Assessment of the stability of bat ectoparasite communities using a Principal Component Analysis (PCA) method

The paper deals with a research of epiparasite communities in native karst caves in the South of Nizhny Novgorod Region. Six species of bats such as Daubenton’s water bat, Brandt’s bat, whiskered bat, pond bat, northern bat and long-eared bat were examined. A Principal Component Analysis was used to identify factors influencing the composition of ectoparasites as well as the number and distribution of mites in mixed colonies of bats. As the cave and its inhabitants can be considered as a microbiotope, it is obvious that there are specific relations between inhabitants in caves. Special habitat conditions indirectly influence the parasitic systems developing there which are characterized by certain stability. Mann-Whitney U-test was used to estimate the difference between samples of animals from different habitats. Methods of nonparametric statistics didn’t find significant distinctions by the hosts, years and biotopes, the bat colony and their ectoparasites can be estimated as a single complexly organized system, existing long in space and time. From all possible factorial space four factors have significant effect on systems. The contribution of the first and second factors is equal to 65% of variance (specificity of parasites to hosts and a factor of dominant species presence). In parasite communities of bats interrelations which cause successful existence of all types without the expressed competition are observed. Our results indicate a complex relationship between the parasites in the community on the one hand, and long-term existence of the community on the other hand. Each member of parasitic system has a position in factorial space. In parasite communities of bats we met only one factor-dependent species ( Spinturnix acuminatus, Sp. plecotinus, Leptotrombidium russicum ). Species that show moderate and positive, moderate and negative correlation dependence with several factors are found. For example, Spinturnix myoti , Sp. kolenatii , Macronyssus heteromorphus , etc. Heterogeneity of environmental impact on the parasitic systems which are formed in natural caves provides stability of bat parasite communities in general.