Temporal host-parasite relationships of the wild rabbit, Oryctolagus cuniculus (L.) as revealed by stable isotope analyses

被引:22
作者
Neilson, R [1 ]
Boag, B
Hartley, G
机构
[1] Scottish Crop Res Inst, Dundee DD2 5DA, Scotland
[2] Scottish Agr Sci Agcy, Edinburgh EH12 8NJ, Midlothian, Scotland
关键词
host-parasite interactions; rabbit; stable isotopes; trophic interactions;
D O I
10.1017/S0031182005007717
中图分类号
R38 [医学寄生虫学]; Q [生物科学];
学科分类号
07 ; 0710 ; 09 ; 100103 ;
摘要
Natural abundances of the stable isotopes, N-15/N-14 (delta N-15) and C-13/C-12 (delta C-13), were used to study temporal host-parasite relationships of the wild rabbit, Oryctolagus cuniculus (L.). During the 12-month sampling period, temporal isotopic shifts in delta N-15 were noted for dietary vegetation, host rabbit faeces and fur, but not for muscle or stomach contents. delta N-15 varied temporally for the parasitic cestode species, Mosgovoyia pectinata but not for Cittotaenia denticulata. Similarly, intestinal parasitic nematodes had apparent species-specific delta N-15 patterns. Only rabbit fur and intestinal parasitic nematodes did not exhibit temporal shifts in delta C-13. Overall, host faeces and stomach contents were isotopically indistinct as a likely consequence of coprophagy. Relative to their host, parasitic nematodes were N-15-enriched, consistent with an increase in trophic level status. Conversely, cestodes were N-15-depleted. isotopically, each parasite reflected a species-specific relationship with their rabbit host. This technique could be utilized to integrate parasites into food-web studies.
引用
收藏
页码:279 / 285
页数:7
相关论文
共 60 条