Long-term spatiotemporal stability and dynamic changes in helminth infracommunities of spiny mice (Acomys dimidiatus) in St. Katherine’s Protectorate, Sinai, Egypt
The importance of parasites as a selective force in host evolution is a topic of current interest. However, short-term ecological studies of host-parasite systems, on which such studies are usually based, provide only snap-shots of what may be dynamic systems. We report here on four surveys, carried...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
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Cambridge University Press
2018
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| Online Access: | https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/52894/ |
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| author | Behnke, Jerzy M. Bajer, Anna Behnke-Borowczyk, Jolanta Clisham, Natalie Gilbert, Francis Glover, Aimee Jeffrey, Laura Kirk, Jonathan Mierzejewska, Ewa J. Mills, Simon C. Mohallal, Eman M.E. Padget, Oliver Wainer, Ralph Zalat, Samy |
| author_facet | Behnke, Jerzy M. Bajer, Anna Behnke-Borowczyk, Jolanta Clisham, Natalie Gilbert, Francis Glover, Aimee Jeffrey, Laura Kirk, Jonathan Mierzejewska, Ewa J. Mills, Simon C. Mohallal, Eman M.E. Padget, Oliver Wainer, Ralph Zalat, Samy |
| author_sort | Behnke, Jerzy M. |
| building | Nottingham Research Data Repository |
| collection | Online Access |
| description | The importance of parasites as a selective force in host evolution is a topic of current interest. However, short-term ecological studies of host-parasite systems, on which such studies are usually based, provide only snap-shots of what may be dynamic systems. We report here on four surveys, carried out over a period of 12 years, of helminths of spiny mice (Acomys dimidiatus), the numerically dominant rodents inhabiting the dry montane wadis in the Sinai Peninsula. With host age (age-dependent effects on prevalence and abundance were prominent) and sex (female bias in abundance in helminth diversity and in several taxa including Cestoda) taken into consideration, we focus on the relative importance of temporal and spatial effects on helminth infracommunities. We show that site of capture is the major determinant of prevalence and abundance of species (and higher taxa) contributing to helminth community structure, the only exceptions being Streptopharaus spp. and Dentostomella kuntzi. We provide evidence that most (notably the Spiruroidea, Protospirura muricola, Mastophorus muris and Gongylonema aegypti, but with exceptions among the Oxyuroidae e.g. Syphacia minuta), show elements of temporal-site stability, with rank order of measures among sites remaining similar over successive surveys and hence some elements of predictability in these systems. |
| first_indexed | 2025-11-14T20:26:04Z |
| format | Article |
| id | nottingham-52894 |
| institution | University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus |
| institution_category | Local University |
| last_indexed | 2025-11-14T20:26:04Z |
| publishDate | 2018 |
| publisher | Cambridge University Press |
| recordtype | eprints |
| repository_type | Digital Repository |
| spelling | nottingham-528942020-05-04T19:41:50Z https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/52894/ Long-term spatiotemporal stability and dynamic changes in helminth infracommunities of spiny mice (Acomys dimidiatus) in St. Katherine’s Protectorate, Sinai, Egypt Behnke, Jerzy M. Bajer, Anna Behnke-Borowczyk, Jolanta Clisham, Natalie Gilbert, Francis Glover, Aimee Jeffrey, Laura Kirk, Jonathan Mierzejewska, Ewa J. Mills, Simon C. Mohallal, Eman M.E. Padget, Oliver Wainer, Ralph Zalat, Samy The importance of parasites as a selective force in host evolution is a topic of current interest. However, short-term ecological studies of host-parasite systems, on which such studies are usually based, provide only snap-shots of what may be dynamic systems. We report here on four surveys, carried