Predicting species richness of ectoparasites of wild rodents from the Río de la Plata coastal wetlands, Argentina.

Abstract

The richness of ectoparasite species associated with Sigmodontinae rodents (Cricetidae) from different sites located in the coastal wetlands of the Río de la Plata in Argentina was predicted by a model with three components: (1) habitat type, considered analogous to rodent species; (2) average ectoparasite species richness on each rodent species, and (3) average number of rodent species parasitized by each ectoparasite species. The model, based on rodent information (number of species and total number of captured rodents) and the environmental gradient, has a reasonably good fit for the observed data as well as independent data from different localities. The model is predictive and robust, and it could be a useful tool for epidemiological and biodiversity management strategies. Furthermore, the model could be adapted to other habitats if a suitable estimate of an environmental gradient is found, and it could be also possible to adapt it to other host taxa.