Influence of temporal variation and host condition on helminth abundance in the lizard Tropidurus hispidus from north-eastern Brazil

Ecological characteristics and environmental variation influence both host species composition and parasite abundance. Abiotic factors such as rainfall and temperature can improve parasite development and increase its reproduction rate. The comparison of these assemblages between different environme...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of helminthology 2017-05, Vol.91 (3), p.312-319
Main Authors: Filho, J.A. Araujo, Brito, S.V., Lima, V.F., Pereira, A.M.A., Mesquita, D.O., Albuquerque, R.L., Almeida, W.O.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Brazil
Environmental Exposure
Helminthiasis, Animal - parasitology
Helminths - classification
Helminths - isolation & purification
Lacertilia
Lizards - parasitology
Parasite Load
Research Papers
Spatio-Temporal Analysis
Tropidurus hispidus
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Summary:Ecological characteristics and environmental variation influence both host species composition and parasite abundance. Abiotic factors such as rainfall and temperature can improve parasite development and increase its reproduction rate. The comparison of these assemblages between different environments may give us a more refined analysis of how environment affects the variation of helminth parasite abundance. The aim of the present study was to evaluate how temporal variation, host size, sex and reproduction affect helminth abundance in the Tropidurus hispidus lizard in Caatinga, Restinga and Atlantic Forest environments. Overall, larger-sized lizards showed higher helminth abundance. We found a monthly variation in the helminth species abundance in all studied areas. In the Caatinga area, monoxenic and heteroxenic parasites were related to the rainy season and to the reproductive period of lizards. In Restinga, monoxenic and heteroxenic helminth species were more abundant during the driest months. In the Atlantic Forest, the rainy and host reproductive season occurred continuously throughout the year, so parasite abundance was relatively constant. Nevertheless, heteroxenic species were more abundant in this area. The present results showed that the temporal variation, body size, sex, reproductive period and habitat type influence the abundance and composition of helminth species in T. hispidus.
ISSN:0022-149X
1475-2697
DOI:10.1017/S0022149X16000225