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Species Identity Supersedes the Dilution Effect Concerning Hantavirus Prevalence at Sites across Texas and México
Matthew T Milholland1, Iván Castro-Arellano1, Elizabeth Arellano1
1Matthew T. Milholland, PhD, is a Postdoctoral fellow with Texas State University's Department of Biology in San Marcos, Texas. Iván Castro-Arellano, PhD, is an Associate Professor with Texas State University's Department of Biology in San Marcos, Texas. Elizabeth Arellano, PhD, is a Professor at Centro de Investigación en Biodiversidad y Conservación, at Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Morelos in Cuernavaca, México. Elizabeth Nava-García is a graduate student at Centro de Investigación en Biodiversidad y Conservación, at Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Morelos in Cuernavaca, México. Guadalupe Rangel-Altamirano is an Academic Technitian at Centro de Investigación en Biodiversidad y Conservación, at Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Morelos in Cuernavaca, México. Francisco X. Gonzalez-Cozatl, PhD, is a Professor at Centro de Investigación en Biodiversidad y Conservación, at Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Morelos in Cuernavaca, México. Gerardo Suzán is a Professor at Departamento de Etología y Fauna Silvestre, Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad Universitaria, Ciudad de México. Tony Schountz, PhD, is an Associate Professor with the Arthropod-borne and Infectious Diseases Laboratory, Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Pathology College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado. Shiara González-Padrón is a graduate student at the Laboratorio Nacional de Ciencias de la Sostenibilidad, Instituto de Ecología at Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad Universitaria, Ciudad de México. Ana Vigueras is a graduate student del Departamento de Etología y Fauna Silvestre, Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad Universitaria, Ciudad de México. André V. Rubio, PhD, is an Assistant Professor at the Departamento de Ciencias Ecológicas, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Chile, Nuñoa, Chile. Troy J. Maikis is a Biologist living in Elko, Nevada. Bradford J. Westrich is Assistant Furbearer Biologist for the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Bloomington, Indiana. Jose A. Martinez III is a graduate student with Texas State University's Department of Biology, San Marcos, Texas. Maria D. Esteve-Gasent, PhD, is an Assistant Professor with the Departament of Veterinary Pathobiology at Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas. Madison Torres is a graduate student with Texas State University's Department of Biology, San Marcos, Texas. Erick R. Rodriguez-Ruiz is a graduate student at Divison de Posgrado, Instituto Tecnólogico de Ciudad Victoria, México. Dittmar Hahn, PhD, is Professor and Chair of Texas State University's Department of Biology, San Marcos, Texas. Thomas E. Lacher, Jr. is a Professor in the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences at Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, and Associate Conservation Scientist at Global Wildlife Conservation, Austin, Texas.
Abstract:
Recent models suggest a relationship exists between community diversity and pathogen prevalence, the proportion of individuals in a population that are infected by a pathogen, with most inferences tied to assemblage structure. Two contrasting outcomes of this relationship have been proposed: the "dilution effect" and the "amplification effect." Small mammal assemblage structure in disturbed habitats often differs from assemblages in sylvan environments, and hantavirus prevalence is often negatively correlated with habitats containing high species diversity via dilution effect dynamics. As species richness increases, prevalence of infection often is decreased. However, anthropogenic changes to sylvan landscapes have been shown to decrease species richness and/or increase phylogenetic similarities within assemblages. Between January 2011 and January 2016, we captured and tested 2406 individual small mammals for hantavirus antibodies at 20 sites across Texas and México and compared differences in hantavirus seroprevalence, species composition, and assemblage structure between sylvan and disturbed habitats. We found 313 small mammals positive for antibodies against hantaviruses, evincing an overall prevalence of 9.7% across all sites. In total, 40 species of small mammals were identified comprising 2 taxonomic orders (Rodentia and Eulipotyphla). By sampling both habitat types concurrently, we were able to make real-world inferences into the efficacy of dilution effect theory in terms of hantavirus ecology. Our hypothesis predicting greater species richness higher in sylvan habitats compared to disturbed areas was not supported, suggesting the characteristics of assemblage structure do not adhere to current conceptions of species richness negatively influencing prevalence via a dilution effect.
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