| 要旨トップ | 目次 | | 日本生態学会第65回全国大会 (2018年3月、札幌) 講演要旨 ESJ65 Abstract |
一般講演(ポスター発表) P1-091 (Poster presentation)
With each species of intestinal helminth residing within a specific segment of the digestive tract, specializing on a particular food source (i.e. gut content or microbes), the limited space and resources may necessitate direct interspecific competition. Furthermore, some helminths are known to modulate their host’s immune system, potentially leading to indirect competition. Infection with one species could also reduce the host’s body condition, leaving them more susceptible to subsequent infection by others, causing a synergistic (positive) relationship. We aimed to determine potential interactions between helminths residing within and between three segments (i.e. large intestine, caecum, and small intestine) of the digestive tract from the field mouse Apodemus speciosus, through correlational analysis of abundance. Of 21 potential interactions, 10 were positively and one was negatively correlated. Interestingly, seven positive correlations were between species from the small and those from the large intestine. These synergistic co-infections may result from reduced host body condition, while avoiding direct competition for food or space. Although there were two positively correlated relationships between helminths of the small intestine, they were neither as strong nor as significant as those between the small and large intestine. Further research is needed to determine if these correlations are true interactions.