肠道寄生虫可以在整个生态系统中产生广泛的影响,经常推动共同进化和生态过程。由于对寄主的负面影响,寄生虫在保护工作中一直被忽视;但是,寄生虫是地球生物多样性的重要组成部分,宿主保护工作需要具有寄生虫包容性。温哥华岛土拨鼠(VIM),Marmotavancouverensis,是温哥华岛特有的濒临灭绝的高山啮齿动物,不列颠哥伦比亚省,加拿大。圈养的VIM被释放以增加野生种群,但他们对寄生虫的易感性是未知的。这项研究的目的是描述多样性,患病率,严重程度,和VIM肠寄生虫的时间变化。从野生和圈养的土拨鼠中收集非侵入性粪便样本,并使用改良的McMaster粪便卵浮选技术进行分析,以表明寄生虫的患病率和相对平均丰度。我们从3种寄生虫类群中鉴定出卵囊和卵,包括先前未在VIM中描述的原生动物球虫(患病率68%),a虫线虫Baylisascarislaevis(患病率82%),和无头颅食性食宿Diandryavancouverensis(患病率8%)。根据物种的不同,比较显示寄生虫感染的性别差异,殖民地,在野生和圈养的VIM之间,但不在年龄组或女性生殖状况之间。最后,圈养的VIM显示出寄生虫患病率和平均卵丰度的显着每月变化,表明对寄生虫卵脱落有季节性影响。这些信息对于未来研究这些趋势对健康的影响至关重要,生态学,以及对VIM及其寄生虫的保护。
Enteric parasites can have wide-ranging effects throughout an ecosystem, often driving coevolutionary and ecological processes. Parasites have long been overlooked in conservation efforts because of the negative impact inflicted on their hosts; however, parasites make up a significant component of Earth\'s biodiversity and host conservation efforts need to be parasite inclusive. The Vancouver Island marmot (VIM), Marmota vancouverensis, is an endangered alpine rodent endemic to Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. Captive-bred VIMs are released to augment the wild population, but their susceptibility to parasites is unknown. The objectives of this study were to describe the diversity, prevalence, severity, and temporal variation of VIM enteric parasites. Noninvasive fecal samples were collected from wild and captive marmots and analyzed using a modified McMaster fecal egg floatation technique to indicate parasite prevalence and relative mean abundance. We identified oocysts and ova from 3 parasite taxa including a protozoan coccidium not previously described in the VIM (prevalence 68%), an ascarid nematode Baylisascaris laevis (prevalence 82%), and an anoplocephalid cestode Diandrya vancouverensis (prevalence 8%). Depending on the species, comparisons revealed variation in parasite infection by sex, by colony, and between wild and captive VIMs, but not among age classes or by female reproductive status. Finally, captive VIMs displayed significant monthly variation in parasite prevalence and mean egg abundance, suggesting a seasonal influence on parasite egg shedding. This information is critically important for future research investigating the influences of these trends on the health, ecology, and conservation of VIMs and their parasites.