Trematode Infection Prevalence Increases With Snail Richness: Observations From a 4-Year Study of Snail-Trematode Interactions.

ABSTRACT: Digenetic trematodes are valuable study organisms for exploring how biodiversity influences disease. In this study, we investigated the relationship between snail richness and trematode infection prevalence using data from a 4-year study (2019-2022) of eight wetland sites in Alberta, Canada. Trematode species were classified as specialists or generalists at the first-intermediate host level, and generalized linear mixed-effects models were employed to assess the relationship between snail richness and overall, generalist, and specialist infection prevalence. The findings indicate that as snail richness increased, there was a significant increase in the overall and generalist infection prevalence. This trend was also noted for specialist infections but was not significant. A notable decline

SUBMITTER: McPhail BA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12541670 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature