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Influences of habitat and arthropod density on parasitism in two co-occurring host taxa

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Habitat attributes are known to influence infectious diseases such as those caused by parasites, but most studies have only considered single host and (or) parasite taxa, making it difficult to… Click to show full abstract

Habitat attributes are known to influence infectious diseases such as those caused by parasites, but most studies have only considered single host and (or) parasite taxa, making it difficult to assess which features may be of general importance and to predict how alterations could affect disease dynamics. We examined infection with trematode (flatworm) parasites in two commonly co-occurring host taxa (larval amphibians and larval odonates (dragonflies and damselflies)) to investigate links with landscape-level features, including agricultural activity. We also assessed pond community composition with respect to the abundance and richness of aquatic arthropods known to prey upon tadpoles and (or) free-swimming trematode infectious stages. Larval amphibians from agricultural sites were most likely to be parasitized but had lower infection intensities, and infected hosts were positively associated with increasing distance to the nearest forest habitat, but negatively with road distance. The opposite was obse...

Keywords: influences habitat; taxa; habitat arthropod; host taxa; host; occurring host

Journal Title: Canadian Journal of Zoology
Year Published: 2017

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