Frédéric Bordes

Home range and parasite diversity in mammals.

Parasite diversity among and within host species is not solely the result of random processes; rather, it depends on a suite of physiological or ecological host traits as well as environmental factors. Because most macroparasites exhibit life cycles that include infective stages off the definitive host and that rely on host movements for dissemination, parasite acquisition by a host depends largely on hosts being present in a given area where and when infective stages are present. Consequently, host ranging pattern may have a major influence on parasite diversity. Larger home range size is hypothesized to be associated with higher parasite species richness because hosts living in large home ranges should encounter a greater diversity of habitats and other host individuals, which in turn may favor infection by a great diversity of parasite species. By focusing on helminths in wild mammals, we show that an increase in home range area does not lead to an increase in parasite diversity in ungulates and, moreover, that it is associated with a decrease in parasite species richness in carnivores and in glires (rodents and lagomorphs). We also show that home range size is negatively correlated with host density in mammals after correcting both variables for host body mass. We discuss these results from an epidemiological perspective.

The impact of multiple infections on wild animal hosts: a review

Field parasitological studies consistently demonstrate the reality of polyparasitism in natural systems. However, only recently, studies from ecological and evolutionary fields have emphasised a broad spectrum of potential multiple infections-related impacts. The main goal of our review is to reunify the different approaches on the impacts of polyparasitism, not only from laboratory or human medical studies but also from field or theoretical studies. We put forward that ecological and epidemiological determinants to explain the level of polyparasitism, which regularly affects not only host body condition, survival or reproduction but also host metabolism, genetics or immune investment. Despite inherent limitations of all these studies, multiple infections should be considered more systematically in wildlife to better appreciate the importance of parasite diversity in wildlife, cumulative effects of parasitism on the ecology and evolution of their hosts.

Gender-biased parasitism in small mammals: patterns, mechanisms, consequences

Abstract This article reviews patterns, causes and consequences of gender-biased infestation of small mammalian hosts by macroparasites. We start with a description of gender biases in parasite infestation and discuss variation in these patterns among host and parasite taxa. We also look at temporal and spatial variations in gender-biased parasitism and demonstrate that they can vary seasonally and be mediated by environmental conditions. Then, we present main hypotheses that examine mechanisms of gender-biased parasitism. One group of these hypotheses focuses on differences between male and female hosts in their probability to be attacked by parasites, while another group links gender-biased parasitism with differences in parasite performance in male vs. female hosts. Finally, we discuss possible consequences of male-biased parasitism for individual parasites, their populations and communities.

Coevolution between multiple helminth infestations and basal immune investment in mammals: cumulative effects of polyparasitism?

Animals often suffer from multiple parasite attacks in natural conditions (i.e., polyparasitism). The community of these parasites, which simultaneously or sequentially infest given host species, has rarely been investigated as a parasitic pressure per se. From this perspective, and despite the impressive number of immunoecological or comparative studies, the impacts of polyparasitism on immune responses are far from being appreciated. Focusing on helminths across a wide range of mammalian species and using a phylogenetic comparative method, we show, for the first time, that an increase in the number of helminth parasite species is positively correlated with an increase in basal immune investment (estimated by the counts of white blood cells) across mammal species. After discussing inherent limits of this comparative approach, we put this result in the evolutionary perspective of multiple parasitic infestations.

The diversity of microparasites of rodents: a comparative analysis that helps in identifying rodent-borne rich habitats in Southeast Asia

Background Predicting habitats prone to favor disease transmission is challenging due to confounding information on habitats, reservoirs, and diseases. Comparative analysis, which aims at investigating ecological and evolutionary patterns among species, is a tool that may help. The emergence of zoonotic pathogens is a major health concern and is closely linked to habitat modifications by human activities. Risk assessment requires a better knowledge of the interactions between hosts, parasites, and the landscape. Methods We used information from a field spatial study that investigated the distribution of murid rodents, in various habitats of three countries in Southeast Asia, in combination with their status of infection by 10 taxa of microparasites obtained from the literature. Microparasite species richness was calculated by rodent species on 20,272 rodents of 13 species. Regression tree models and generalized linear models were used to explain microparasite diversity by the average distance between the trapping site and five categories of land cover: forest, steep agriculture land, flat agriculture land, water, and built-up surfaces. Another variable taken into account was the slope. Results We found that microparasite diversity was positively associated with flat agriculture land, in this context mainly rice fields, and negatively associated with slope. Microparasite diversity decreased sharply a 100 m or less from flat agriculture land. Conclusion We conclude that there is high microparasite circulation in rodents of flooded farmlands, meaning possibly a higher risk of disease for human inhabitants.

