Taxonomic scale and community organization impact observed latitudinal gradients of parasite diversity

Aim: While most free-living taxa follow the latitudinal diversity gradient (LDG), or the trend of higher diversity at lower latitudes, we know little about how the diversity of parasitic taxa is distributed across latitudes. To better understand the macroecological patterns of parasite diversity, we sought to determine if: 1) helminths follow the traditional LDG; 2) taxonomic resolution impacts observed patterns; 3) latitudinal patterns are consistent across levels of community organization; and 4) helminth diversity is correlated with climate- and host- associated variables.

Location: San Juan de Peñas Blancas, Costa Rica; Calnali, Hidalgo, Mexico; College Station, Texas, USA; Brownsville, Nebraska, USA; Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada; Churchill, Manitoba, Canada

Taxa: Rodentia: Cricetidae; Nematoda; Platyhelminthes

Methods: We sampled parasites from hosts at field sites set approximately every 10 degrees in latitude. We evaluated the relationships between parasite species richnes...