Ivan Castro-Arellano

Texas State University | TxSt · Department of Biology

The degree of temporal overlap between sympatric wild hosts species and their behavioral interac‐ tions can be highly relevant to the transmission of pathogens. However, this topic has been scantly addressed. Furthermore, temporal overlap and interactions within an assemblage of wild rodents composed of native and intro‐ duced species have been rar...

The primary food of insectivorous bats is invertebrates. This study investigated invertebrate abundance in ASF and adjacent farmland, in order to understand its availability to foraging insectivorous bats found in both study sites. Invertebrate were sampled with solar powered lights, which attracted air-borne invertebrates to a suspended white clot...

The Reithrodontomys tenuirostris species group is considered “the most specialized” within the genus Reithrodontomys from morphological and ecological perspectives. Previous studies based on molecular data recommended changes in the taxonomy of the group. In particular, R. microdon has been the most taxonomically questioned, with the suggestion tha...

Borrelia turicatae is a causative agent of tick-borne relapsing fever (TBRF) in the subtropics and tropics of the United States and Latin America. Historically, B . turicatae was thought to be maintained in enzootic cycles in rural areas. However, there is growing evidence that suggests the pathogen has established endemic foci in densely populated...

The process responsible for the formation of genetically distinct populations associated with different host species is known as host‐associated differentiation (HAD). Many insect parasites of plants have been shown to exhibit HAD but there have been fewer studies of HAD in parasites of vertebrate animals. Previous to this study, HAD has been docum...

La zoonosis por COVID-19 trae consigo numerosas lecciones para la humanidad. Una de ellas relacionada con la transformación de nuestro vínculo con la naturaleza, en particular con la vida silvestre, dado el probable origen de COVID-19 relacionado con el comercio ilegal de vida silvestre. De forma similar a las enfermedades transmitidas por vectores...

Wind energy development causes bat fatalities. Despite emphasis on understanding and reducing these impacts, few data are available for the southwest region of the United States and northern Mexico. We monitored bat fatalities for a full year (March 2017–March 2018) at a wind energy facility in south Texas near the United States–Mexico border. We e...

The COVID-19 zoonosis is bringing about a number of lessons to humanity. One is that of transforming our links with nature and, particularly, wildlife given the likely COVID-19 origin from illegal wildlife trading. Similar to vector borne diseases (VBD, diseases transmitted by vectors), the COVID-19 pandemic follows related patterns (e.g. no effect...

Wind turbines are known to cause bat fatalities worldwide. Ultrasonic acoustic deterrents are a potential solution to reduce impacts on bats, but few experimental field studies have been conducted at utility scale wind energy facilities. Our objective was to assess effectiveness of a recently developed deterrent for reducing bat fatalities at wind...

Wildlife interaction with humans increases the risk of potentially infected ticks seeking an opportunistic blood meal and consequently leading to zoonotic transmission. In the United States, human babesiosis is a tick-borne zoonosis most commonly caused by the intraerythrocytic protozoan parasite, Babesia microti. The presence of Babesia microti an...

Recognized as a global biodiversity hotspot, coastal forests in eastern Africa are currently reduced to fragments amidst human modified habitats. Managing for biodiversity depends on our understanding of how many and which species can persist in these modified areas. Aiming at clarifying how habitat structure changes affect bat assemblage compositi...

Hantaviruses (Family: Hantaviridae; genus: Orthohantavirus) and their associated human diseases occur globally and differ according to their geographic distribution. The structure of small mammal assemblages and phylogenetic relatedness among host species are suggested as strong drivers for the maintenance and spread of hantavirus infections in sma...

The Texas kangaroo rat Dipodomys elator is considered a species of conservation concern by state and federal agencies. There have been a limited number of sightings in only seven counties in northern Texas during the past 30 y. The apparent decline of the species has been attributed to habitat loss due to increasing conversion of natural areas into...

Background: The burden of leptospirosis in Puerto Rico remains unclear due to underreporting. Methods: A cross-sectional survey and rodent trapping was performed in a community within San Juan, Puerto Rico to determine the seroprevalence and risk factors for Leptospira infection. The microscopic agglutination test was used to detect anti-Leptosp...

Leptospirosis, an emerging infectious disease caused by bacteria of the genus Leptospira, is thought to be the most widespread zoonotic disease in the world. A first step in preventing the spread of Leptospira is delineating the animal reservoirs that maintain and disperse the bacteria. Quantitative PCR (qPCR) methods targeting the LipL32 gene were...

Hantaviruses, causal agents of the potentially lethal hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, have widely distributed rodent hosts. Using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, we tested blood from 398 wild rodents captured in eastern New Mexico in 2015–17 and found 42 antibody-positive samples representing six genera.

