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Invasive lizard has fewer parasites than native congener
Beatriz Tomé1,2, D James Harris1,2, Ana Perera1
1CIBIO-InBIO, FCUP, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal.
Parasitology Research
|July 7, 2021
Summary
Invasive Italian wall lizards (Podarcis siculus) show significantly lower haemogregarine blood parasite infections than native green Iberian wall lizards (Podarcis virescens). This lack of parasites may explain the invasive lizard
Area of Science:
- Parasitology
- Invasive Species Biology
- Herpetology
Background:
- Parasites play a crucial role in the establishment and invasive potential of introduced species.
- Understanding parasite dynamics is key to predicting invasive species success.
- Haemogregarine blood parasites are common in reptiles.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the prevalence and infection levels of haemogregarine blood parasites in invasive Italian wall lizards (Podarcis siculus) and native green Iberian wall lizards (Podarcis virescens).
- To investigate the potential role of parasite load in the invasive success of Podarcis siculus.
Main Methods:
- Field sampling of Podarcis siculus and Podarcis virescens in Lisbon, Portugal.
- Microscopic examination of blood smears to determine parasite prevalence and intensity.
- Genetic analysis of 18S rRNA to identify parasite haplotypes.
Main Results:
- Podarcis virescens exhibited high infection prevalence (69.0%) and intensity (average 1.36%).
- Podarcis siculus showed very low infection prevalence (3.7%) and intensity (0.04%).
- Two haemogregarine haplotypes were identified in P. virescens; parasite DNA could not be amplified from P. siculus.
Conclusions:
- Significant differences in haemogregarine infection levels exist between the invasive P. siculus and native P. virescens.
- The low parasite burden in P. siculus may contribute to its competitive advantage and successful establishment.
- Further research is needed to confirm the role of parasite absence in invasive species success.
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