Gastrointestinal Parasite Community and Phenotypic Plasticity in Native and Introduced Alien Lagomorpha

SIMPLE SUMMARY: The introduction of alien species outside their native range represents one of the main threats to biodiversity conservation and it is mainly driven by human activities. In this work, we used the introduction of an alien lagomorph (Sylvilagus floridanus) outside its natural range as a case study to describe and evaluate the long-term effects on the native lagomorph community. In particular, S. floridanus was host to different exotic parasites, which adapted to new biotic and abiotic conditions and, as a consequence, invaded and largely altered the parasite community of native Lagomorpha species. This work represents the first exploratory study on the ecological macro-community formed by native and alien host species and their parasitofauna. Further efforts are needed to fully understand the strategies and factors conditioning the evolution of these specific parasite communities, and more in general the factors influencing the effect and evolution of alien pathogens in a new geographic area. ABSTRACT: The Convention on Biological Diversity classifies “Invasive Alien Species” as those whose introduction and spread represents a threat for biodiversity. Introduction of alien pathogens, including parasites, is one of the main consequences of the introduction of invasive alien species. The objective of this work was to assess the parasite community composition in native lagomorphs (Lepus europaeus and Lepus timidus varronis) in sympatric and non-sympatric conditions with an alien lagomorph (Sylvilagus floridanus), and to evaluate the phenotypic traits of exotic parasites in such conditions. We firstly describe the characteristics of the parasite community in the different host species (richness, prevalence, abundance and intensity), and, secondly, the phenotypic traits of the observed parasite species in each host. Nine helminths were reported on: eight nematodes (Obeliscoides cuniculi, Trichostrongylus calcaratus, Trichostrongylus retortaeformis, Trichostrongylus affinis, Trichuris leporis, Trichostrongylus colubriformis, Passalurus ambiguus, and Nematodirus sp.) and one unidentified cestode. In addition, exotic parasites showed significantly different phenotypic plasticity after spillover from S. floridanus to L. europaeus, whereas endemic parasite species were not isolated in the alien S. floridanus. Our results highlight that the community of autochthonous and allochthonous Lagomorpha in northwestern Italy represents an extremely interesting system for modelling ecological and evolutionary interactions between parasites and their hosts.