Human-dominated habitats and helminth parasitism in Southeast Asian murids

The effect of habitat anthropization is investigated using a comparative analysis based on a literature survey of the gastrointestinal helminths of murid rodents described in Southeast Asia (SEA). The literature survey gave 30 references on helminth diversity concerning 20 murid rodent species. The diversity of helminths was high with a total of 13 species of cestodes, 15 species of trematodes, 29 species of nematodes and one species of acanthocephalans. The highest helminth species richness was found in Rattus tanezumi, Rattus norvegicus and Rattus argentiventer, all these species were found in more human-dominated habitats (agricultural areas or human settlements). Helminth species richness was positively linked across rodent species to the level of the anthropization of the host environment from forests, agricultural areas to human settlements.

Rodent borne diseases in Thailand : targeting rodent carriers and risky habitats

Background: Comparative analysis, which aims at investigating ecological and evolutionary patterns among species, may help at targeting reservoirs of zoonotic diseases particularly in countries presenting high biodiversity. Here, we developed a simple method to target rodent reservoirs using published studies screening microparasite infections. Methods: We compiled surveys of microparasites investigated in rodents trapped in Thailand. The data comprise a total of 17,358 rodents from 18 species that have been investigated for a total of 10 microparasites (viruses, bacteria and protozoans). We used residual variation of microparasite richness controlled for both rodent sample size and pathogens’ screening effort to identify major rodent reservoirs and potential risky habitats. Results: Microparasite species richness was positively related to rodent sample size and pathogens’ screening effort. The investigation of the residual variations of microparasite species richness showed that several rodent species arboured more pathogens than expected by the regression model. Similarly, higher pathogen richness than expected was observed in rodents living in non-flooded lands, forests and paddy fields. Conclusion: Our results suggest to target some rodent species that are not commonly investigated for pathogen screening or surveillance such as R. adamanensis or B. savilei, and that non-flooded lands and forests should be more taken into caution, whereas much surveys focused on paddy rice fields and households.

Helminth species diversity of mammals : parasite species richness is a host species attribute

Studies investigating parasite diversity have shown substantial geographical variation in parasite species richness. Most of these studies have, however, adopted a local scale approach, which may have masked more general patterns. Recent studies have shown that ectoparasite species richness in mammals seems highly repeatable among populations of the same mammal host species at a regional scale. In light of these new studies we have reinvestigated the case of parasitic helminths by using a large data set of parasites from mammal populations in 3 continents. We collected homogeneous data and demonstrated that helminth species richness is highly repeatable in mammals at a regional scale. Our results highlight the strong influence of host identity in parasite species richness and call for future research linking helminth species found in a given host to its ecology, immune defences and potential energetic trade-offs.

Helminth Communities of an Introduced Hare (Lepus granatensis) and a Native Hare (Lepus europaeus) in Southern France

We investigated the parasite communities of introduced Iberian hares (Lepus granatensis) and native European hares (Lepus europaeus) in southern France, where Iberian hares were introduced locally 20 yr ago as a game animal. Parasite communities of sympatric populations of the two hare species and of allopatric populations of European hares were compared. Iberian hares in France harbored a depauperate community of parasites relative to the population in its native habitat in Spain. European hares in areas of sympatry also were infected by Nematodiroides zembrae, which normally infects Iberian hares on their native range.

Habitat fragmentation alters the properties of a host-parasite network: rodents and their helminths in South-East Asia

1. While the effects of deforestation and habitat fragmentation on parasite prevalence or richness are well investigated, host-parasite networks are still understudied despite their importance in understanding the mechanisms of these major disturbances. Because fragmentation may negatively impact species occupancy, abundance and co-occurrence, we predict a link between spatiotemporal changes in habitat and the architecture of host-parasite networks. 2. For this, we used an extensive data set on 16 rodent species and 29 helminth species from seven localities of South-East Asia. We analysed the effects of rapid deforestation on connectance and modularity of helminth-parasite networks. We estimated both the degree of fragmentation and the rate of deforestation through the development of land uses and their changes through the last 20 to 30 years in order to take into account the dynamics of habitat fragmentation in our statistical analyses. 3. We found that rapid fragmentation does not affect helminth species richness per se but impacts host-parasite interactions as the rodent-helminth network becomes less connected and more modular. 4. Our results suggest that parasite sharing among host species may become more difficult to maintain with the increase of habitat disturbance.