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Parasite diversity of Norwegian lemmings (Lemmus lemmus)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 March 2001

Juha Laakkonen ,
Voitto Haukisalmi ,
Jukka Niemimaa  and
Heikki Henttonen
Juha Laakkonen
Affiliation:
Department of Biology, University of California, San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA 92093-0116, U.S.A.
Voitto Haukisalmi
Affiliation:
Department of Ecology and Systematics, Division of Population Biology, P.O. Box 17, FIN-00014 University of Helsinki, Finland
Jukka Niemimaa
Affiliation:
Finnish Forest Research Institute, P.O. Box 18, FIN-01301, Vantaa, Finland
Heikki Henttonen
Affiliation:
Finnish Forest Research Institute, P.O. Box 18, FIN-01301, Vantaa, Finland
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Abstract

The parasite diversity of Norwegian lemmings Lemmus lemmus was studied in northern Fennoscandia during a moderate population peak in 1997–98. Our aim was to study the parasites of lemmings in their normal mountainous habitats in anticipation of the next great lemming migration in northern Fennoscandia into the coniferous taiga. The blood parasites (Hepatozoon, Trypanosoma and Bartonella) found, Frenkelia sp., which invades the brain tissue of the host, and the pulmonary fungus Chrysosporium (Emmonsia) sp., have been detected previously in the Norwegian lemming, but an unknown fungus, and oocysts of Eimeria spp. have not been reported from L. lemmus before. The Norwegian lemming was found to have an exceptionally species-poor helminth fauna. Only one species of cestode (Andrya sp.) occurring in lemmings at the adult stage was found, and the cestodes of carnivores that commonly parasitize voles at the larval stage were totally absent. The distribution and abundance of vectors, and sympatric definitive hosts of parasites are predicted to have a major role in determining the parasites that lemmings will encounter during their mass movements in new habitats. However, it is predicted that parasitism by adult and larval helminths is not markedly affected by the habitat change associated with the mass migration.

Keywords

FennoscandiaLemmus lemmusmicrotine cyclesmigrationparasite diversity
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Zoology , Volume 253 , Issue 4 , April 2001 , pp. 549 - 553
Copyright
2001 The Zoological Society of London

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