Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-lj6df Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-10T15:58:03.085Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Parasites and the dynamics of wild mammal populations

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 March 2007

R. J Irvine
R. J Irvine*
Affiliation:
Macaulay Institute, Cragiebuckler, Aberdeen, AB15 8QH, UK
*
†E-mail: j.irvine@macaulay.ac.uk
Get access

Abstract

The impact of parasites on domestic livestock is well known. It is also clear that parasites have the potential to reduce reproductive success and survival at the individual level in wild animal populations (often through effects on body condition). However, the degree to which these impacts can regulate populations is difficult to determine because of the logistics of conducting the necessary experimental manipulations of either hosts or parasites. In addition, the relative importance of this mechanism compared to other regulatory factors such as predation and competition for food resources has not been quantified. Studies that have investigated the impact of parasites on wild mammals are reviewed and the merits of cross-sectional sampling and experimental approaches are presented. Finally, evidence for parasite mediated population regulation in wild mammals is examined and the need to develop experimental approaches that address this mechanism and its interaction with other regulatory processes is discussed.

Keywords

mammalsparasiteswildlife
Type
Research Article
Information
Animal Science , Volume 82 , Issue 6 , December 2006 , pp. 775 - 781
Copyright
Copyright © British Society of Animal Science 2006

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Albon, S. D., Stien, A., Irvine, R. J., Langvatn, R., Ropstad, E., and Halvorsen, O. 2002. The role of parasites in the dynamics of a reindeer population. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London, B 269: 1625–1632.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Anderson, R. M. 1978. The regulation of host populations growth by parasite species. Parasitology 76: 119–157.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Anderson, R. M. and May, R. M. (1978) Regulation and stability of host parasite population interactions: Regulatory processes. Journal of Animal Ecology 47: 219–247.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Boag, B. and Iason, G. R. 1986. The occurrence and abundance of helminth parasites of the mountain hare Lepus timidus (L.) and the wild rabbit Oryctolagus cuniculus (L.) in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. Journal of Helminthology 60: 92–98.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Boutin, S., Krebs, C. J., Boonstra, R., Sinclair, A. R. E. and Hodges, K. E. 2002. Understanding the snowshoe hare cycle through large scale field experiments. In Population cycles (ed. Berryman, A. A.) pp. 69–91. Oxford University Press, UKGoogle Scholar
Coyne, M. J. and Smith, G. 1994. Trichostrongylid parasites of domestic ruminants. In Parasitic and infectious diseases: epidemiology and ecology (ed. Scott, M. E. and Smith, G.) pp. 235–247. Academic Press, San Diego CA.Google Scholar
Clutton-Brock, T. H., Coulson, T., Milner, J. M. 2004. Red deer stocks in the Highlands of Scotland. Nature 429: 261CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dobson, A. P., Hudson, P. J., Lyles, A. M. 1992. Macroparasites: worms and others. In Natural enemies: the population biology of predators, parasites and diseases (ed. Crawley, M. J.), pp. 329–348. Blackwell Scientific Publications, Oxford.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Elton, C. 1927. Animal ecology. Sidgewick and Jackson, LondonGoogle Scholar
Gortázar, C., Acevedo, P., Ruiz-Fons, F. and Vicente, J. 2006. Disease risks and overabundance of game species. European Journal of Wildlife Research 52: 81–87.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gulland, F. M. D. 1992. The role of nematode parasites in Soay sheep (Ovis aries. L) mortality during a population crash. Parasitology 105: 493–503.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Gulland, F. M. D. 1995. The impact of infectious diseases on wild animal populations: a review. In Ecology of infectious diseases in natural populations (ed Dobson, A. P.Grenfell, B. T.), pp. 20–51. Cambridge University Press, UKCrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gunn, A. 1990. The decline and recovery of caribou and muskoxen on Victoria Island. In Canada's missing dimension: science and history in the Canadian Arctic Islands (ed Harrington, C. R.) pp. 590–607. Canadian Museum of Nature, OttawaGoogle Scholar
Gunn, A. and Irvine, R. J. 2003. Sub-clinical parasitism and ruminant foraging strategies – a review. Wildlife Society Bulletin 31: 117–126.Google Scholar
Hudson, P. J., Dobson, A. P. and Newborn, D. 1998. Prevention of population cycles by parasite removal. Science 282: 2256–2258.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hughes, J., Albon, S. D., Irvine, R. J. and Woodin, S. 2007. The cost of parasites to caribou. Parasitology (In press).Google Scholar
Hutchings, M. R., Kyriazakis, I., Anderson, D. H., Gordon, I. J. and Coop, R. L. 1998. Behavioural strategies used by parasitised and non-parasitised sheep to avoid ingestion of gastro-intestinal nematodes associated with faeces. Animal Science 97: 106Google Scholar
Iason, G. R. and Boag, B. 1988. Do intestinal helminths affect condition and fecundity of adult mountain hares. Journal of Wildlife Diseases 24: 599–605Google ScholarPubMed
International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources. 2004. IUCN red list of threatened species, www.redlist.orgGoogle Scholar
Irvine, R. J., Corbishley, H., Pilkington, J. G. and Albon, S. D. 2006. Low-level parasitic worm burdens may reduce body condition in free-ranging red deer (Cervus elaphus). Parasitology 133: 1–11.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ives, A. R., Murray, D. L. 1997. Can sublethal parasitism destabilize predator-prey population dynamics? A model of snowshoe hares, predators and parasites. Journal of Animal Ecology 66: 265–278.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jingfors, K. 1984. Abundance, composition and distribution of muskoxen on southeastern Victoria Island File report no.36 Northwest Territories RWED, Canada.Google Scholar
