimentally infected bank voles (Myodes glareolus)

Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases ◽

10.1016/j.ttbdis.2021.101693 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 (4) ◽

pp. 101693

Author(s):

Anna Michelitsch ◽

Christine Fast ◽

Franziska Sick ◽

Birke Andrea Tews ◽

Karin Stiasny ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Encephalitis Virus ◽

Myodes Glareolus ◽

Bank Voles ◽

Tick Borne Encephalitis ◽

Tick Borne Encephalitis Virus

Download Full-text

Long-term dynamics of heavy metal concentrations in the food and liver of bank voles (Myodes glareolus) in the period of reduction of emissions from a copper smelter

Russian Journal of Ecology ◽

10.1134/s1067413617060078 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 48 (6) ◽

pp. 559-568 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

S. V. Mukhacheva

Keyword(s):

Heavy Metal ◽

Copper Smelter ◽

Myodes Glareolus ◽

Metal Concentrations ◽

Heavy Metal Concentrations ◽

Bank Voles ◽

Reduction Of Emissions

Download Full-text

Polymorphism of TLR2 in bank vole populations in North Eastern Poland is not associated with Borrelia afzelii infection prevalence

Mammal Research ◽

10.1007/s13364-020-00518-7 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 65 (4) ◽

pp. 779-791

Author(s):

Ewa Tarnowska ◽

Magdalena Niedziałkowska ◽

Joanna Stojak ◽

Bogumiła Jędrzejewska

Keyword(s):

Bank Vole ◽

Innate Immune ◽

Myodes Glareolus ◽

Infection Prevalence ◽

Borrelia Afzelii ◽

Immune Genes ◽

Ne Poland ◽

Bank Voles ◽

North Eastern ◽

Innate Immune Genes

Abstract Polymorphism in innate immune genes in host populations can structure spatial variation in the prevalence of infectious diseases. In Europe, Borrelia afzelii is an important tick-borne pathogen of small mammals including the bank voles (Myodes glareolus). The Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2) is an innate immune receptor that is important for detecting Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato pathogens. The TLR2 gene is polymorphic in bank vole populations and is classified into four distinct clusters: C1, C2, C3, and C4. The C2 and C4 clusters versus the C1 and C3 clusters are associated with lower versus higher infection prevalence, respectively. We detected three TLR2 clusters in 487 bank voles from 30 populations in NE Poland: 84.2% of the obtained sequences belonged to the C1 variant, 7.2% to C2, and 8.6% to C3. However, no clear spatial structure of TLR2 clusters among the populations was detected. B. afzelii infection prevalence across all studied individuals was 12.1% and varied from 0 to 37.5% among populations. There were no significant differences in B. afzelii prevalence among voles carrying alleles of different TLR2 clusters, or between individuals belonging to two mtDNA lineages. Most infected individuals were adults, and males were infected more often than females. There was no significant relationship between the prevalence of TLR2 clusters in the vole populations and climatic and environmental factors within the study area. We therefore could not confirm an adaptive role of the TLR2 C2 alleles in reducing B. afzelii infection prevalence in bank voles.

Download Full-text

Hantavirus Research in Finland: Highlights and Perspectives

Viruses ◽

10.3390/v13081452 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (8) ◽

pp. 1452

Author(s):

Antti Vaheri ◽

Heikki Henttonen ◽

Jukka Mustonen

Keyword(s):

Boreal Forests ◽

Myodes Glareolus ◽

Mild Disease ◽

Bank Voles ◽

History Of ◽

Temperate Europe ◽

Cyclic Dynamics ◽

Diagnostic Research ◽

Bank Vole Myodes Glareolus

Finland has the highest incidence of hantavirus infections globally, with a significant impact on public health. The large coverage of boreal forests and the cyclic dynamics of the dominant forest rodent species, the bank vole Myodes glareolus, explain most of this. We review the relationships between Puumala hantavirus (PUUV), its host rodent, and the hantavirus disease, nephropathia epidemica (NE), in Finland. We describe the history of NE and its diagnostic research in Finland, the seasonal and multiannual cyclic dynamics of PUUV in bank voles impacting human epidemiology, and we compare our northern epidemiological patterns with those in temperate Europe. The long survival of PUUV outside the host and the life-long shedding of PUUV by the bank voles are highlighted. In humans, the infection has unique features in pathobiology but rarely long-term consequences. NE is affected by specific host genetics and risk behavior (smoking), and certain biomarkers can predict the outcome. Unlike many other hantaviruses, PUUV causes a relatively mild disease and is rarely fatal. Reinfections do not exist. Antiviral therapy is complicated by the fact that when symptoms appear, the patient already has a generalized infection. Blocking vascular leakage measures counteracting pathobiology, offer a real therapeutic approach.

Download Full-text