Abstract:
We describe the composition of endoparasites associated with leaf litter anurans from an Atlantic Forest area, in southeastern Brazil. We tested if body size, sex, and reproductive modes of anuran hosts influence endoparasite abundance and richness. We sampled 583 individuals from 11 anuran species and recorded 1,600 helminths from 14 taxa. The helminths that infected the greatest number of anuran host species were the nematodes Cosmocerca parva (8 spp.), Physaloptera sp. (8 spp.), and Cosmocerca brasiliense (7 spp.), and the most abundant helminth species were Physaloptera sp. (14.6%), Cosmocerca brasiliense (13.7%) and Cosmocerca parva (12.6%). Both helminth abundance and richness were positively affected by anuran body size and dependence on water for reproduction. Larger hosts can contain a higher abundance of parasites because they may provide more physical space than smaller ones, or it can simply be a function of age. Besides, parasite species richness can be highly correlated with the amount of time a host spends in association with aquatic habitats, a conservative aspect of both parasite and host natural history. Within host species, there was a positive and significant influence of body size on helminth abundance. Haddadus binotatus females had greater helminth abundance than males, probably due to sex-related differences in behavior and/or in physiology. Our data suggest that reproductive modes could also influence helminth infection parameters in other anuran communities and should be considered in detail in future analyses.
摘要:
我们描述了来自大西洋森林地区的与落叶无尾藻相关的内寄生虫的组成,在巴西东南部。我们测试了身体大小,性别,无主寄主的繁殖方式影响体内寄生虫的丰度和丰富度。我们从11个无尾藻物种中采样了583个个体,并从14个分类单元中记录了1600个蠕虫。感染数量最多的无性系宿主物种的蠕虫是线虫Cosmocercaparva(8spp。),鱼翅目。(8spp。),和巴西宇宙(7种。),最丰富的蠕虫物种是鱼翅目。(14.6%),巴西宇宙(13.7%)和巴西宇宙(12.6%)。蠕虫的丰度和丰富度都受到无性系体型和对水的依赖的积极影响。较大的寄主可以包含更丰富的寄生虫,因为它们可能比较小的寄主提供更多的物理空间,或者它可以只是年龄的函数。此外,寄生虫物种的丰富度可能与宿主与水生栖息地相关的时间高度相关,寄生虫和宿主自然史的保守方面。在寄主物种内,体型对蠕虫丰度有积极和显著的影响。Haddadusbinotatus雌性的蠕虫丰度大于雄性,可能是由于性别相关的行为和/或生理差异。我们的数据表明,生殖模式也可能影响其他无性系社区的蠕虫感染参数,应在将来的分析中详细考虑。