| We studied the spatial heterogeneity of infection of the marine bivalve Cerastoderma edule (cockle) by trematode parasites at 5 different scales in Banc d'Arguin, France. At the km-scale, the communities of trematodes differed among stations in terms of species composition and specific abundance. Infection heterogeneity was likely due to the occurrence of the definitive host and the conditions of transmission (water parameters). At the 100 m scale, trematode species richness was similar among stations, but specific trematode abundances differed. The most significant variable in terms of explaining trematode infection heterogeneity was the presence of the first intermediate host. At the 10 m scale, the distance at which parasite abundance diminished varied... |
