Literaturdatenbank
Literaturdatenbank |
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Reshke, N. (2009). Factors affecting leech parasitism on four turtle species in st. lawrence islands national park. Unpublished thesis B.Sc. Honours, University of Ottawa, Ottawa.
Added by: Admin (21 Nov 2009 12:00:04 UTC) |
| Resource type: Thesis/Dissertation BibTeX citation key: Reshke2009 View all bibliographic details  |
Categories: General Keywords: Chrysemys, Chrysemys picta, Emydidae, Emydoidea, Emydoidea blandingii, Graptemys, Graptemys geographica, Habitat = habitat, Kinosternidae, Nordamerika = North America, Parasiten = parasites, Schildkröten = turtles + tortoises, Sternotherus, Sternotherus odoratus Creators: Reshke Publisher: University of Ottawa (Ottawa) |
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| Abstract |
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Parasitism is a very common symbiotic relationship in nature where one organism draws its energy for reproduction and survival at the detriment of a host. The goal of this study was to look at the temporal patterns (month of capture) and host susceptibility (species, size and body condition) in the host-parasite interaction between four turtle species found in St. Lawrence Islands National Park and their associated leeches. During the months of May to August 2008, leeches were counted and measured to determine their prevalence and biomass respectively on a total of 324 turtles from four turtle species: Map Turtles (Graptemys geographica), Blanding’s Turtles (Emydoidea blandingii), Common Musk Turtles (Sternotherus odoratus) and Painted Turtles (Chrysemys picta). Leech prevalence and biomass followed the same trends for each characteristic studied. They both varied significantly by species, but showed no difference over the course of the four months when turtle species were pooled. Within a species, there was no correlation between leech prevalence and biomass and a turtle’s size or body condition. The results from my study indicate that turtle species, due to the interaction of habitat and basking tendencies, plays the biggest role in affecting host- parasite dynamics between turtles and leeches. These results add to the limited information currently available on this topic and demonstrate the need for further investigation on the same turtle species both at similar and different habitats and geographic locations to broaden our understanding of host-parasite interactions.
Added by: Admin |