期刊
JOURNAL OF INSECT BEHAVIOR
卷 25, 期 4, 页码 352-361出版社
SPRINGER/PLENUM PUBLISHERS
DOI: 10.1007/s10905-011-9305-5
关键词
Dung beetle; nematode; behavioral modification; ecosystem engineer; Yakushima
类别
资金
- National Science Foundation
- Japanese Society for the Promotion of Science's East Asia and Pacific Summer Institute
- National Science Foundation through the Alliance for Graduate Education and the Professoriate
Dung beetles serve as the intermediate host for , a nematode parasite that infects an old world primate, the Japanese Macaque (). This study compares the behaviors of infected and uninfected beetles in both transmission dynamics and the ecological role of the parasite. The results suggest that parasitism does not alter the beetle's use of shelter or choice of substrate on Yakushima Island, Japan. However, infected beetles consume significantly less feces. Dung beetles remove the majority of fecal material in this forest ecosystem, eliminating breeding grounds for many insect pests and burying nutrients that are essential for plant health. Thus, the nematode parasite , by altering its host's behavior, changes the availability of fecal resources to both plant and animal communities and should therefore be classified as an ecosystem engineer.
作者
我是这篇论文的作者
点击您的名字以认领此论文并将其添加到您的个人资料中。
推荐
暂无数据