Watson A, Shaw J L
Institute of Terrestrial Ecology, AB31 4BY, Banchory, Scotland.
ICI Jealott's Hill Research Station, Bracknell, Berkshire, UK.
Oecologia. 1991 Nov;88(3):359-361. doi: 10.1007/BF00317578.
Unlike red grouse (Lagopus lagopus scoticus), which have almost 100% prevalence of the parasitic threadworm Trichostrongylus tenuis and frequently high tapeworm numbers, 70% (n=71) of Scottish ptarmigan (Lagopus mutus) had no threadworms and only 4% had tapeworms. Other parasites and pathogenic bacteria were infrequent. Threadworms occurred in 12% (n=25) of birds on granite hills where mean ptarmigan densities were low, and in 43% (n=46) of birds over schists and limestones where mean densities were high. The notion that parasites cause the cyclic-type ptarmigan declines observed on the granite Cairngorms massif is unlikely (ptarmigan fluctuations over the richer rocks are irregular).
与红松鸡（Lagopus lagopus scoticus）不同，红松鸡体内寄生的毛线虫捻转血矛线虫（Trichostrongylus tenuis）感染率几乎达100%，绦虫数量也常常很多，而70%（n = 71）的苏格兰雷鸟（Lagopus mutus）体内没有线虫，只有4%有绦虫。其他寄生虫和病原菌很少见。在花岗岩山丘上，雷鸟平均密度较低，12%（n = 25）的鸟类有线虫；在片岩和石灰岩地区，雷鸟平均密度较高，43%（n = 46）的鸟类有线虫。寄生虫导致在花岗岩凯恩戈姆山脉观察到的雷鸟数量呈周期性下降这种观点不太可能成立（在更肥沃岩石地区雷鸟数量波动并不规律）。
