Sarcoptes scabiei infestation does not alter the stability of ectoparasite communities
Carvalho, João (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Servei d'Ecopatologia de Fauna Salvatge)
Serrano Ferron, Emmanuel (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Servei d'Ecopatologia de Fauna Salvatge)
Pettorelli, Nathalie (Institute of Zoology. Zoological Society of London)
Granados Torres, José Enrique (Espacio Natural de Sierra Nevada)
Habela Martínez-Estéllez, Miguel Ángel (Universidad de Extremadura. Departamento de Sanidad Animal)
Olmeda García, Ángeles Sonia (Universidad Complutense de Madrid. Departamento de Patología Animal)
Fonseca, Carlos (Universidade de Aveiro. Centro de Estudos do Ambiente e do Mar)
Pérez Jiménez, Jesús María (Espacio Natural Sierra Nevada)

Data:	2016
Resum:	Background: The host represents a heterogeneous ecosystem where multiple parasite species co-occur and interact with each other for space and resources. Although these interactions may rule the features of an infracommunity and may shape the infracommunity response to external perturbations, the resilience of ectoparasite communities to new infestations remains poorly explored. Methods: We analysed the composition of the ectoparasite communities found on 214 individual Iberian ibexes (Capra pyrenaica) inhabiting the Sierra Nevada Natural Space, southern Spain. Using classification and regression trees, we explored how the presence of Sarcoptes scabiei (a highly contagious mite), the off-host environment and the host sex govern the prevalence and abundance of lice and ticks. Null model analysis was applied to assess the impact of S. scabiei on the structure of the ectoparasite communities. Results: Our results suggest that S. scabiei infestation acts in tandem with off-host environment and host sex to define the prevalence and abundance of lice and ticks. We also provided evidence for differences in species co-occurrence only at the early stages of S. scabiei infestation. Regarding species diversity, we recorded that ectoparasite communities in scabietic ibexes reached a high richness faster than those in healthy individuals. Conclusions: Even though we show that ectoparasite burden is correlated with S. scabiei infestation, off-host environment and host sex, the species response to S. scabiei infestation and climate seem to be highly variable and influenced by ectoparasite life-history traits. Ectoparasite communities also appear resilient to perturbations which is in agreement with what was previously reported for endoparasites. Future refinement of sample collection and the incorporation of ecological and epidemiological-related variables may allow us to establish causal effects and deepen the knowledge about the mechanisms and consequences of ectoparasite interactions.
Ajuts:	Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia CGL2012-40043-C02-01
Drets:	Aquest document està subjecte a una llicència d'ús Creative Commons. Es permet la reproducció total o parcial, la distribució, la comunicació pública de l'obra i la creació d'obres derivades, fins i tot amb finalitats comercials, sempre i quan es reconegui l'autoria de l'obra original.
Llengua:	Anglès
Document:	Article ; recerca ; Versió publicada
Matèria:	Veterinària ; Capra pyrenaica ; Community ecology ; Ecosystem engineer ; Multiparasitism ; Sarcoptes scabiei
Publicat a:	Parasites & vectors, Vol. 9 (2016) , ISSN 1756-3305

DOI: 10.1186/s13071-016-1659-2
PMID: 27370780

11 p, 1.3 MB

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