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Habitat variation in species composition of flea assemblages on small mammals in central Europe

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Ecological Research

Abstract

We studied patterns of variation in species composition of flea assemblages on small mammals across different habitats of Slovakia and compared flea species composition within and across host species among habitats. We asked (1) how variable the composition of flea assemblages is among different populations of the same host occurring in different habitats and (2) whether the composition of flea assemblages in a habitat is affected either by species composition of hosts or by environmental affinities of this habitat. Between-habitat similarity in flea species composition increased with an increase in the similarity in host species composition. Species richness of flea assemblages of a host species correlated positively with mean number of cohabitating host species but not with the number of habitats occupied by a host species. Results of the ordination of flea collections from each individual host demonstrated that the first five principal components explained most of the variance in species composition of flea assemblages. The segregation between rodent and insectivore flea assemblages was easily discerned from the ordination diagram when flea assemblages were plotted according to their hosts. When flea assemblages were plotted according to their habitat affinities, the distinction of habitats based on variation in flea composition was not as clear. The results of ANOVA of each principal component showed the significant effect of both host species and habitat type. The variation in each principal component was explained better by the factor of host species compared with the factor of habitat type. Multidimensional scaling of flea assemblages within host species across habitats demonstrated that among-habitat variation in flea composition was manifested differently in different hosts.

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Acknowledgements

We thank L. Mošanský and J. Fričová for their help in the field. Allan Degen (Ben-Gurion University of the Negev) and two anonymous referees read the earlier version of the manuscript and made helpful comments. This study was partly supported by the Slovak Grant Committee VEGA (grant no. 2/5032/25 to Michal Stanko). The manipulations comply with the laws of the Slovak Republic. This is publication no. 191 of the Ramon Science Center and no. 497 of the Mitrani Center of Desert Ecology.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Ramon Science Center and Mitrani Department of Desert Ecology, Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, P.O. Box 194, 80600, Mizpe Ramon, Israel

    Boris R. Krasnov

  2. Institute of Zoology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Lofflerova 10, SK-04001, Kosice, Slovakia

    Michal Stanko & Dana Miklisova

  3. Center for Biology and Management of Populations, Campus International de Baillarguet, CS 30016 34988, Montferrier-sur-Lez cedex, France

    Serge Morand

Authors
  1. Boris R. Krasnov
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  2. Michal Stanko
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  3. Dana Miklisova
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  4. Serge Morand
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Boris R. Krasnov.

Appendix

Appendix

Fleas and small mammals collected in different habitat types in Slovakia

 

Habitat type

Small mammals

Fleas

Lowland river valleys

Apodemus agrarius, Apodemus flavicollis, Apodemus uralensis, Apodemus sylvaticus, Clethrionomys glareolus, Microtus arvalis, Microtus subterraneus, Neomys anomalus, Neomys fodiens, Sorex alpinus, Sorex araneus

Amphipsylla rossica, Ctenophthalmus agyrtes, Ctenophthalmus assimilis, Ctenophthalmus bisoctodentatus, Ctenophthalmus solutus, Ctenophthalmus uncinatus, Doratopsylla dasycnema, Hystrichopsylla orientalis, Megabothris turbidus, Nosopsyllus fasciatus, Palaeopsylla similis, Palaeopsylla soricis, Peromyscopsylla bidentata, Rhadinopsylla pentacantha

Lowland woodland belts

A. agrarius, A. flavicollis, A. uralensis, A. sylvaticus, C. glareolus, M. arvalis, M. subterraneus, N. fodiens, S. araneus

Amalaraeus arvicolae, C. agyrtes, C. assimilis, C. bisoctodentatus, C. solutus, D. dasycnema, H. orientalis, Leptopsylla segnis, M. turbidus, N. fasciatus, P. similis, P. soricis, P. bidentata

Lowland agricultural fields

A. agrarius, A. flavicollis, A. uralensis, A. sylvaticus, Mus musculus, C. glareolus, M. arvalis, M. subterraneus

C. agyrtes, C. assimilis, C. solutus, D. dasycnema, H. orientalis, L. segnis, M. turbidus, N. fasciatus, P. soricis

Lowland forests

A. agrarius, A. flavicollis, C. glareolus, M. arvalis, M. subterraneus, S. araneus

C. agyrtes, C. assimilis, C, solutus, D. dasycnema, H. orientalis, L. segnis, M. turbidus, N. fasciatus, P. soricis, P. bidentata

Lowland shrubbery

A. agrarius, A. flavicollis, A. uralensis, C. glareolus, M. subterraneus, N. anomalus, S. araneus

C. agyrtes, C. assimilis, C, solutus, H. orientalis, M. turbidus, N. fasciatus, P. soricis

Mountain river valleys

A. agrarius, A. flavicollis, A. uralensis, A. sylvaticus, Micromys minutus, C. glareolus, M. arvalis, M. subterraneus, Muscardinus avellanarius, N. anomalus, N. fodiens, S. alpinus, S. araneus

A. arvicolae, Amalaraeus penicilliger, A. rossica, Atyphloceras nuperus, C. agyrtes, C. assimilis, C. bisoctodentatus, C. solutus, C. uncinatus, Ceratophyllus sciurorum, D. dasycnema, H. orientalis, Hystrichopsylla talpae, L. segnis, M. turbidus, N. fasciatus, Palaeopsylla kohauti steini, P. similis, P. soricis, P. bidentata, Peromyscopsylla silvatica, Rhadinopsylla integella, Rhadinopsylla isacantha, R. pentacantha

Mountain forests

A. agrarius, A. flavicollis, A. uralensis, A. sylvaticus, C. glareolus, M. arvalis, M. subterraneus, M. avellanarius, N. anomalus, S. alpinus, S. araneus

A. arvicolae, A. penicilliger, A. rossica, A. nuperus, C. agyrtes, C. assimilis, C. solutus, C. uncinatus, Ceratophyllus sciurorum, D. dasycnema, H. orientalis, H. talpae, L. segnis, M. turbidus, N. fasciatus, P. similis, P. soricis, P. bidentata, P. silvatica, R. integella, R. isacantha, R. pentacantha

Mountain shrubbery

A. flavicollis, A. sylvaticus, C. glareolus, M. arvalis, M. subterraneus, M. avellanarius, N. fodiens, S. araneus

A. penicilliger, A. rossica, C. agyrtes, C. assimilis, C. bisoctodentatus, C. solutus, C. sciurorum, D. dasycnema, M. turbidus, N. fasciatus, P. k. steini, P. similis, P. soricis, P. bidentata, R. integella, R. isacantha, R. pentacantha

Urban habitats

A. flavicollis, M. musculus, M. arvalis,

C. agyrtes, C. assimilis, C. solutus, L. segnis, M. turbidus

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Krasnov, B.R., Stanko, M., Miklisova, D. et al. Habitat variation in species composition of flea assemblages on small mammals in central Europe. Ecol Res 21, 460–469 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11284-005-0142-x

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