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Is parasite load dependent on host aggregation size? The case of the greater mouse-eared bat Myotis myotis (Mammalia: Chiroptera) and its parasitic mite Spinturnix myoti (Acari: Gamasida)
- Source :
- Parasitology Research
- Publication Year :
- 2014
- Publisher :
- Springer Science and Business Media LLC, 2014.
-
Abstract
- The risk of parasite infection grows with the size of host aggregations, which, in turn, may also depend on host sex and age and the quality of environmental resources. Herein, we studied the relationship between ectoparasitic infections with the wing mite (Spinturnix myoti) and the size of the breeding colonies, sex, age, and body condition index (BCI) of its host, the greater mouse-eared bat (Myotis myotis). The influence of environmental quality in the Carpathian Mountains (Poland) was also examined. We found significant differences in mite abundance and BCI between different breeding aggregations of the greater mouse-eared bat and also between the host sex/age categories. The most heavily infected bats were adult M. myotis females, while young males appeared to be the least infected. The BCI differed significantly between the sexes in young bats (males had a higher BCI than females) and also between colonies. No significant differences in the BCI were found for adult females. We did not find any relationship between the infestation rate of M. myotis, their colony size, the quality of environmental resources (percentage of forest cover around the colony), or the BCI. The prevalence of the various developmental stages of the mites did not differ between the host sex/age categories; however, differences were found in the sex ratios of deutonymphs and adult mites between adult M. myotis females. We predict that parasite load may not be dependent on colony size itself, but mainly on microclimatic factors, which are in turn directly correlated with colony size.
- Subjects :
- Spinturnicidae
Male
Zoology
Myotis myotis
medicine.disease_cause
Parasite load
Parasite Load
Host-Parasite Interactions
Maternity aggregation
Sex Factors
Colony size
Chiroptera
Infestation
Mite
medicine
Animals
Parasite hosting
Acari
Parasite infection
Ecosystem
Population Density
Original Paper
Mites
General Veterinary
biology
Ecology
Host (biology)
Age Factors
General Medicine
biology.organism_classification
Mouse-eared bats
Infectious Diseases
Insect Science
Female
Parasitology
Poland
Subjects
Details
- ISSN :
- 14321955 and 09320113
- Volume :
- 113
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- Parasitology Research
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....716380a7de7534ea2a35d7d3cadd6aac