Population dynamics of two species of intestinal helminth in oystercatchers (Haematopus ostralegus)

Abstract

The cestode Micrasomacanthus rectacantha and the trematode Psilostomum brevicolle are the two most common intestinal helminths of oystercatchers, Haematopus ostralegus, on the Exe estuary, England. Each was present in 57 of 60 birds, in numbers ranging from 1 to 9833 and from 1 to 182, respectively. Cockles (Cerastoderma edule) were used as paratenic host by M. rectacantha and as second intermediate host by P. brevicolle. Over 90% of the transmission of M. rectacantha from intermediate hosts occurred in winter, between cockles and juvenile birds. Exposure to M. rectacantha was highest in cockles from muddy sites, where up to 80% of older cockles were infected with 1–14 larvae. Exposure to P. brevicolle was similarly high at one sandy site. Juveniles also made up > 90% of the birds present on the estuary in summer, when significantly more worms were gravid. Estimates based on the numbers of uterine eggs per individual P. brevicolle showed that 8 % of the total Exe population of oystercatchers (ca. 200) contributed 51% of the eggs to the estuary. The results implicate host age, host feeding preference, and host population structure as important factors determining variation in helminth abundance in birds.