Spatiotemporal heterogeneity in recruitment of larval parasites to shore crab intermediate hosts: the influence of shorebird definitive hosts

2003 ◽  
Vol 81 (7) ◽  
pp. 1282-1291 ◽  
Author(s):  
A David M. Latham ◽  
Robert Poulin

Parasitism is a major biotic determinant of animal population dynamics and community structure. Temporal and spatial heterogeneity in parasitism is commonly observed in intermediate host populations. Understanding the causes of temporal and spatial variation in the recruitment of parasites is crucial if we are to manage host populations and animal communities effectively. Here, the temporal and spatial dynamics of Profilicollis antarcticus and Profilicollis novaezelandensis (Acanthocephala) infections in three species of shore crabs (Macrophthalmus hirtipes, Hemigrapsus edwardsii, and Hemigrapsus crenulatus) are examined in relation to the distribution and abundance of shorebird definitive hosts. Temporal patterns of infection were observed in M. hirtipes but not the other two species. Spatial heterogeneity in recruitment of acanthocephalan larvae to M. hirtipes and H. edwardsii populations was found both within and between locations. Weak evidence is found that infection levels in crab populations are related to the distribution and abundance of shorebird hosts both temporally and spatially. In this system, abiotic factors seem to be at least as important in determining how infection levels vary in time and space as the input of parasite eggs from bird definitive hosts.

2021 ◽  
Vol 288 (1945) ◽  
pp. 20203036
Author(s):  
Jessica Quinn ◽  
Sarah Lee ◽  
Duncan Greeley ◽  
Alyssa Gehman ◽  
Armand M. Kuris ◽  
...  

The abundances of free-living species have changed dramatically in recent decades, but little is known about change in the abundance of parasitic species. We investigated whether populations of several parasites have shifted over time in two shore crab hosts, Hemigrapsus oregonensis and Hemigrapsus nudus, by comparing the prevalence and abundance of three parasite taxa in a historical dataset (1969–1970) to contemporary parasite abundance (2018–2020) for hosts collected from 11 intertidal sites located from Oregon, USA, to British Columbia, Canada. Our data suggest that the abundance of the parasitic isopod Portunion conformis has varied around a stable mean for the past 50 years. No change over time was observed for larval acanthocephalans. However, larval microphallid trematodes increased in prevalence over time among H. oregonensis hosts, from a mean of 8.4–61.8% between the historical and contemporary time points. The substantial increase in the prevalence of larval microphallid trematodes could be owing to increased abundances of their bird final hosts, increased production of parasite infective stages by snail intermediate hosts or both. Our study highlights the variability among parasite species in their temporal trajectories of change.


2003 ◽  
Vol 19 (4) ◽  
pp. 367-374 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luis F. Aguirre ◽  
Luc Lens ◽  
Raoul van Damme ◽  
Erik Matthysen

Neotropical bats occupy a large variety of trophic niches, and represent locally abundant, species-rich communities. As such, they are highly suited as a model group for the study of temporal and spatial dynamics of animal communities. However, despite this important research potential, data on the dynamics and turnover rates of Neotropical bat communities are lacking. We here study both aspects for bats inhabiting two natural forests surrounded by savanna in Bolivia. Over a period of 8 y, both bat communities showed high rates of species turnover. As predicted, species relying on fluctuating food resources were more likely to be absent in particular years, whereas species relying on more predictable food supplies were present in all years.


2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI)

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
pp. 1180
Author(s):  
Da Guo ◽  
Xiaoning Song ◽  
Ronghai Hu ◽  
Xinming Zhu ◽  
Yazhen Jiang ◽  
...  

The Hindu Kush Himalayan (HKH) region is one of the most ecologically vulnerable regions in the world. Several studies have been conducted on the dynamic changes of grassland in the HKH region, but few have considered grassland net ecosystem productivity (NEP). In this study, we quantitatively analyzed the temporal and spatial changes of NEP magnitude and the influence of climate factors on the HKH region from 2001 to 2018. The NEP magnitude was obtained by calculating the difference between the net primary production (NPP) estimated by the Carnegie–Ames Stanford Approach (CASA) model and the heterotrophic respiration (Rh) estimated by the geostatistical model. The results showed that the grassland ecosystem in the HKH region exhibited weak net carbon uptake with NEP values of 42.03 gC∙m−2∙yr−1, and the total net carbon sequestration was 0.077 Pg C. The distribution of NEP gradually increased from west to east, and in the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau, it gradually increased from northwest to southeast. The grassland carbon sources and sinks differed at different altitudes. The grassland was a carbon sink at 3000–5000 m, while grasslands below 3000 m and above 5000 m were carbon sources. Grassland NEP exhibited the strongest correlation with precipitation, and it had a lagging effect on precipitation. The correlation between NEP and the precipitation of the previous year was stronger than that of the current year. NEP was negatively correlated with temperature but not with solar radiation. The study of the temporal and spatial dynamics of NEP in the HKH region can provide a theoretical basis to help herders balance grazing and forage.


Zoology ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 125931
Author(s):  
R.P. Eusébio ◽  
H. Enghoff ◽  
A. Solodovnikov ◽  
A. Michelsen ◽  
P. Barranco ◽  
...  

2010 ◽  
Vol 128 (4) ◽  
pp. 473-482 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adalberto C. Café-Filho ◽  
Gil R. Santos ◽  
Francisco F. Laranjeira

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