SEASONAL AND HOST-ASSOCIATED VARIATION IN BOT FLY (OESTRIDAE: CUTEREBRINAE) PARASITISM OF LAGOMORPHS ACROSS AN ARID-LAND ECOSYSTEM IN SOUTHERN NEW MEXICO.
Jessica T Martin, Anna T Boyle, Colton J Padilla, Bethany E Bridges, Charles R Britt, Jaidyn Armijo-Sonnenberg, Matthew E Gompper
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引用次数: 0
Abstract
Bot flies (Oestridae: Cuterebrinae) are obligate mammalian parasites that complete the larval stage of their life cycle under the skin of their host. Most detailed studies of bot fly larval disease ecology have been conducted in temperate deciduous zone rodent systems. To understand the relative importance of seasonal and spatial factors, as well as factors intrinsic to the host, in underpinning the likelihood and extent of parasitism by bot flies in non-rodent hosts as well as in arid-land ecosystems, we examined the dynamic for black-tailed jackrabbit (Lepus californicus) and desert cottontail (Sylvilagus audubonii) parasitism by bot fly larvae (Cuterebra spp.) across 7 repeatedly sampled sites spread across approximately 500 km of the Chihuahuan Desert ecoregion of southern New Mexico. This environment is characterized by a climate that includes hot dry summers and cool to cold dry winters, as well as strongly seasonal summer monsoonal rains. Lagomorphs are a common mid-sized mammal in these landscapes. Bot fly parasitism was strongly seasonal, with peak prevalence and abundance in the spring, and there was spatial variation in the extent of parasitism between collection sites. Additionally, jackrabbits in better body condition were less likely to be parasitized (as indicated by kidney fat index). We did not find sex-based differences in bot fly parasitism between male and female jackrabbits. Thus, in arid-land ecoregions, abiotic factors are likely the primary driver of the bot fly-host interaction, whereas factors intrinsic to the host were of secondary importance for characterizing the interactions of bot flies and lagomorphs.
期刊介绍:
The Journal of Parasitology is the official peer-reviewed journal of the American Society of Parasitologists (ASP). The journal publishes original research covering helminths, protozoa, and other parasitic organisms and serves scientific professionals in microbiology, immunology, veterinary science, pathology, and public health. Journal content includes original research articles, brief research notes, announcements of the Society, and book reviews. Articles are subdivided by topic for ease of reference and range from behavior and pathogenesis to systematics and epidemiology. The journal is published continuously online with one full volume printed at the end of each year.