Oecologia Australis 22(3): 279–290, 2018 10.4257/oeco.2018.2203.06 EFFECT OF FOREST COVER ON ECTOPARASITES OF SMALL MAMMALS IN THE BRAZILIAN ATLANTIC FOREST Norlan de Jesus Santos1*, Jacques Hubert Charles Delabie2, Danilo Gonçalves Saraiva3,5, Fernanda Aparecida Nieri-Bastos3, Thiago Fernandes Martins3, Marcelo Bahia Labruna3, Ianei de Oliveira Carneiro1& Carlos Roberto Franke4 1 Universidade Federal da Bahia, Departamento de Veterinária, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciência Animal nos Trópicos. Av. Adhemar de Barros, 500, Ondina, CEP 40170-110, Salvador, BA, Brazil. 2 Comissão Executiva do Plano da Lavoura Cacaueira, Centro de Pesquisas do Cacau, Laboratório de Mirmecologia, AC Itabuna, CEP 45600-970, Itabuna, BA, Brazil. 3 Universidade de São Paulo, Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia, Departamento de Medicina Veterinária Preventiva e Saúde Animal, Av. Prof. Dr. Orlando Marques de Paiva, 87, Cidade Universitária, CEP 05508 270, São Paulo, SP, Brazil. 4 Universidade Federal da Bahia, Departamento de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia. Av. Adhemar de Barros, 500, Ondina, CEP 40170-110, Salvador, BA, Brazil. 5 In memorian E-mails: [email protected] (*corresponding author); [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected] ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Abstract: Habitat reduction is one of the greatest threats to biodiversity and one of its many expected consequences is the negative impacts on host species. In this study, we evaluated if the reduction in the forest cover positively affected the richness and abundance of ectoparasites and rates of parasitism on mammal species. The study was carried out in the Atlantic Forest biome in the state of Bahia between January to March and September to November of 2011. We sampled four areas with different amounts of forest cover (%) in the municipalities of Valença (25%), Nilo Peçanha (35%), Camamú (45%) and Jaguaripe (55%). We identified twenty species of ectoparasites (fleas, mites, ticks) on 130 small mammals from 18 species (14 rodents and four marsupials), and the most abundant ectoparasites were mites. We confirmed our main hypothesis: the greater richness and abundance of ectoparasites was associated with a reduction in forest cover, with possible epidemiological implications. The prevalence of ectoparasitism per area varied from 91% in Valença to 50% in Jaguaripe. The mean intensity of ectoparasites per host was 6.5 for Valença, 6.4 for Nilo Peçanha, 10.4 for Camamú and 3.2 for Jaguaripe. Ours findings confirm that the reduction in the amount of forested is related to amplified rates of parasitism and changes in ectoparasites abundance and species richness. Keywords: habitat reduction; parasitism; public health; vectors. ________________________________________________________________________________________________ 280 | Ectoparasites of small mammals in Brazil INTRODUCTION such as Brazilian spotted fever and ehrlichiosis (Labruna et al. 2004), which could infect wildlife, The process of reduction and fragmentation of domestic animals and man (Fonseca et al. 2005). natural habitats is one of the main threats to Small mammals (marsupials and rodents) are biodiversity (Fahrig 2003, Prugh et al. 2008) hosts of several species of ectoparasites (Brooks & because, among other effects, it results in the loss Hoberg 2000, Saraiva et al. 2012). In Brazil, small of species, isolation of populations, increase of mammals encompass more than 200 species and edge effects in fragments of native vegetation and are considered the most diverse group among reduction of the adaptive potential due to the loss neotropical mammals (Paglia et al. 2012). They of genetic variability (Rolstad 1991). The Atlantic perform key ecological roles in the dynamic of the Forest is considered one of the global hotspots of forests, such as predation and dispersion of seeds, biodiversity, due to its biological richness and and can be used as indicators of anthropogenic high number of endemic species (Myers et al. alterations (Brewer & Rejmánek 1999). The density 2000). However, despite its ecological importance, of these hosts seems to influence the distribution the Atlantic Forest has suffered progressive and abundance of ectoparasites, since the reduction in its total area due to anthropogenic intensification of contact between the animals in a actions, whereby less than 15% of its original restricted area increases the probability of extension remains (SOS Mata Atlântica & INPE transmission (Arneberg et al. 1998, Morand & 2016). This process results in a mosaic landscape Poulin 1998). Studies on parasite transmission made up of patches of original habitat (islands of