Abstract
Providing descriptive data on parasite diversity and load in sister species is a first step in addressing the role of host-parasite coevolution in the speciation process. In this study we compare the parasite faunas of the closely related hedgehog species Erinaceus europaeus and E. roumanicus from the Czech Republic where both occur in limited sympatry. We examined 109 hedgehogs from 21 localities within this secondary contact zone. Three species of ectoparasites and nine species of endoparasites were recorded. Significantly higher abundances and prevalences were found for Capillaria spp. and Brachylaemus erinacei in E. europaeus compared to E. roumanicus and higher mean infection rates and prevalences for Hymenolepis erinacei, Physaloptera clausa and Nephridiorhynchus major in E. roumanicus compared to E. europaeus. Divergence in the composition of the parasite fauna, except for Capillaria spp., which seem to be very unspecific, may be related to the complicated demography of their hosts connected with Pleistocene climate oscillations and consequent range dynamics. The fact that all parasite species with different abundances in E. europaeus and E. roumanicus belong to intestinal forms indicates a possible diversification of trophic niches between both sister hedgehog species.
Highlights
The restriction of populations of a wide variety of European species to spatially limited refuge areas during the cyclic climatic changes of the Pleistocene, togetherPLOS ONE | DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0114030 December 3, 2014Parasite Fauna of Sympatric Hedgehog Populations with the associated genetic bottleneck, has had a great impact on the genetic characteristics of the species and on speciation [1]
For EE we found higher mean abundances of C. striatum (p50.01), B. erinacei (p50.006) and lower abundances of H. erinacei (p50.02) in juveniles compared to adult animals (Table 1)
When we compared the differences in mean parasite infection rates between the two hedgehog species (Mann-Whitney U-test) we found significant differences for H. erinacei from the intestines for juveniles (p50.009), B. erinacei for juveniles (p,0.001), Capillaria spp. (p50.026), P. clausa (p,0.001) and N. major (p,0.001)
Summary
The restriction of populations of a wide variety of European species to spatially limited refuge areas during the cyclic climatic changes of the Pleistocene, togetherPLOS ONE | DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0114030 December 3, 2014Parasite Fauna of Sympatric Hedgehog Populations with the associated genetic bottleneck, has had a great impact on the genetic characteristics of the species and on speciation [1]. The restriction of populations of a wide variety of European species to spatially limited refuge areas during the cyclic climatic changes of the Pleistocene, together. Many of the vertebrate species so affected harbor a specific parasite community which undergoes the same cyclic population, spatial and genetic restrictions, potentially leading to community changes, loss of genetic diversity and speciation [2], [3]. The secondary contact between ER and EE in central Europe probably originated after the last ice age during the Neolithic deforestation [10]. The distribution of these species is parapatric, the zone of overlap in central Europe reaches its greatest within the Czech Republic [10], [11]. No interspecific hybridization in the area of Central Europe has been recorded [8], [10], Bogdanov et al [12] reported a possible hybrid individual from Russia where the contact zone is younger
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