Krebs, C. J.Boutin, S.Boonstra, R.Sinclair, A. R. E.Smith, J. N. M.Dale, M. R. T.Martin, K. and Turkington, R. 1995. Impact of food and predation on the snowshoe hare cycle. Science 269: 1112–1115CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Krebs, C. J.Boonstra, R.Boutin, S.Sinclair, A. R. E. 2001. Conclusions and future research directions. ecosystem dynamics of the boreal forest (ed. Krebs, C. J.Boutin, S.Boonstra, R.), pp. 491–501. Oxford University Press, New York.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lack, D. 1954. The natural regulation of animal numbers. Methuen, London.Google Scholar
May, R. M. 1999. Population biology: crash tests for real. Nature 398: 371–372CrossRefGoogle Scholar
May, R. M.Anderson, R. M. 1978. Regulation and stability of host parasite population interactions: II. Destabilising processes. Journal of Animal Ecology 47: 249–267CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Milner-Gulland, E. J.Kholodova, M. V.Bekenov, O. M.Grachev, Y. A.Amgalan, L.Lushchekina, A. A. 2001. Dramatic declines in saiga antelope populations. Oryx 35: 340–345CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Morgan, E. R.Milner-Gulland, E. J.Torgerson, P. R.Medley, G. F. 2004. Ruminating on complexity: macroparasites of wildlife and livestock. Trends in Ecology and Evolution 19: 181–188CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Morgan, E. R.Shakenov, B.Torgerson, P. R.Medley, G. F.Milner-Gulland, E. J. 2005. Helminths of saiga antelope in Kazakhstan: implications for conservation and livestock production. Journal of Wildlife Diseases 41: 149–162CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Murray, D. L. 2002. Differential body condition and vulnerability to predation in snowshoe hares. Journal of Animal Ecology 71: 614–625CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Murray, D. L.Cary, J. R.Keith, L. B. 1997. Interactive effects of sub-lethal nematodes and nutritional status on snowshoe hare vulnerability to predation. Journal of Animal Ecology 66: 250–264CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Murray, D. L.Keith, L. B.Cary, J. R. 1998. Do parasitism and nutritional status interact to affect production in snowshoe hares?. Ecology 79: 1209–1222.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Newey, S.Thirgood, S. J. 2004. Parasite-mediated reduction in fecundity of mountain hares. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 271: suppl.S413–S415.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Newey, S.Thirgood, S. J.Hudson, P. J. 2004. Do parasite burdens in spring influence condition and fecundity of female mountain hares Lepus timidus?. Wildlife Biology 10: 171–176CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Newey, S.Shaw, D. J.Kirby, A. K.Montieth, P.Hudson, P. J.Thirgood, S. J. 2005. Distribution of helminths in wild populations of mountain hares in Scotland. International Journal for Parasitology 35: 367–373CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Newey, S. J. 2005. Population fluctuations in mountain hare: a role for parasites? Doctoral thesis no. 2005:26, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences.Google Scholar
Schmitz, O. J.Nudds, T. D. 1994. Parasite-mediated competition in deer and moose: how strong is the effect of meningeal worm on moose?. Ecological Applications 4: 91–103CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Royama, T. 1992. Analytical population dynamics. Chapman and Hall, London.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Scott, M. E.Dobson, A. P. 1989. The role of parasites in regulating host abundance. Parasitology Today 5: 176–183CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Shaw, D. J.Dobson, A. P. 1995. Patterns of macroparasite abundance and aggregation in wildlife populations: a quantitative review. Parasitology 111: 111–133CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Soulsby, E. J. L. 1982. Helminths, arthropods and protozoa of domesticated animals, seventh edition. Lea and Febiger, Philadelphia.Google Scholar
Stien, A.Irvine, R. J.Ropstad, E.Halvorsen, O.Langvatn, R.Albon, S. D. 2002. The impact of gastrointestinal nematodes on wild reindeer: experimental and cross – sectional studies. Journal of Animal Ecology 71: 937–945CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tompkins, D. M.Dobson, A. P.Arneber, P.Begon, M.Cattadori, I. M.Greenman, J. V.Heesterbeek, J. A. P.Hudson, P. J.Newborn, D.Pugliese, D.Rizzoli, A.Rosa, R.Rosso, F.Wilson, K. 2001. Parasites and host population dynamics Wildlife diseases (ed. Hudson, P. J.Rizzoli, A.Grenfell, B. T.Heesterbeek, H.Dobson, A. P.), pp. 45–62. Oxford University Press, London.Google Scholar
Turchin, P. 2003. Complex population dynamics: a theoretical/empirical synthesis. Princeton University Press, NJ.Google Scholar
Usher, M. B.Thompson, D. B. A. 1988. Ecological change in the uplands. Blackwells, Oxford.Google Scholar
Van der Wal, R.Irvine, J.Stien, A.Shepherd, N.Albon, S. D. 2000. Faecal avoidance and the risk of infection by nematodes in a natural population of reindeer. Oecologia 124: 19–25CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Watson, A.Hewson, R. 1973. Population densities of mountain hares (Lepus timidus) on western Scottish and Irish moors and Scottish hills. Journal of Zoology, London 170: 159CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wilson, K.Grenfell, B. T. 1997. Generalized linear modelling for parasitologists. Parasitology Today 13: 33–38CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Wilson, K.Grenfell, B. T.Pilkington, J. G.Boyd, H. E. G. and Gulland, F. M. D. 2004. Parasites and their impact. In Soay sheep: dynamics and selection in an island population (ed. Clutton-Brock, T. H.Pemberton, J. M.), pp. 113–165. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.Google Scholar