Effects of forest structure on the endoparasitism in roe deer Capreolus capreolus

Parasitic infection by endoparasites is heterogeneous within a population. Such heterogeneity in parasitic status among individuals depends in particular on differences in their susceptibility to infection and in the habitats and resources used by the individuals. While several studies have aimed to...

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Main Authors: Bariod Léa, Saïd Sonia, Ferté Hubert, Benabed Slimania, Bidault Hervé, Duhayer Jeanne, Pardonnet Sylvia, Bourgoin Gilles
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: EDP Sciences 2025-01-01
Series:Parasite
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Online Access:https://www.parasite-journal.org/articles/parasite/full_html/2025/01/parasite240217/parasite240217.html
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author Bariod Léa
Saïd Sonia
Ferté Hubert
Benabed Slimania
Bidault Hervé
Duhayer Jeanne
Pardonnet Sylvia
Bourgoin Gilles
author_facet Bariod Léa
Saïd Sonia
Ferté Hubert
Benabed Slimania
Bidault Hervé
Duhayer Jeanne
Pardonnet Sylvia
Bourgoin Gilles
author_sort Bariod Léa
collection DOAJ
description Parasitic infection by endoparasites is heterogeneous within a population. Such heterogeneity in parasitic status among individuals depends in particular on differences in their susceptibility to infection and in the habitats and resources used by the individuals. While several studies have aimed to identify individual factors and, mostly at large spatial scales, environmental factors that influence endoparasitism in wild populations, we aim in this study to investigate the influence of habitat quality (vegetation type, resource availability) on parasite burden within a population of roe deer living in a heterogeneous forest. We collected 1,469 fecal samples to measure the parasite burden on 952 roe deer captured between 1996 and 2020 in Chizé (France), a study site stratified into two contrasting sectors in terms of vegetation structure and resource quality. We quantified the effect of the sector on parasitism after considering the possible influences of age, sex, body mass and Julian date. The prevalence of parasitism was higher in individuals living in the poorer sector, but the intensity of the parasite burden was not influenced by the sector. These results suggest that within a host population, parasite infection risk would not be the same everywhere, probably due to differences in resource availability, vegetation species and density of host, showing the need to study parasitism at fine scales.
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issn 1776-1042
language English
publishDate 2025-01-01
publisher EDP Sciences
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spelling doaj-art-2f461971b89b437db3482b63de16ffcc2025-08-20T02:48:03ZengEDP SciencesParasite1776-10422025-01-01324510.1051/parasite/2025041parasite240217Effects of forest structure on the endoparasitism in roe deer Capreolus capreolusBariod Léa0Saïd Sonia1Ferté Hubert2Benabed Slimania3Bidault Hervé4Duhayer Jeanne5Pardonnet Sylvia6Bourgoin Gilles7https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0993-0741Université de Lyon, VetAgro Sup - Campus Vétérinaire de Lyon, Laboratoire de Parasitologie VétérinaireOffice Français de la Biodiversité, Direction de la Recherche et de l’Appui Scientifique, Service « Conservation et Gestion des Espèces à Enjeux », « Montfort »EA 7510, ESCAPE – Vecpar, UFR de Pharmacie, Université de Reims, Champagne-ArdenneUniversité de Lyon, VetAgro Sup - Campus Vétérinaire de Lyon, Laboratoire de Parasitologie VétérinaireOffice Français de la Biodiversité, Direction de la Recherche et de l’Appui Scientifique, Service « Conservation et gestion durable des espèces exploitées »Office Français de la Biodiversité, Direction de la Recherche et de l’Appui Scientifique, Service « Santé de la faune et fonctionnement des écosystèmes agricoles »Office Français de la Biodiversité, Direction de la Recherche et de l’Appui Scientifique, Service « Conservation et gestion durable des espèces exploitées »Université de Lyon, VetAgro Sup - Campus Vétérinaire de Lyon, Laboratoire de Parasitologie VétérinaireParasitic infection by endoparasites is heterogeneous within a population. Such heterogeneity in parasitic status among individuals depends in particular on differences in their susceptibility to infection and in the habitats and resources used by the individuals. While several studies have aimed to identify individual factors and, mostly at large spatial scales, environmental factors that influence endoparasitism in wild populations, we aim in this study to investigate the influence of habitat quality (vegetation type, resource availability) on parasite burden within a population of roe deer living in a heterogeneous forest. We collected 1,469 fecal samples to measure the parasite burden on 952 roe deer captured between 1996 and 2020 in Chizé (France), a study site stratified into two contrasting sectors in terms of vegetation structure and resource quality. We quantified the effect of the sector on parasitism after considering the possible influences of age, sex, body mass and Julian date. The prevalence of parasitism was higher in individuals living in the poorer sector, but the intensity of the parasite burden was not influenced by the sector. These results suggest that within a host population, parasite infection risk would not be the same everywhere, probably due to differences in resource availability, vegetation species and density of host, showing the need to study parasitism at fine scales.https://www.parasite-journal.org/articles/parasite/full_html/2025/01/parasite240217/parasite240217.htmlheterogeneity of infectionendoparasitesparasite distributionresourcesvegetation structureungulate
spellingShingle Bariod Léa
Saïd Sonia
Ferté Hubert
Benabed Slimania
Bidault Hervé
Duhayer Jeanne
Pardonnet Sylvia
Bourgoin Gilles
Effects of forest structure on the endoparasitism in roe deer Capreolus capreolus
Parasite
heterogeneity of infection
endoparasites
parasite distribution
resources
vegetation structure
ungulate
title Effects of forest structure on the endoparasitism in roe deer Capreolus capreolus
title_full Effects of forest structure on the endoparasitism in roe deer Capreolus capreolus
title_fullStr Effects of forest structure on the endoparasitism in roe deer Capreolus capreolus
title_full_unstemmed Effects of forest structure on the endoparasitism in roe deer Capreolus capreolus
title_short Effects of forest structure on the endoparasitism in roe deer Capreolus capreolus
title_sort effects of forest structure on the endoparasitism in roe deer capreolus capreolus
topic heterogeneity of infection
endoparasites
parasite distribution
resources
vegetation structure
ungulate
url https://www.parasite-journal.org/articles/parasite/full_html/2025/01/parasite240217/parasite240217.html
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