4.6 Article

Spatial scale and structure of complex life cycle trematode parasite communities in streams

期刊

PLOS ONE
卷 15, 期 11, 页码 -

出版社

PUBLIC LIBRARY SCIENCE
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0241973

关键词

-

资金

  1. National Science Foundation [DEB-0918960, DEB-1501487]

向作者/读者索取更多资源

By considering the role of site-level factors and dispersal, metacommunity concepts have advanced our understanding of the processes that structure ecological communities. In dendritic systems, like streams and rivers, these processes may be impacted by network connectivity and unidirectional current. Streams and rivers are central to the dispersal of many pathogens, including parasites with complex, multi-host life cycles. Patterns in parasite distribution and diversity are often driven by host dispersal. We conducted two studies at different spatial scales (within and across stream networks) to investigate the importance of local and regional processes that structure trematode (parasitic flatworms) communities in streams. First, we examined trematode communities in first-intermediate host snails (Elimia proxima) in a survey of Appalachian headwater streams within the Upper New River Basin to assess regional turnover in community structure. We analyzed trematode communities based on both morphotype (visual identification) and haplotype (molecular identification), as cryptic diversity in larval trematodes could mask important community-level variation. Second, we examined communities at multiple sites (headwaters and main stem) within a stream network to assess potential roles of network position and downstream drift. Across stream networks, we found a broad scale spatial pattern in morphotype- and haplotype-defined communities due to regional turnover in the dominant parasite type. This pattern was correlated with elevation, but not with any other environmental factors. Additionally, we found evidence of multiple species within morphotypes, and greater genetic diversity in parasites with hosts limited to in-stream dispersal. Within network parasite prevalence, for at least some parasite taxa, was related to several site-level factors (elevation, snail density and stream depth), and total prevalence decreased from headwaters to main stem. Variation in the distribution and diversity of parasites at the regional scale may reflect differences in the abilities of hosts to disperse across the landscape. Within a stream network, species-environment relationships may counter the effects of downstream dispersal on community structure.

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。

评论

主要评分

4.6
评分不足

次要评分

新颖性
-
重要性
-
科学严谨性
-
评价这篇论文

推荐

暂无数据
暂无数据