@article{01a6f22cc97040968127c8b6da916db8,
title = "Ecology eclipses phylogeny as a major driver of nematode parasite community structure in a graminivorous primate",
abstract = "Understanding how ecology and phylogeny shape parasite communities can inform parasite control and wildlife conservation initiatives while contributing to the study of host species evolution. We tested the relative strengths of phylogeny and ecology in driving parasite community structure in a host whose ecology diverges significantly from that of its closest phylogenetic relatives. We characterized the gastrointestinal (GI) parasite community of wild geladas Theropithecus gelada, primates that are closely related to baboons but specialized to graminovory in the Ethiopian Highlands. Geladas exhibited very constrained GI parasite communities: only two genera (Oesophagostomum and Trichostrongylus) were identified across 305 samples. This is far below the diversity reported for baboons (Papio spp.) and at the low end of the range of domestic grazers (e.g. Bos taurus, Ovis aries) inhabiting the same region and ecological niche. Using deep amplicon sequencing, we identified 15 amplicon sequence variants (ASVs) within the two genera, seven of which matched to Oesophagostomum sp., seven to Trichostrongylus sp., and one to T. vitrinus. Population was an important predictor of ASV richness. Geladas in the most ecologically disturbed area of the national park exhibited approximately four times higher ASV richness than geladas at a less disturbed location within the park. In this system, ecology was a stronger predictor of parasite community structure than was phylogeny, with geladas sharing more elements of their parasite communities with other grazers in the same area than with closely related sister taxa. A free Plain Language Summary can be found within the Supporting Information of this article.",
keywords = "cercopithecines, gastrointestinal parasites, habitat sharing, nemabiome, parasite community structure, parasite ecology, parasite evolution, primate parasite ecology",
author = "India Schneider-Crease and Beehner, {Jacinta C.} and Bergman, {Thore J.} and Gomery, {Megan A.} and Lia Koklic and Amy Lu and Noah Snyder-Mackler",
note = "Funding Information: We thank the Ethiopian Wildlife Conservation Authority, the Amhara National Regional Parks State Development and Protection Authority, and all park officials who have aided our research. We thank all past and present field crew of the Simien Mountains Gelada Research Project for their dedication to over 12 years of data collection, Kenneth L. Chiou for intellectual support, Charlie L. Nunn for mentorship, and the Kaplan lab at the University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine and Henry S. Bishop at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for guidance on parasitological techniques. Long-term gelada research was supported by the National Science Foundation (IOS-1255974, BCS-0715179, BCS-1723237, BCS-1723228, IOS-1854359), the National Institutes of Health (5R00AG051764-04), the Leakey Foundation, and the National Geographic Society (Gr. #8989-11, Gr. #8100-06) and the University of Michigan I.S.-C. acknowledges funding from the National Science Foundation Directorate of Social and Behavioral Sciences Fellowship Program and the Arizona State University Center for Evolution and Medicine. Finally, we thank the reviewers and editors of this journal for their indispensable comments. The authors declare no conflict of interest. Funding Information: We thank the Ethiopian Wildlife Conservation Authority, the Amhara National Regional Parks State Development and Protection Authority, and all park officials who have aided our research. We thank all past and present field crew of the Simien Mountains Gelada Research Project for their dedication to over 12 years of data collection, Kenneth L. Chiou for intellectual support, Charlie L. Nunn for mentorship, and the Kaplan lab at the University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine and Henry S. Bishop at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for guidance on parasitological techniques. Long‐term gelada research was supported by the National Science Foundation (IOS‐1255974, BCS‐0715179, BCS‐1723237, BCS‐1723228, IOS‐1854359), the National Institutes of Health (5R00AG051764‐04), the Leakey Foundation, and the National Geographic Society (Gr. #8989‐11, Gr. #8100‐06) and the University of Michigan I.S.‐C. acknowledges funding from the National Science Foundation Directorate of Social and Behavioral Sciences Fellowship Program and the Arizona State University Center for Evolution and Medicine. Finally, we thank the reviewers and editors of this journal for their indispensable comments. The authors declare no conflict of interest. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2020 British Ecological Society",
year = "2020",
month = sep,
day = "1",
doi = "10.1111/1365-2435.13603",
language = "English (US)",
volume = "34",
pages = "1898--1906",
journal = "Functional Ecology",
issn = "0269-8463",
publisher = "Wiley-Blackwell",
number = "9",
}