Biased sex ratio and niche restriction in Baruscapillaria obsignata (Madsen 1945) (Nematoda, Capillariidae) from Columba livia (Aves, Columbidae)

AbstractIn the present study populations of the avian nematode species Baruscapillaria obsignata are described from Columba livia. Male and female individuals were obtained from 27 birds, fixed in alcohol/formalin/acetic acid (AFA) and preserved in 70% ethanol. Nematodes were identified and then counted under a stereoscopic microscope. Baruscapillaria obsignata were much more frequent in the anterior third of the small intestine, and females were more abundant than males in all infra populations. The prevalence was 55.6%, mean intensity was 11.8 (median 11.0; range 1–31) and abundance 6.56. In the present study, we observed an aggregated distribution of parasite infrapopulations, as demonstrated by the value of the exponent of the negative binomial distribution, K = 0.2773; by the discrepancy index, D = 0.656 and by the variance/mean ratio, 12.44. The female/male sex ratios found in all infrapopulations were always greater than 1, showing a bias in favour of female abundance. This tendency was especially marked in infrapopulations containing fewer individuals. The sizes of infrapopulations ranged from 5 to 31 individuals. The mean sex ratio observed was 2.69 ± 3.28 (median 1.83; range 0–11). In infrapopulations with 5–15 individuals, the sex ratios observed varied from 2.6 to 11, while in those with 17–31 individuals, the sex ratios were lower, ranging from 1.7 to 2.4. There was a negative correlation between the intensity of infection and the sex ratio of infrapopulations. Results are discussed in terms of possible factors influencing the processes that lead to niche restriction and biased sex ratios in parasite infrapopulations.