out over a period of 12 years, of helminths of spiny mice (Acomys dimidiatus), the numerically dominant rodents inhabiting the dry montane wadis in the Sinai Peninsula. With host age (age-dependent effects on prevalence and abundance were prominent) and sex (female bias in abundance in helminth diversity and in several taxa including Cestoda) taken into consideration, we focus on the relative importance of temporal and spatial effects on helminth infracommunities. We show that site of capture is the major determinant of prevalence and abundance of species (and higher taxa) contributing to helminth community structure, the only exceptions being Streptopharaus spp. and Dentostomella kuntzi. We provide evidence that most (notably the Spiruroidea, Protospirura muricola, Mastophorus muris and Gongylonema aegypti, but with exceptions among the Oxyuroidae e.g. Syphacia minuta), show elements of temporal-site stability, with rank order of measures among sites remaining similar over successive surveys and hence some elements of predictability in these systems. Cambridge University Press 2018-06-20 Article PeerReviewed Behnke, Jerzy M., Bajer, Anna, Behnke-Borowczyk, Jolanta, Clisham, Natalie, Gilbert, Francis, Glover, Aimee, Jeffrey, Laura, Kirk, Jonathan, Mierzejewska, Ewa J., Mills, Simon C., Mohallal, Eman M.E., Padget, Oliver, Wainer, Ralph and Zalat, Samy (2018) Long-term spatiotemporal stability and dynamic changes in helminth infracommunities of spiny mice (Acomys dimidiatus) in St. Katherine’s Protectorate, Sinai, Egypt. Parasitology . ISSN 0031-1820 helminth infracommunities spiny mice Acomys dimidiatus helminths nematodes cestodes site-specific parasite variation https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/parasitology/article/longterm-spatiotemporal-stability-and-dynamic-changes-in-helminth-infracommunities-of-spiny-mice-acomys-dimidiatus-in-st-katherines-protectorate-sinai-egypt/97C47747D8D234EB04DAFB64727C1FA5 doi:10.1017/S0031182018000987 doi:10.1017/S0031182018000987 |
| spellingShingle | helminth infracommunities spiny mice Acomys dimidiatus helminths nematodes cestodes site-specific parasite variation Behnke, Jerzy M. Bajer, Anna Behnke-Borowczyk, Jolanta Clisham, Natalie Gilbert, Francis Glover, Aimee Jeffrey, Laura Kirk, Jonathan Mierzejewska, Ewa J. Mills, Simon C. Mohallal, Eman M.E. Padget, Oliver Wainer, Ralph Zalat, Samy Long-term spatiotemporal stability and dynamic changes in helminth infracommunities of spiny mice (Acomys dimidiatus) in St. Katherine’s Protectorate, Sinai, Egypt |
| title | Long-term spatiotemporal stability and dynamic changes in helminth infracommunities of spiny mice (Acomys dimidiatus) in St. Katherine’s Protectorate, Sinai, Egypt |
| title_full | Long-term spatiotemporal stability and dynamic changes in helminth infracommunities of spiny mice (Acomys dimidiatus) in St. Katherine’s Protectorate, Sinai, Egypt |
| title_fullStr | Long-term spatiotemporal stability and dynamic changes in helminth infracommunities of spiny mice (Acomys dimidiatus) in St. Katherine’s Protectorate, Sinai, Egypt |
| title_full_unstemmed | Long-term spatiotemporal stability and dynamic changes in helminth infracommunities of spiny mice (Acomys dimidiatus) in St. Katherine’s Protectorate, Sinai, Egypt |
| title_short | Long-term spatiotemporal stability and dynamic changes in helminth infracommunities of spiny mice (Acomys dimidiatus) in St. Katherine’s Protectorate, Sinai, Egypt |
| title_sort | long-term spatiotemporal stability and dynamic changes in helminth infracommunities of spiny mice (acomys dimidiatus) in st. katherine’s protectorate, sinai, egypt |
| topic | helminth infracommunities spiny mice Acomys dimidiatus helminths nematodes cestodes site-specific parasite variation |
| url | https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/52894/ https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/52894/ https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/52894/ |