1. Diet quality and immunocompetence influence parasite load of roe deer in a fragmented landscape
- Author
-
Hélène Verheyden, Emmanuel Serrano, Joël Merlet, Bruno Cargnelutti, Santiago Lavín, Tanguy Daufresne, Serge Morand, Nora Navarro-Gonzalez, Bruno Lourtet, Hervé Hoste, A. J. Mark Hewison, Servei d' Ecopatologia de Fauna Salvatge, Departament de Medicina i Cirurgia Animals, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), Unité de recherche Comportement et Ecologie de la Faune Sauvage (CEFS), Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA), Interactions hôtes-agents pathogènes [Toulouse] (IHAP), Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA)-Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire de Toulouse (ENVT), Institut National Polytechnique (Toulouse) (Toulouse INP), Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Institut National Polytechnique (Toulouse) (Toulouse INP), Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées, Institut des Sciences de l'Evolution de Montpellier (UMR ISEM), Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement (Cirad)-École pratique des hautes études (EPHE), Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université de Montpellier (UM)-Institut de recherche pour le développement [IRD] : UR226-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona [Barcelona] (UAB), Comportement et Ecologie de la Faune Sauvage, Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement (Cirad)-École pratique des hautes études (EPHE)-Université de Montpellier (UM)-Institut de recherche pour le développement [IRD] : UR226-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Université de Toulouse (UT)-Université de Toulouse (UT)-Institut National Polytechnique (Toulouse) (Toulouse INP), Université de Toulouse (UT)-Université de Toulouse (UT), and Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement (Cirad)-École Pratique des Hautes Études (EPHE)
- Subjects
0106 biological sciences ,Ungulate ,[SDV]Life Sciences [q-bio] ,Population ,Parasitism ,Management, Monitoring, Policy and Law ,Biology ,010603 evolutionary biology ,01 natural sciences ,Parasite load ,03 medical and health sciences ,Capreolus ,biology.animal ,education ,Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics ,030304 developmental biology ,Nature and Landscape Conservation ,2. Zero hunger ,0303 health sciences ,education.field_of_study ,Ecology ,Faecal nitrogen ,Landscape structure ,15. Life on land ,biology.organism_classification ,Colonisation ,Roe deer ,Immunocompetence ,Spleen ,Gastrointestinal nematodes - Abstract
International audience; The influence of landscape structure and host diet on parasite load of wildlife is still largely unknown. We studied a roe deer () population in a fragmented agricultural landscape in southern France to explore the relationship of gastrointestinal nematode load with spleen mass (to index immunocompetence), faecal nitrogen (to index diet quality), landscape structure and age of 33 hunt-harvested roe deer. Gastrointestinal worm counts were negatively related to faecal nitrogen and spleen mass, explaining respectively 24.7% and 9.2% of the observed variability in parasite load. Landscape structure did not appear to have a direct influence on gastrointestinal worm counts, but since animals from more open areas have a diet that is richer in nitrogen, its influence may be indirect. In conclusion, in the study area, the colonisation of the agricultural landscape does not seem to have increased the risk of gastrointestinal nematode parasitism for roe deer, possibly because access to high-quality food enhances immunocompetence.
- Published
- 2010