Open AccessAre there general rules governing parasite diversity? Small mammalian hosts and gamasid mite assemblages
Author(s) -
Korallo Natalia P.,
Vinarski Maxim V.,
Krasnov Boris R.,
Shenbrot Georgy I.,
Mouillot David,
Poulin Robert
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
diversity and distributions
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.918
H-Index - 118
eISSN - 1472-4642
pISSN - 1366-9516
DOI - 10.1111/j.1472-4642.2007.00332.x
Subject(s) - biology , species richness , ecology , taxon , host (biology) , parasite hosting , biodiversity , range (aeronautics) , mite , diversity index , phylogenetic diversity , species diversity , taxonomic rank , zoology , phylogenetic tree , biochemistry , materials science , world wide web , computer science , gene , composite material
Parasite biodiversity varies on several scales, and in particular among different host species. Previous attempts at finding relationships between host features and the diversity of the parasite assemblages they harbour have yielded inconsistent results, suggesting strongly that any patterns might be taxon‐specific. Here, we examined the potential of three host characteristics (host body mass, basal metabolic rate, and area of the geographical range) as determinants of parasite diversity in one group of ectoparasites, gamasid mites (superfamily Dermanyssoidea), using data from 63 species of small mammalian hosts. Our analyses used three measures of parasite diversity (species richness, the Shannon diversity index, and average taxonomic distinctness), and controlled for sampling effort and phylogenetic influences. Although several significant relationships were observed, they depended entirely on which diversity measure was used, or on which host taxon was investigated (insectivores vs. rodents and lagomorphs). In addition, the present results on patterns of mite diversity were not consistent with those of an earlier study involving roughly the same host taxa and the same biogeographical area, but a different group of ectoparasites, i.e. fleas. Thus, there appears to be no universal determinant of parasite diversity, and associations between host features and parasite diversity probably evolve independently in different host–parasite systems.