Geographic variation in the determinants of ectoparasite faunas' species richness: fleas and gamasid mites parasitic on small mammals from 6 biogeographic realms.

ABSTRACT: We investigated the effects of body mass, geographic range size, the within-range richness of host assemblages (diversity field) and the habitat breadth of small mammalian hosts from 6 biogeographic realms on the species richness of their flea and gamasid mite faunas. We also tested whether the probability of between-host ectoparasite sharing is related to host phylogenetic relatedness, trait similarity or geographic distance/environmental dissimilarity between their ranges. We asked whether the effects of host-associated determinants of ectoparasite richness and the probability of ectoparasite sharing differ between (1) biogeographic realms and (2) fleas and mites. Whenever significant effects of host body mass on ectoparasite richness were found, they were negative, whereas the significa

SUBMITTER: Krasnov BR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12418288 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature