The aggregation of parasites among individual hosts is one of the best documented features of parasite populations; we still do not know, however, why certain parasite species are more highly aggregated than other, related species. Here we search for a general explanation of interspecific variation in aggregation levels, based on the relationship between parasite body size and fecundity, transmission success, and intensity-dependent population regulation. We test the prediction that larger-bodied parasite species are more weakly aggregated than smaller-bodied related species, in a comparative analysis across parasitic nematode species. Across species, the variance-to-mean abundance ratio correlated negatively and significantly with nematode body sizes, as predicted. All other tests, however, including the more robust analyses controlling for phylogenetic influences, failed to support this result. This is mainly because the variance in infection levels is almost completely explained by mean parasite abundance. For this reason, it may prove difficult to identify a general biological explanation for interspecific variability in aggregation levels among parasites.
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June 2000
RESEARCH NOTES|
June 01 2000
Parasite Body Size and Interspecific Variation in Levels of Aggregation among Nematodes Available to Purchase
Robert Poulin;
Robert Poulin
aDepartment of Zoology, University of Otago, P.O. Box 56, Dunedin, New Zealand
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Serge Morand
Serge Morand
aDepartment of Zoology, University of Otago, P.O. Box 56, Dunedin, New Zealand
bCentre de Biologie et d'Ecologie tropicale et méditerranéenne, Laboratoire de Biologie Animale (UMR 5555 CNRS), Université de Perpignan, 66860 Perpignan, France
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J Parasitol (2000) 86 (3): 642–647.
Citation
Robert Poulin, Serge Morand; Parasite Body Size and Interspecific Variation in Levels of Aggregation among Nematodes. J Parasitol 1 June 2000; 86 (3): 642–647. doi: https://doi.org/10.1645/0022-3395(2000)086[0642:PBSAIV]2.0.CO;2
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