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INTRASPECIFIC TRAIT VARIATION OF TREMATODES INFECTING TREE SHREWS (TUPAIA SPP.) FROM BORNEO**

Abstract

Parasitism is one of the most successful life history strategies on Earth. The success of an individual parasite depends on its strategies for dispersal, establishment, and persistence. We can use functional ecology to understand how individuals are interacting with other organisms and their environment and how these interactions affect their success. The first step is to quantify the inter- and intraspecific trait variations to determine what traits are present. Using digenean trematodes of tree shrews (Tupaia spp.) from Borneo, we sought to determine 1) how much trait variation existed within and between trematode species within a host population and 2) what traits were the most successful, using abundance and prevalence within the parasite community as proxies for success. We will measure six functional traits: body size, ventral sucker size, oral sucker size, egg size, vitelline fields, and testis size. The data will be analyzed in R, and preliminary results will be discussed. With this work, we aim to advance our understanding of host–parasite interactions and the functional ecology of parasites.

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