GASTROINTESTINAL HELMINTH COMMUNITIES OF BOBWHITE QUAIL

Twelve species of intestinal helminths were found in Colinus virginianus in N Florida; 6 species were common: the cestodes Raillietina cesticillus and R. colinia, the cecal nematodes Heterakis isolonche and Trichostrongylus tenuis, the proventricular nematode Dispharynx nasuta, and the gizzard nematode Cyrnea colini. The cestodes were negatively associated, and positive associations existed between the cecal nematodes, R. cesticillus-D. nasuta, and H. isolonche-C.colini. When either cecal nematode was present in high densities, H. isolonche shifted its location, indicating a possible negative interaction. There were some intraspecific relationships between cestode density and mean location, location variance, and biomass. R. cesticillus biomass was negatively correlated with R. colinia density. This community, while not characterized by high species richness, is readily colonized and exhibits evidence of inter- and intraspecific interaction. It does not conform to current models of parasite community structure. -from Authors