Abstract
AbstractPrevalence of parasites can be an indicator of individual and population health of hosts. Populations of parasites can be affected by habitat management practices, however, which in turn can affect prevalence on hosts. We assessed the influence of varying fire histories on the prevalence of ectoparasites, primarily chiggers (mite larvae of the genus Eutrombicula), on the three most common lizard species resident in the Florida scrub ecosystem. Few individuals of the Florida sand skink (Plestiodon reynoldsi) harbored ectoparasites. The Florida scrub lizard (Sceloporus woodi) and the six-lined racerunner (Aspidoscelis sexlineata) had the highest prevalence of ectoparasites in recently burned (within 3 years) plots. Change in habitat structure or increased mobility of hosts following a recent burn may increase the host-parasite encounter rate.
Highlights
Parasite prevalence is used in wildlife management and ecological studies to gauge population health (Schultz et al 1993)
We examined ectoparasite prevalence on three lizard species inhabiting an area of the Florida scrub ecosystem that is maintained by planned burning to determine if prevalence is related to time since fire
Except for an unidentified tick species found on one individual of the Florida sand skink, the ectoparasites encountered all were larval mites of the genus Eutrombicula
Summary
Parasite prevalence is used in wildlife management and ecological studies to gauge population health (Schultz et al 1993). We examined ectoparasite prevalence on three lizard species inhabiting an area of the Florida scrub ecosystem that is maintained by planned burning to determine if prevalence is related to time since fire.
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