The Gulf Coast kangaroo rat, Dipodomys compactus, is one of five kangaroo rat species occurring in Texas (USA) and probably the least studied. This endemic species has specific habitat requirements, primarily deep loose sand and minimal canopy cover from woody vegetation. On the northern edge of its geographic range, populations of the species are...

Species coexistence at a given locality generally implies segregation along one of the three resource dimensions of the ecological niche: spatial, trophic or temporal. Temporal activity patterns of species are ecologically important as they expose how species exploit their environments. Using camera traps, we evaluated the temporal activity pattern...

Water buffaloes (Bubalus bubalis) were introduced to Mexico at the end of the last century. In Mexico, buffaloes are commonly pastured together with cattle; however few studies have been done on buffalo herd health in Mexico. We hypothesized that a better knowledge of the epidemiology of infections shared between cattle and buffaloes may improve he...

Rodents represent 42% of the world’s mammalian biodiversity encompassing 2,277 species populating every continent (except Antarctica) and are reservoir hosts for a wide diversity of disease agents. Thus, knowing the identity, diversity, host–pathogen relationships, and geographic distribution of rodent-borne zoonotic pathogens, is essential for pre...

Recent models suggest a relationship exists between community diversity and pathogen prevalence, the proportion of individuals in a population that are infected by a pathogen, with most inferences tied to assemblage structure. Two contrasting outcomes of this relationship have been proposed: the “dilution effect” and the “amplification effect.” Sma...

Variación espacial y ambiental en la distribución de murciélagos filostómidos (Chiroptera, Phyllostomidae) en México Los patrones de distribución espacial de las especies permiten comprender el establecimiento de distintos componentes bióticos en diferentes condiciones ambientales. En este estudio se analiza la distribución espacial de la familia P...

High species diversity of the potential animal host community for a zoonotic pathogen may reduce pathogen transmission among the most competent host, a phenomenon called the “dilution effect”, but the mechanisms driving this effect have been little studied. One proposed mechanism is “encounter reduction” where host species of low-competency decreas...

Pairwise comparisons (Watson's U2 test) of activity patterns among rodents combining both seasons. Values above the diagonal correspond to P values. Values below the diagonal dashes correspond to U2 statistic values. Significant results in bold. (DOCX)

Results of ROSARIO algorithm null model analyses of temporal niche overlap (analyses separated by seasons). Overlap was quantified as the average of all pair-wise overlap values calculated via the Czechanowski index, using the numbers of records for each species at two time intervals (30 min and 1 h). P-values are two-tailed probabilities of findin...

Intra- and interspecific interactions of deermice and time of day of each visit to the foraging stations by each species. (XLSX)

Rodent species were assessed as potential hosts of Trypanosoma cruzi, the etiologic agent of Chagas disease, from five sites throughout Texas in sylvan and disturbed habitats. A total of 592 rodents were captured, resulting in a wide taxonomic representation of 11 genera and 15 species. Heart samples of 543 individuals were successfully analyzed by...

Emerging and re-emerging tick-borne diseases threaten public health and the wellbeing of domestic animals and wildlife globally. The adoption of an evolutionary ecology framework aimed to diminish the impact of tick-borne diseases needs to be part of strategies to protect human and animal populations. We present a review of current knowledge on the...

Incidences of atypical color patterns in otters are scarce, particularly for the Neotropical otter (Lontra longicaudis annectens). We report three L. l. annectens individuals, one with partial and two with total leucism; the first otter is from Río Temascaltepec, state of México, and the other two otters are from Mante, Tamaulipas, México. Because...

DEET and Eight commercially available essential oils (oregano, clove, thyme, vetiver, sandalwood, cinnamon, cedarwood, and peppermint) were evaluated for repellency against host-seeking nymphs of the lone star tick, Amblyomma americanum. Concentration-repellency response was established using the vertical paper bioassay technique for each essential...

Background: Ornithodoros turicata is a veterinary and medically important argasid tick that is recognized as a vector of the relapsing fever spirochete Borrelia turicatae and African swine fever virus. Historic collections of O. turicata have been recorded from Latin America to the southern United States. However, the geographic distribution of th...

In a recent Letter to the Editor, Norris et al. questioned the validity of some of our data reported by Feria-Arroyo et al. The main issue investigated by us was the potential impact of climate change on the probable distribution of the tick vector Ixodes scapularis in the Texas-Mexico transboundary region. As an ancillary issue, an analysis of seq...

