Hughes, J. and Page, R.D.M. (2007) Comparative tests of ectoparasite species richness in seabirds. BMC Evolutionary Biology, 7(227), pp. 1-21. (doi: 10.1186/1471-2148-7-227) (PMID:18005412) (PMCID:PMC2258205)
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Abstract
Background: The diversity of parasites attacking a host varies substantially among different host species. Understanding the factors that explain these patterns of parasite diversity is critical to identifying the ecological principles underlying biodiversity. Seabirds (Charadriiformes, Pelecaniformes and Procellariiformes) and their ectoparasitic lice (Insecta: Phthiraptera) are ideal model groups in which to study correlates of parasite species richness. We evaluated the relative importance of morphological (body size, body weight, wingspan, bill length), life-history (longevity, clutch size), ecological (population size, geographical range) and behavioural (diving versus non-diving) variables as predictors of louse diversity on 413 seabird hosts species. Diversity was measured at the level of louse suborder, genus, and species, and uneven sampling of hosts was controlled for using literature citations as a proxy for sampling effort. Results: The only variable consistently correlated with louse diversity was host population size and to a lesser extent geographic range. Other variables such as clutch size, longevity, morphological and behavioural variables including body mass showed inconsistent patterns dependent on the method of analysis. Conclusion: The comparative analysis presented herein is (to our knowledge) the first to test correlates of parasite species richness in seabirds. We believe that the comparative data and phylogeny provide a valuable framework for testing future evolutionary hypotheses relating to the diversity and distribution of parasites on seabirds.
Item Type: | Articles |
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Status: | Published |
Refereed: | Yes |
Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: | Page, Professor Roderic and Hughes, Dr Joseph |
Authors: | Hughes, J., and Page, R.D.M. |
College/School: | College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Infection & Immunity > Centre for Virus Research College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Biodiversity, One Health & Veterinary Medicine |
Journal Name: | BMC Evolutionary Biology |
Publisher: | BioMed Central |
ISSN: | 1471-2148 |
ISSN (Online): | 1471-2148 |
Published Online: | 15 November 2007 |
Copyright Holders: | Copyright © 2007 The Authors |
First Published: | First published in BMC Evolutionary Biology 7(227):1-21 |
Publisher Policy: | Reproduced under a Creative Commons License |
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