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Do threatened hosts have fewer parasites? A comparative study in primates.

Publication ,  Journal Article
Altizer, S; Nunn, CL; Lindenfors, P
Published in: The Journal of animal ecology
March 2007

1. Parasites and infectious diseases have become a major concern in conservation biology, in part because they can trigger or accelerate species or population declines. Focusing on primates as a well-studied host clade, we tested whether the species richness and prevalence of parasites differed between threatened and non-threatened host species. 2. We collated data on 386 species of parasites (including viruses, bacteria, protozoa, helminths and arthropods) reported to infect wild populations of 36 threatened and 81 non-threatened primate species. Analyses controlled for uneven sampling effort and host phylogeny. 3. Results showed that total parasite species richness was lower among threatened primates, supporting the prediction that small, isolated host populations harbour fewer parasite species. This trend was consistent across three major parasite groups found in primates (helminths, protozoa and viruses). Counter to our predictions, patterns of parasite species richness were independent of parasite transmission mode and the degree of host specificity. 4. We also examined the prevalence of selected parasite genera among primate sister-taxa that differed in their ranked threat categories, but found no significant differences in prevalence between threatened and non-threatened hosts. 5. This study is the first to demonstrate differences in parasite richness relative to host threat status. Results indicate that human activities and host characteristics that increase the extinction risk of wild animal species may lead simultaneously to the loss of parasites. Lower average parasite richness in threatened host taxa also points to the need for a better understanding of the cascading effects of host biodiversity loss for affiliated parasite species.

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Published In

The Journal of animal ecology

DOI

EISSN

1365-2656

ISSN

0021-8790

Publication Date

March 2007

Volume

76

Issue

2

Start / End Page

304 / 314

Related Subject Headings

  • Species Specificity
  • Primates
  • Primate Diseases
  • Prevalence
  • Population Density
  • Phylogeny
  • Parasitic Diseases, Animal
  • Humans
  • Host-Parasite Interactions
  • Ecology
 

Citation

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Altizer, S., Nunn, C. L., & Lindenfors, P. (2007). Do threatened hosts have fewer parasites? A comparative study in primates. The Journal of Animal Ecology, 76(2), 304–314. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2656.2007.01214.x
Altizer, Sonia, Charles L. Nunn, and Patrik Lindenfors. “Do threatened hosts have fewer parasites? A comparative study in primates.The Journal of Animal Ecology 76, no. 2 (March 2007): 304–14. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2656.2007.01214.x.
Altizer S, Nunn CL, Lindenfors P. Do threatened hosts have fewer parasites? A comparative study in primates. The Journal of animal ecology. 2007 Mar;76(2):304–14.
Altizer, Sonia, et al. “Do threatened hosts have fewer parasites? A comparative study in primates.The Journal of Animal Ecology, vol. 76, no. 2, Mar. 2007, pp. 304–14. Epmc, doi:10.1111/j.1365-2656.2007.01214.x.
Altizer S, Nunn CL, Lindenfors P. Do threatened hosts have fewer parasites? A comparative study in primates. The Journal of animal ecology. 2007 Mar;76(2):304–314.
Journal cover image

Published In

The Journal of animal ecology

DOI

EISSN

1365-2656

ISSN

0021-8790

Publication Date

March 2007

Volume

76

Issue

2

Start / End Page

304 / 314

Related Subject Headings

  • Species Specificity
  • Primates
  • Primate Diseases
  • Prevalence
  • Population Density
  • Phylogeny
  • Parasitic Diseases, Animal
  • Humans
  • Host-Parasite Interactions
  • Ecology