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Spatial and temporal variation in the infracommunity structure of helminths of Apodemus sylvaticus(Rodentia: Muridae)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 April 2009

S. S. J. Montgomery  and
W. I. Montgomery
S. S. J. Montgomery
Affiliation:
Department of Biology, The Queen's University of Belfast, Belfast BT7 1NN
W. I. Montgomery
Affiliation:
Department of Biology, The Queen's University of Belfast, Belfast BT7 1NN
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Summary

Mean species richness and diversity of the helminth infracommunity of Apodemus sylvaticus in woodland areas of Co. Down, Northern Ireland, varied in time and space. Variation in infracommunity structure among individual hosts, however, always accounted for more than 60% of the variation in the data from different places or different times. Helminth species richness increased with increasing population density, the percentage of the host population 16 weeks old or older, and the proportion of the host population with animal material in their stomachs, at two sites monitored over 33 months. The basis for spatial variation in infracommunity structure is less certain but host dynamics and differences in diet are likely to play some role. It is concluded that analysis at the infracommunity level focuses closely on the potential for species interactions and overlap in resource utilization. Infracommunity structure, at least in the case of A. sylvaticus, varies markedly in time and space and between individual hosts. Such variation should not be ignored in comparative studies.

Keywords

Intestinal helminthscommunity structurerodents.

Information

Type
Research Article
Information
Parasitology , Volume 98 , Issue 1 , February 1989 , pp. 145 - 150
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1989

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