Using Parasitic Load to Measure the Effect of Anthropogenic Disturbance on Vervet Monkeys |
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Authors: | Harriet R. Thatcher Colleen T. Downs Nicola F. Koyama |
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Affiliation: | 1.School of Natural Sciences and Psychology,Liverpool John Moores University,Liverpool,UK;2.School of Life Sciences,University of KwaZulu-Natal,KwaZulu-Natal,South Africa |
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Abstract: | Vervet monkeys, Chlorocebus pygerythrus, thrive in urban areas of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, and present a suitable model to assess parasitic load as a measure of anthropogenic disturbance, such as urbanization. We collected vervet monkey faecal samples from four study sites representing a gradient of land use and urbanization. We assessed faecal parasites using the faecal flotation method calculating eggs per gram and parasite richness. Overall, the more urban vervet monkey populations had a significantly higher parasite richness and abundance. Our study shows the applicability of using parasite load to measure the effect of urbanization on wildlife. |
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