scholarly journals Infestation and Related Ecology of Chigger Mites on the Asian House Rat (Rattus tanezumi) in Yunnan Province, Southwest China

2021 ◽  
Vol 59 (4) ◽  
pp. 377-392
Author(s):  
Fan Ding ◽  
Wen-Li Jiang ◽  
Xian-Guo Guo ◽  
Rong Fan ◽  
Cheng-Fu Zhao ◽  
...  

This paper is to illustrate the infestation and related ecological characteristics of chigger mites on the Asian house rat (Rattus tanezumi). A total of 17,221 chigger mites were collected from 2,761 R. tanezumi rats, and then identified as 131 species and 19 genera in 2 families. Leptotrombidium deliense, the most powerful vector of scrub typhus in China, was the first major dominant species on R. tanezumi. All the dominant mite species were of an aggregated distribution among different individuals of R. tanezumi. The species composition and infestations of chiggers on R. tanezumi varied along different geographical regions, habitats and altitudes. The species-abundance distribution of the chigger mite community was successfully fitted and the theoretical curve equation was. Ŝ (R)=37e–(0.28R)2 The total chigger species on R. tanezumi were estimated to be 199 species or 234 species, and this further suggested that R. tanezumi has a great potential to harbor abundant species of chigger mites. The results of the species-plot relationship indicated that the chigger mite community on R. tanezumi in Yunnan was an uneven community with very high heterogeneity. Wide geographical regions with large host samples are recommended in the investigations of chigger mites.

Diversity ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (12) ◽  
pp. 620
Author(s):  
André A. Nogueira ◽  
Antonio D. Brescovit ◽  
Gilmar Perbiche-Neves ◽  
Eduardo M. Venticinque

Beta diversity is usually high along elevational gradients. We studied a spider community at the Pico da Neblina (Brazil), an Amazonian mountain which is one of the southern components of the Guayana region. We sampled six elevations and investigated if beta diversity patterns correspond to the elevational division proposed for the region, between lowlands (up to 500 m), uplands (500 m to 1500 m), and highlands (>1500 m). Patterns of dominance increased with elevation along the gradient, especially at the two highest elevations, indicating that changes in composition may be accompanied by changes in species abundance distribution. Beta diversity recorded was very high, but the pattern observed was not in accordance with the elevationaldivision proposed for the region. While the highlands indeed harbored different fauna, the three lowest elevationshad similar species compositions, indicating that the lowlands spider community extends into the uplands zone. Other measures of compositional change, such as similarity indices and species indicator analysis, also support this pattern. Our results, in addition to a revision of the literature, confirm the high diversity and endemism rates of montane spider communities, and we stress the importance of protecting those environments, especially considering the climate crisis.


Biologia ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 72 (9) ◽  
Author(s):  
Pei-Ying Peng ◽  
Xian-Guo Guo ◽  
Dao-Chao Jin ◽  
Wen-Ge Dong ◽  
Ti-Jun Qian ◽  
...  

AbstractThe ecological niches and species abundance distributions of chigger mites were studied on small mammal hosts captured from 34 sites in Yunnan Province of southwest China between 2001 and 2015. Levins’ niche breadth and Colwell-Futuyma’s method were used to quantitatively evaluate host-specificity and similarity of host selection. Hierarchical analysis was used to illustrate niche overlap among mite species. Most mite species had a wide range of hosts with low host specificity. The niche overlaps between different mite species did not correlate with their taxonomic positions. Some mite species from different genera showed high niche overlaps and some others within the same genus showed low niche overlaps. Preston’s lognormal distribution model was used to fit the theoretical curve of species abundance distribution of mite community on


2009 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 23-28 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katarzyna Kubiak

Genetic diversity ofAvena strigosaSchreb. ecotypes on the basis of isoenzyme markersGenetic diversity was analyzed in 19 ecotypes of the diploid oatA. strigosaoriginating from various geographical regions of the world. Six isoenzyme systems (AAT, ACP, EST, LAP, MDH, PX) were studied and 16 loci were identified. Only two loci (Est4andMdh2) were polymorphic. Ecotypes were characterized by the percentage of polymorphic loci (P=3.3%), the mean number of alleles per locus (A=1.04) and intrapopulation diversity (HS=0.013). Total genetic diversity (HT=0.07) and interpopulation diversity (DST=0.057) were examined as well. The value of the coefficient of gene differentiation (GST=0.821) indicated that diversity among populations was an important contributor to total variability. Genetic similarity betweenA. strigosapopulations was very high (IN=0.94). Cluster analysis did not demonstrate strongly differentiated groups among the ecotypes examined.


2010 ◽  
Vol 16 ◽  
pp. 117-141 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Kathleen Lyons ◽  
Felisa A. Smith

Macroecology is a rapidly growing sub-discipline within ecology that is concerned with characterizing statistical patterns of species' abundance, distribution and diversity at spatial and temporal scales typically ignored by traditional ecology. Both macroecology and paleoecology are concerned with answering similar questions (e.g., understanding the factors that influence geographic ranges, or the way that species assemble into communities). As such, macroecological methods easily lend themselves to many paleoecological questions. Moreover, it is possible to estimate the variables of interest to macroecologists (e.g., body size, geographic range size, abundance, diversity) using fossil data. Here we describe the measurement and estimation of the variables used in macroecological studies and potential biases introduced by using fossil data. Next we describe the methods used to analyze macroecological patterns and briefly discuss the current understanding of these patterns. This chapter is by no means an exhaustive review of macroecology and its methods. Instead, it is an introduction to macroecology that we hope will spur innovation in the application of macroecology to the study of the fossil record.


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