Host body size and the diversity of tick assemblages on Neotropical vertebrates.

ABSTRACT: Identifying the factors that influence the species diversity and distribution of ticks (Acari: Ixodida) across vertebrate host taxa is of fundamental ecological and medical importance. Host body size is considered one of the most important determinants of tick abundance, with larger hosts having higher tick burdens. The species diversity of tick assemblages should also be greater on larger-bodied host species, but empirical studies testing this hypothesis are lacking. Here, we evaluate this relationship using a comparative dataset of feeding associations from Panama between 45 tick species and 171 host species that range in body size by three orders of magnitude. We found that tick species diversity increased with host body size for adult ticks but not for immature ticks. We also found tha

SUBMITTER: Esser HJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5078680 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature