Journal
JOURNAL OF HELMINTHOLOGY
Volume 93, Issue 6, Pages 738-751Publisher
CAMBRIDGE UNIV PRESS
DOI: 10.1017/S0022149X18000809
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Funding
- Department of Botany of the University of Otago
- Department of Zoology of the University of Otago
- Falkland Islands Fisheries Department
- John S. Little International Study Fellowship (University of New Brunswick)
- Otago Museum
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An understanding of the mechanisms that determine host and parasite relationships is a central aim in parasitology. Association of a parasite species with a host species may be influenced primarily by phylogenetic constraints that cause parasite species to co-speciate with their host species, or predominantly by ecological parameters that influence all other co-evolutionary scenarios. This study aimed to investigate the role of co-speciation as well as other co-evolutionary scenarios in influencing the assemblages of tapeworm parasites (marine cestodes) in skate hosts (Rajiformes) using a modification of the PACo (Procrustean Approach to Cophylogeny) method. The study found that phylogeny and host ecology are both significant predictors of skate-tapeworm relationships, implying that co-speciation as well as other co-evolutionary scenarios are shaping these associations. The study also investigated the key ecological parameters influencing host-switching and found that host diet, distribution depth, average body size and geographical location have a combined effect. Given the importance of parasites in ensuring healthy and stable marine ecosystems, the findings of this study have implications for conservation management worldwide.
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