AUTOGENIC–ALLOGENIC STATUS AFFECTS INTERPOND COMMUNITY SIMILARITY AND SPECIES AREA RELATIONSHIP OF MACROPARASITES IN THE BLUEGILL SUNFISH, LEPOMIS MACROCHIRUS, FROM A SERIES OF FRESHWATER PONDS IN THE PIEDMONT AREA OF NORTH CAROLINA

The effects of autogenic–allogenic status on the species–area relationship and the relationship between geographic distance and intercommunity dissimilarity were investigated in macroparasite communities of the bluegill sunfish Lepomis macrochirus. Rank correlation analyses were used to examine the relationship between pond surface area and species richness of all species collectively and of autogenic species and allogenic species separately. A positive relationship was found for allogenic species, whereas there was no association for all species, nor was there an association when the study was restricted to autogenic species. Mantel tests were used to determine the relationship between geographic distance and community dissimilarity for all species and for autogenic and allogenic species independently. Total community dissimilarity and allogenic dissimilarity were found to be influenced by geographic distance, whereas autogenic dissimilarity was random with regard to interpond distances. These findings serve to illustrate the importance of the autogenic–allogenic dichotomy and demonstrate that dispersal ability can influence commonly observed ecological patterns.