A helminthological survey of small woodland mammals from eastern North Carolina / by Michael Matheson Anderson.
| Author/creator | Anderson, Michael Matheson author. |
| Other author | McDaniel, James S., degree supervisor. |
| Other author | East Carolina University. Department of Biology. |
| Format | Theses and dissertations |
| Production | 1976. |
| Description | 56 leaves : illustrations ; 28 cm |
| Supplemental Content | Access via ScholarShip |
| Subjects |
| Summary | Small mammals were collected in several forest communities of the coastal plain of North Carolina from December, 1973, through April, 1975. Over 12,000 trap nights yielded four species of small mammals. In order of abundance, these were the wood mouse, Peromyscus leucopus; the short-tailed shrew, Blarina brevicauda; the rice rat, Oryzomys palustris; and the house mouse, Mus musculus. The low population density of small mammals, manifested by the poor catch, was attributed to periodic flooding, uniform pine dominance, and cultivation of many drier coastal plain sites. All of these factors reduce the amount of suitable habitat. The four hosts harbored 17 species of helminths representing three phyla and four classes. Seven of the helminths are new state records. Boreostrongylus peromysci is reported from the wood mouse for the first time. The short-tailed shrew exhibited an endoparasitic population larger and more varied than that of the other small mammals. This is probably correlated with the insectivorous habits and terrestrial mode of life of Blarina. The occurrence of Capillaria americana, the most prevalent helminth infecting the wood mouse, was significantly influenced by the age of the host and the season of the year. No such effect v/as observed for Boreostrongylus peromysci, the second most abundant helminth occurring in P. leucopus. Neither of these endoparasites showed an important difference in the frequency or degree of infection of male or female hosts. Pregnancy was found to significantly influence the prevalence of the total endoparasite population of P. leucopus. Several abiotic and biotic factors are cited as influencing the distribution of helminth infectrons in wood mice. |
| General note | Presented to the Faculty of the Department of Biology. |
| General note | Advisor: James S. McDaniel |
| Dissertation note | M.A. East Carolina University |
| Bibliography note | Includes bibliographical references (leaves 49-55). |
| Genre/form | Academic theses. |
| Genre/form | Academic theses. |
| Genre/form | Thèses et écrits académiques. |
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