Rahn Anna K, Eßer Elisabeth, Reher Stephanie, Ihlow Flora, MacColl Andrew D C, Bakker Theo C M
Institute for Evolutionary Biology and Ecology, University of Bonn, An der Immenburg 1, D-53121 Bonn, Germany.
Institute for Evolutionary Biology and Ecology, University of Bonn, An der Immenburg 1, D-53121 Bonn, Germany.
Zoology (Jena). 2016 Aug;119(4):395-402. doi: 10.1016/j.zool.2016.05.009. Epub 2016 May 25.
Analysing spatial differences among macroparasite communities is an important tool in the study of host-parasite interactions. Identifying patterns can shed light on the underlying causes of heterogeneity of parasite distribution and help to better understand ecological constraints and the relative importance of host and parasite adaptations. In the present study, we aimed to find correlational evidence that the macroparasite distribution patterns on the Scottish island of North Uist, which had been described by de Roij and MacColl (2012), are indicative of local processes rather than an unspecific influence of habitat characteristics. We therefore reinvestigated parasite abundances and tested for associations with habitat characteristics and host traits. Distribution patterns of the most common parasites were largely consistent with the observations of de Roij and MacColl (2012). In accordance with the published results, we found that the most obvious abiotic habitat characteristic varying among the lakes on the island, pH, did not statistically explain parasite abundances (except for eye fluke species inside the lens). Instead, we found that genetic differentiation between host populations, measured as pairwise FST values based on available microsatellite data, was significantly correlated with dissimilarity in parasite community composition. Our results indicate that individual lake characteristics rather than physicochemical variables shape parasite distribution on this island, making it an ideal place to study host-parasite interactions. Furthermore, additionally to geographic distance measures taken from maps, we suggest taking into account connectivity among freshwater habitats, indirectly measured via fish population structure, to analyse spatial distribution patterns.
分析大型寄生虫群落之间的空间差异是研究宿主 - 寄生虫相互作用的重要工具。识别模式可以揭示寄生虫分布异质性的潜在原因，并有助于更好地理解生态限制以及宿主和寄生虫适应性的相对重要性。在本研究中，我们旨在找到相关证据，证明de Roij和MacColl（2012年）所描述的苏格兰北尤伊斯特岛上的大型寄生虫分布模式是局部过程的指示，而非栖息地特征的非特异性影响。因此，我们重新调查了寄生虫丰度，并测试了其与栖息地特征和宿主性状的关联。最常见寄生虫的分布模式在很大程度上与de Roij和MacColl（2012年）的观察结果一致。与已发表的结果一致，我们发现该岛湖泊之间变化最明显的非生物栖息地特征——pH值，在统计学上并不能解释寄生虫丰度（晶状体内部的眼吸虫物种除外）。相反，我们发现，根据可用的微卫星数据以成对FST值衡量的宿主种群之间的遗传分化，与寄生虫群落组成的差异显著相关。我们的结果表明，是各个湖泊的特征而非理化变量塑造了该岛上的寄生虫分布，这使其成为研究宿主 - 寄生虫相互作用的理想场所。此外，并除了从地图上获取的地理距离测量值之外，我们建议考虑通过鱼类种群结构间接测量的淡水栖息地之间的连通性，以分析空间分布模式。
