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Does the Introduction of Alien Species Represent a Sanitary Threat for Native Species? The Case of the Eastern Cottontail Sylvilagus floridanus in Italy
- Source :
- Life, Life, Vol 10, Iss 142, p 142 (2020), Volume 10, Issue 8
- Publication Year :
- 2020
- Publisher :
- MDPI, 2020.
-
Abstract
- Introduction of alien species is a well-known threat to biodiversity. Where newly introduced, alien species may pose a risk for the local ecological community by competing for resources or by introducing pathogens. Sylvilagus floridanus is an American lagomorph introduced into Europe in the second half of 20th century, for hunting. This study evaluated the structure and epidemiological characteristics of the gastrointestinal parasite community in an introduced population of S. floridanus in the Province of Alessandria (Piedmont Region&mdash<br />Italy). Three alien parasites were reported out of 271 animals: Obeliscoides cuniculi in the stomach, Trichostrongylus calcaratus in the small intestine, and Passarulus nonnanulatus in the large intestine. All these nematodes are commonly reported in S. floridanus in its natural range, but they represent alien species in Europe. The report of these alien parasites is an example of the unexpected consequences caused by the introduction of non-native vertebrates. The documented introduction of new pathogens may alter the parasite community of the native lagomorphs, with possible long-term effects on local ecological dynamics.
- Subjects :
- 0106 biological sciences
Population
Biodiversity
Zoology
Introduced species
Alien
010603 evolutionary biology
01 natural sciences
General Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology
Invasive species
Article
invasive species
Eastern cottontail
Parasite hosting
education
lcsh:Science
Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics
education.field_of_study
biology
Community
010604 marine biology & hydrobiology
Paleontology
alien parasites
biology.organism_classification
Geography
sanitary risk
Alien parasites
Sanitary risk
Sylvilagus floridanus
Space and Planetary Science
lcsh:Q
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 20751729
- Volume :
- 10
- Issue :
- 8
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- Life
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....07f2213b8c042c91febc5bbb40be80b5