Andrews R H, Petney T N
School of Biological Sciences, The Flinders University of South Australia, Bedford Park, 5042, S.A.
Oecologia. 1981 Jan;51(2):227-232. doi: 10.1007/BF00540606.
Competition for sites of attachment to hosts by three species of reptile tick, Aponomma hydrosauri, Amblyomma albolimbatum and Amb. limbatum was investigated as a possible cause for the parapatric distributions found in these species throughout southern Australia. Two localities were chosen for detailed study; a boundary between Ap. hydrosauri and Amb. limbatum near Mt. Mary in the mid-north of South Australia and a boundary between Ap. hydrosauri and Amb. albolimbatum near Arno Bay on the Eyre Peninsula of South Australia. Comparisons of sites of attachment to hosts were made between hosts infested by one species of tick and hosts infested by two species of tick. At Mt. Mary, Ap. hydrosauri and Amb. limbatum adults attach more commonly in the ears and on the midback of their hosts, however, no evidence was found to suggest that competition between the species occurred for these sites. At Arno Bay, Amb. albolimbatum adults had similar sites of attachment to hosts as the other two species, however, significantly more of this species attach in the ears of their hosts. There is no difference in sites of attachment to hosts of Ap. hydrosauri females at Arno Bay and Mt. Mary. Ap. hydrosauri males at Arno Bay, however, show a shift in sites of attachment to hosts away from those sites occupied by Amb. albolimbatum males and females. This shift occurs only in cases where Amb. albolimbatum did not infest the same host. Although the shift in male Ap. hydrosauri sites of attachment to hosts can be explained in terms of past competition, there is no evidence to suggest that such competition in the past, or competition at present, maintains the parapatric boundaries found in these species of thick.
研究了三种爬行动物蜱虫，即水龙硬蜱（Aponomma hydrosauri）、白缘花蜱（Amblyomma albolimbatum）和缘斑花蜱（Amb. limbatum）在宿主身上附着位点的竞争情况，以此作为这些物种在澳大利亚南部呈邻域分布的一个可能原因。选择了两个地点进行详细研究：南澳大利亚中北部玛丽山附近水龙硬蜱和缘斑花蜱的分布边界，以及南澳大利亚艾尔半岛阿诺湾附近水龙硬蜱和白缘花蜱的分布边界。对感染一种蜱虫的宿主和感染两种蜱虫的宿主的附着位点进行了比较。在玛丽山，水龙硬蜱和缘斑花蜱成虫更常附着在宿主的耳朵和中背部，然而，没有证据表明这两个物种在这些位点存在竞争。在阿诺湾，白缘花蜱成虫与其他两个物种在宿主身上的附着位点相似，然而，该物种更多地附着在宿主的耳朵上。阿诺湾和玛丽山水龙硬蜱雌性在宿主身上的附着位点没有差异。然而，阿诺湾的水龙硬蜱雄性在宿主身上的附着位点发生了变化，不再是白缘花蜱雄性和雌性所占据的位点。这种变化只发生在白缘花蜱没有感染同一宿主的情况下。虽然水龙硬蜱雄性在宿主身上附着位点的变化可以用过去的竞争来解释，但没有证据表明过去的这种竞争或目前的竞争维持了这些蜱虫物种的邻域边界。
