Meeting Abstract

11.6  Tuesday, Jan. 4  At which scale? Macrohabitat, not microhabitat, influences parasite load in green anole lizards (Anolis carolinensis) WHITTLE, T.K.*; BATTLES, A.C.; JOHNSON, M.A.; Trinity University, San Antonio, TX; Trinity University, San Antonio, TX; Trinity University, San Antonio, TX Tara.Whittle@Trinity.edu

The ability to detect patterns in community dynamics often depends on the spatial scale of the analysis, particularly when species in the community experience that scale differently. Habitat-dependent relationships between parasites and their hosts provide ideal systems in which to examine the role of scale. In this study, we examined parasite load in the green anole (Anolis carolinensis), an arboreal lizard commonly found in southeastern USA. We characterized perch use (height, diameter, and visibility) for 169 lizards in three habitats (open field, lakeside trail, and palmetto forest), and determined their ectoparasite load (Trombiculidae mite larvae). We found that while ectoparasite infection rates and perch use differed across the three habitats for both sexes, there were no significant associations between parasite load and the individual’s perch characteristics. We then examined a subset of 41 anoles across the three habitats to determine intestinal parasite load (Oochoristica; tapeworms). Again the habitats differed in parasite infection rates, but we found no associations between parasite load and lizard perch use. However, canopy cover does seem to be associated with Oochoristica incidence, with fewer infected individuals occurring in the most sunlit habitat. These data suggest that macrohabitat (i.e., habitat type), and not microhabitat (i.e., lizard perch), plays a larger role in determining parasite occurrence and load.