evaluating the role of habitat reduction and habitat) surrounded by areas with different levels increase in contact between hosts showed of human activity (altered matrices; Murcia 1995). different results; Gillespie et al. (2005) and Mbora One of the direct consequences of habitat & McPeek (2009) showed that the increase in reduction and fragmentation is the increase of contact between hosts was an important variable border areas between forest fragments and for the parasite transmission, abundance and, altered landscapes (Gascon et al. 1999). This consequently, for the prevalence of endoparasites process enables the contact between wild hosts in non-human primates in Africa. On the other and domestic animals in the surrounding areas, hand, neither Stanko et al. (2002) in mountains which favors the exchange of parasites and the and forested plains in Slovakia, nor Püttker et. al. alteration of their community structures (Small & (2007) in areas of the Atlantic Forest in Brazil, have Hunter 1975, Holmes 1996, Patten et al. 2006). identified any association between the parasite Parasites perform important functions within load of small mammals and the state of vegetation the ecosystem by, for example, affecting cover. biodiversity (Stanko et al. 2002), reducing In this study, we evaluated the prevalence, competition (Moore 2002), mediating interactions intensity and changes in ectoparasite community (Dunn et al. 2012), and causing impacts on (richness and abundance) collected in small reproduction and survival of their host species mammals in relation to the amount of forest cover (Daszak et al. 2001). The invasion of parasites can in four areas in the Atlantic Forest, Brazil. In result in the introduction of new diseases, addition, we analyzed if the community structure endangering the survival of host species that are of parasites differed between forested areas and not yet adapted to new parasite species (Hudson et the matrix. We expected an increase in the al. 2002). Concerning ectoparasites of mammals, richness and abundance of ectoparasites in small the majority belongs to the classes Insecta and mammals in areas with reduced forest cover. Arachnida, with the latter group represented mainly by the orders Astigmata, Gamasida, and Ixodida. In particular, ticks, hematophagous mites MATERIAL AND METHODS and fleas constitute groups of interest to Conservation Biology and Veterinary Medicine Sample design (Ribeiro et al. 1997, Labruna et al. 2000), since they The Atlantic Forest in the state of Bahia, Brazil, is may act as vectors of emerging diseases in Brazil, considered one of the centers of regional ende- Oecol. Aust. 22(3): 279–290, 2018 281 | Santos et al. mism in the biome (Silva & Casteleti 2003). It is sites, which were checked in the field to guarantee currently dominated by secondary forest that forests corresponded to secondary forest in surrounded by a matrix of pasture intermixed with mid to advanced stages of regeneration and the a variety of tree crops, including cocoa, rubber, matrix to non-urban: open areas with vegetation bananas, palm oil, eucalyptus, and coffee, mainly height less than 2 m. We ensured that in forest in privately-owned land (Saatchi et al. 2001). The plots were settled in a minimum distance of 30 m study region comprised the coastal strip of Atlantic to forest edge to reduce changes in forest cover as Forest south to “Todos os Santos” Bay (13°00’– a result of the edge effect (Murcia 1995). 14°50’S, 39°00’–39°30’W). We sampled four areas of 6 x 6 km (3,600 ha) varying in the amount of Sampling of small mammal species remaining forest, in all of which altitude was less We sampled small non-volant mammals (rodents than 300 m. Forest remnants were in mid to and marsupials) in all 64 plots (eight forest and advanced stages of regeneration and the matrix eight matrix sites in each of the four areas) using was dominated by open areas. both pitfall traps (plastic buckets of 60-liter) not We calculated forest cover, the size of the baited and medium-sized Sherman® (10 × 10 × 30 largest forest patch (Largest Patch Index; cm) and Tomahawk® (15 × 17 × 45 cm) live traps. Mcgarigal & Marks 1995) and the percentage of the In each sampling site, we esta-blished ten matrix that is non-forested and non-urban based equidistant pitfall traps connected by a 50 cm high on recent satellite images (2005–2008) from the plastic drift fence and 20 equidistant live traps on “Atlas of forest remnants of the Atlantic Forest” the ground (ten of each type) 5 m apart from each (“Atlas dos remanescentes florestais da Mata other. We baited the traps with a mixture of Atlântica”; www.sosma.org.br and www.inpe.br). peanut butter, sunflowers seeds, oat grains, palm We controlled for both