Endoparasite communities of New Zealand Penguins differ over time and among species
Bennett, Jerusha, Presswell, Bronwen, Little, Mikey, Lagrue, Clement, Webster, Trudi, Dutoit, Ludovic, Poulin, Robert, Davidson, Ian, Cahill, Patrick, and Hutson, Kate S. (2025) Endoparasite communities of New Zealand Penguins differ over time and among species. Marine Biology, 172 (6). 94.
|
PDF (Published Version)
- Published Version
Available under License Creative Commons Attribution. Download (1MB) | Preview |
Abstract
Parasites can provide valuable insights into the ecology and health of their hosts and the state of the surrounding ecosystem. In this study, we describe the helminth parasite communities infecting penguin species in Otago, New Zealand (little blue penguin, Fiordland crested penguin, Snares crested penguin, erect crested penguin and yellow-eyed penguin). We investigate differences in parasite communities among penguin species, and changes over time for little blue penguins. In total, 19 parasite species representing 8 families (Desmidocercidae, Anisakidae, Acuariidae, Capillariidae, Tetrabothriidae, Heterophyidae, Renicolidae and Polymorphidae) were recorded from 121 penguin individuals. Parasite assemblages differed among penguin species, likely reflective of their differences in diet and feeding strategies. We also observed significant changes in the composition of parasite communities of little blue penguins using samples from a 30-year timespan (1993–2023). There was an overall increase in parasite diversity over time, including some species of potential disease concern, which could reflect a shift in prey availability of fish in the area. Our findings contribute to the understanding of penguin ecology and emphasise the use of parasites as indicators of ecological change.
| Item ID: | 88011 |
|---|---|
| Item Type: | Article (Research - C1) |
| ISSN: | 1432-1793 |
| Keywords: | Acanthocephala, Renicola, Cestoda, Community, Endoparasite, Nematoda, Penguin |
| Copyright Information: | © The Author(s) 2025. This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. |
| Date Deposited: | 17 Mar 2026 06:40 |
| FoR Codes: | 31 BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES > 3103 Ecology > 310307 Population ecology @ 100% |
| SEO Codes: | 18 ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT > 1806 Terrestrial systems and management > 180606 Terrestrial biodiversity @ 100% |
| More Statistics |
Actions (Repository Staff Only)
 |
Item Control Page |