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Using lizards to evaluate the influence of average abundance on the variance of endoparasites in semiarid areas: dispersion and assemblage structure

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 January 2020

J.A. Araujo Filho Open the ORCID record for J.A. Araujo Filho [Opens in a new window] ,
A.A.M. Teixeira ,
D.A. Teles ,
S.M. Rocha ,
W.O. Almeida ,
D.O. Mesquita  and
A.C.F. Lacerda
J.A. Araujo Filho*
Affiliation:
Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Biológicas (Zoologia), Departamento de Sistemática and Ecologia – DSE, Centro de Ciências Exatas and da Natureza – CCEN, Universidade Federal da Paraíba – UFPB, Cidade Universitária, Campus I, CEP 58059-900, João Pessoa, PB, Brazil
A.A.M. Teixeira
Affiliation:
Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Biológicas (Zoologia), Departamento de Sistemática and Ecologia – DSE, Centro de Ciências Exatas and da Natureza – CCEN, Universidade Federal da Paraíba – UFPB, Cidade Universitária, Campus I, CEP 58059-900, João Pessoa, PB, Brazil
D.A. Teles
Affiliation:
Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Biológicas (Zoologia), Departamento de Sistemática and Ecologia – DSE, Centro de Ciências Exatas and da Natureza – CCEN, Universidade Federal da Paraíba – UFPB, Cidade Universitária, Campus I, CEP 58059-900, João Pessoa, PB, Brazil
S.M. Rocha
Affiliation:
Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Biológicas (Zoologia), Departamento de Sistemática and Ecologia – DSE, Centro de Ciências Exatas and da Natureza – CCEN, Universidade Federal da Paraíba – UFPB, Cidade Universitária, Campus I, CEP 58059-900, João Pessoa, PB, Brazil
W.O. Almeida
Affiliation:
Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Regional do Cariri – URCA, Rua Cel. Antônio Luiz, 1161, Campus Pimenta, CEP 63105-000, Crato, CE, Brazil
D.O. Mesquita
Affiliation:
Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Biológicas (Zoologia), Departamento de Sistemática and Ecologia – DSE, Centro de Ciências Exatas and da Natureza – CCEN, Universidade Federal da Paraíba – UFPB, Cidade Universitária, Campus I, CEP 58059-900, João Pessoa, PB, Brazil
A.C.F. Lacerda
Affiliation:
Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Biológicas (Zoologia), Departamento de Sistemática and Ecologia – DSE, Centro de Ciências Exatas and da Natureza – CCEN, Universidade Federal da Paraíba – UFPB, Cidade Universitária, Campus I, CEP 58059-900, João Pessoa, PB, Brazil
*
Author for correspondence: J.A. Araujo Filho, E-mail: araujofilhoaj@gmail.com
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Abstract

The distribution of parasites within host populations and communities, and the mechanisms responsible for these patterns, are poorly understood aspects of wildlife parasitology. Here, we evaluate the influence of the average abundance of endoparasite variance, using endoparasites of lizards from the Caatinga domain (semiarid region), north-eastern Brazil. We hypothesized that, due to the high number of generalist endoparasite species, they may occur randomly throughout host populations in an aggregate pattern. In addition, we evaluated the degree to which sample variance is influenced by the average abundance of endoparasite species, patterns of co-occurrence and dominance among endoparasite species and similarities between abundance and the richness of endoparasite infracommunities in several host species. Between September 2015 and February 2016, 2141 lizards (1233 infected) from 16 species were collected from six Caatinga areas. In total, 25,687 endoparasites were collected, which belonged to 13 species including nematodes, pentastomids, cestodes, trematodes and acanthocephalans. Parasite–host associations documented here included 39 newly identified interactions. Endoparasites occurred in a typical aggregate pattern of distribution within their hosts; there was no measurable preference related to the acquisition of hosts by endoparasites. Despite the new records, endoparasites found were commonly associated with lizards in Caatinga environments, which may reflect fauna composed of generalist endoparasite species.

Keywords

Helminthsaggregationparasitismneotropical regionnull model
Type
Research Paper
Information
Journal of Helminthology , Volume 94 , 2020 , e121
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2020

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