@article{f5b8c254a67b44e09b47e67ab9bc7d04,
title = "Ecological drivers of helminth infection patterns in the Virunga Massif mountain gorilla population",
abstract = "The Virunga Massif mountain gorilla population has been periodically monitored since the early 1970s, with gradually increasing effort. The population declined drastically in the 1970s, but the numbers stabilized in the 1980s. Since then, the population has been steadily increasing within their limited habitat fragment that is surrounded by a dense human population. We examined fecal samples collected during the Virunga 2015–2016 surveys in monitored and unmonitored gorilla groups and quantified strongylid and tapeworm infections using egg counts per gram to determine environmental and host factors that shape these helminth infections. We showed that higher strongylid infections were present in gorilla groups with smaller size of the 500-m buffered minimum-convex polygon (MCP) of detected nest sites per gorilla group, but in higher gorilla densities and inhabiting vegetation types occurring at higher elevations with higher precipitation and lower temperatures. On the contrary, the impact of monitoring (habituation) was minor, detected in tapeworms and only when in the interaction with environmental variables and MCP area. Our results suggest that the Virunga mountain gorilla population may be partially regulated by strongylid nematodes at higher gorilla densities. New health challenges are probably emerging among mountain gorillas because of the success of conservation efforts, as manifested by significant increases in gorilla numbers in recent decades, but few possibilities for the population expansion due to limited amounts of habitat.",
keywords = "Environmental and host factors, Helminth infection, Mountain gorilla, Strongylid nematode, Tapeworm",
author = "Petr{\v z}elkov{\'a}, {K. J.} and P. Sama{\v s} and D. Romportl and C. Uwamahoro and B. {\v C}erven{\'a} and B. Paf{\v c}o and T. Prokopov{\'a} and R. Cameira and Granjon, {A. C.} and A. Shapiro and M. Bahizi and J. Nziza and Noheri, {J. B.} and Syaluha, {E. K.} and W. Eckardt and F. Ndagijimana and J. {\v S}lapeta and D. Modr{\'y} and K. Gilardi and R. Muvunyi and P. Uwingeli and A. Mudakikwa and J. Mapilanga and A. Kalonji and Hickey, {J. R.} and M. Cranfield",
note = "Funding Information: The parasitological part of this study was supported by the Czech Science Foundation, Grant no. 18?24345S and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Division of International Affairs, Grant no. F17AP00964. Kl?ra Petr?elkov? and Barbora Paf?o were also supported by institutional support of Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Czech Academy of Sciences (RVO:68081766). Computational resources were supplied by the project ?e-Infrastruktura CZ? (e-INFRA LM2018140) provided within the program Projects of Large Research, Development and Innovations Infrastructures. The organization of Virunga 2015?2016 surveys was funded by the World Wildlife Fund for Nature, Fauna & Flora International (Laura J. Niles Foundation), Partners in Conservation/Columbus Zoo & Aquarium, Berggorilla & Regenwald Direkthilfe and The Max Planck Society, who did not contribute to the design, interpretation or the writing of this study. We thank Charles Kayijamahe, Gaspard Nzayisenga, Jacques Katutu and Eustrate Uzabaho for organizing supplies and samples and all partner organizations for their support and providing field staff for the sample collection during the Virunga 2015?2016 surveys, including the Greater Virunga Transboundary Collaboration, the Institute of Tropical Forest Conservation and the North Carolina Zoo. Data on group size and nest site locations were provided with permission from the Greater Virunga Transboundary Collaboration. Funding Information: The parasitological part of this study was supported by the Czech Science Foundation , Grant no. 18–24345S and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Division of International Affairs , Grant no. F17AP00964 . Kl{\'a}ra Petr{\v z}elkov{\'a} and Barbora Paf{\v c}o were also supported by institutional support of Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Czech Academy of Sciences ( RVO:68081766 ). Computational resources were supplied by the project “e-Infrastruktura CZ” ( e-INFRA LM2018140 ) provided within the program Projects of Large Research, Development and Innovations Infrastructures. The organization of Virunga 2015–2016 surveys was funded by the World Wildlife Fund for Nature, Fauna & Flora International (Laura J. Niles Foundation), Partners in Conservation/Columbus Zoo & Aquarium, Berggorilla & Regenwald Direkthilfe and The Max Planck Society, who did not contribute to the design, interpretation or the writing of this study. We thank Charles Kayijamahe, Gaspard Nzayisenga, Jacques Katutu and Eustrate Uzabaho for organizing supplies and samples and all partner organizations for their support and providing field staff for the sample collection during the Virunga 2015–2016 surveys, including the Greater Virunga Transboundary Collaboration, the Institute of Tropical Forest Conservation and the North Carolina Zoo. Data on group size and nest site locations were provided with permission from the Greater Virunga Transboundary Collaboration. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2022",
year = "2022",
month = apr,
doi = "10.1016/j.ijppaw.2022.01.007",
language = "English (US)",
volume = "17",
pages = "174--184",
journal = "International Journal for Parasitology: Parasites and Wildlife",
issn = "2213-2244",
publisher = "Elsevier BV",
}