Term of Award
Summer 2024
Degree Name
Master of Science in Biology (M.S.)
Document Type and Release Option
Thesis (restricted to Georgia Southern)
Copyright Statement / License for Reuse
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Department
Department of Biology
Committee Chair
Stephen E. Greiman
Committee Member 1
Joshua Gibson
Committee Member 2
Dmitry Apanaskevich
Abstract
Mongolia, a country situated in central Asia, is currently facing extensive anthropogenic alterations spurred by China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). This initiative poses a significant threat to Mongolia's distinctive ecosystem, yet the understanding of Mongolian parasite diversity within various mammal species remains limited. Therefore, we aim to establish foundational data regarding both mammal and parasite diversity in Mongolia. Shrews are insectivorous mammals and harbor a diverse array of cestode parasites within their gastrointestinal tract. In the summers of 2015, 2016, and 2022, we collected a total of 55 Sorex roboratus and 67 Sorex tundrensis from various locations across Mongolia. Subsequently, we conducted comprehensive morphological and molecular examinations of the cestode species identified within the shrews Our investigations unveiled 13 distinct cestode species, with 12 belonging to the Hymenolepididae family and one to the Dilepididae family. Furthermore, employing boosted regression trees, we pinpointed latent variables—weight, sex, locality, and species—that influence the cestode metacommunity structure. Applying a species co-occurrence probabilistic model, we also investigated the presence of parasite versus parasite association patterns. Our study sheds light on the intricate interplay between cestode parasites and their shrew hosts within Mongolia's unique ecological context. By unraveling these relationships, we contribute to a deeper understanding of parasite dynamics amidst anthropogenic alterations.
Recommended Citation
Ahmed, Rokeya, "Diversity of Hymenolepidid Cestode Infecting Sorex roboratus and Sorex tundrensis in Mongolia" (2024). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 2822.
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/etd/2822
Research Data and Supplementary Material
No