Transboundary zoonotic diseases, several of which are vector borne, can maintain a dynamic focus and have pathogens circulating in geographic regions encircling multiple geopolitical boundaries. Global change is intensifying transboundary problems, including the spatial variation of the risk and incidence of zoonotic diseases.The complexity of thes...

Funding Information This work is supported by the Fondation pour la Recherche sur la Biodiversit e through its Centre de Synth ese et d'Analyse sur la Biodiversit e (CESAB) and its funded working group program " Disentangling the linkages between biodiversity and emerging infectious diseases " (BIODIS), and with additional support from the internat...

Transboundary zoonotic diseases, several of which are vector borne, can maintain a dynamic focus and have pathogens circulating in geographic regions encircling multiple geopoliti-cal boundaries. Global change is intensifying transboundary problems, including the spatial variation of the risk and incidence of zoonotic diseases. The complexity of th...

Bovine babesiosis and anaplasmosis are deadly cattle diseases caused by microorganisms transmitted by the southern cattle fever tick (SCFT), Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus, which is considered the most economically important ectoparasite of livestock worldwide. Humans brought animals infested with the SCFT to Puerto Rico (PR). Eradication effo...

Background/Question/Methods Ticks transmit more pathogen species than any other group of blood-feeding arthropods worldwide, affecting humans, livestock and companion animals. The major impact of tick-borne pathogens on the general public in North America and Europe first became evident with the detection of Borrelia burgdorferi as the causative...

Disease risk maps are important tools that help ascertain the likelihood of exposure to specific infectious agents. Understanding how climate change may affect the suitability of habitats for ticks will improve the accuracy of risk maps of tick-borne pathogen transmission in humans and domestic animal populations. Lyme disease (LD) is the most prev...

We assessed the differences and similarities in diel activities among five phytophagous bat species at two habitats over two seasons within the Sierra del Rosario Biosphere Reserve in Cuba. We characterized temporal patterns of activity and overlap of temporal activity for frugivore and nectarivore bat species (Artibeus jamaicensis, Monophyllus red...

We provide the first report of the jaguar (Panthera onca) as a host of the black-legged tick (Ixodes scapularis). This is the first record of this ectoparasite in wild felids in Mexico. RESUMEN—Reportamos el primer registro de jaguar (Panthera onca) como un hospedero de la garrapata (Ixodes scapularis). Este registro constituye el primero para este...

Terrestrial gastropods zoogeography in Southern Tamaulipas, México. Biogeography of Mexican terrestrial mollusks is poorly known, although many studies have described some of their biological aspects. This study aimed to contribute with new information on the distribution of terrestrial mollusks in this region of high altitudinal, topographic and c...

Use of time as mediator of ecological interactions is important but has been poorly studied and has received less attention than other niche axes. We characterized and compared patterns of activity, and temporal activity overlap of a bat assemblage at a riparian forest from La Peregrina Canyon, Tamaulipas, Mexico. Bats were captured during twenty o...

Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS) is a rare disease with a high mortality rate, caused by New World viral species of the genus Hantavirus. The presence of hantaviruses both north and south of Mexico suggests an extended presence through the country. Our objective was to conduct serologic tests to detect antibodies against hantaviruses in wild rod...

Biogeography of Mexican terrestrial mollusks is poorly known, although many studies have described some of their biological aspects. This study aimed to contribute with new information on the distribution of terrestrial mollusks in this region of high altitudinal, topographic and climatic variations of Southern Tamaulipas State, México. For this, t...

We present records of the first specimens of the collared anteater (Tamandua mexicana) from Tamaulipas, Mexico. We document the northernmost locality of this Neotropical species, extending the known geographical distribution into northeastern Mexico. RESUMEN—Presentamos los registros de los primeros especímenes del oso hormiguero (Tamandua mexicana...

BSTRACT—We assessed geographical range of pacas Cuniculus paca in the northern Neotropics based onhistorical and recent records. We report two new records from Tamaulipas and Hidalgo. These records confirm presence of pacas in this region and support our proposed geographical range along lower elevationsof eastern slopes of the Sierra Madre Oriental...

Elevational gradients provide a natural experiment for assessing the extent to which the structure of animal metacommunities is molded by biotic and abiotic characteristics that change gradually, or is molded by aspects of plant community composition and physiognomy that change in a more discrete fashion. We used a metacommunity framework to integr...

The metacommunity framework integrates species-specific responses to environmental gradients to detect emergent patterns of mesoscale organization. Abiotic characteristics (temperature, precipitation) and associated vegetation types change with elevation in a predictable fashion, providing opportunities to decouple effects of environmental gradient...

Direct studies of mammalian carnivores are challenging due to the animals' secretive nature and the high costs associated with their capture and handling. Use of noninvasive hair sampling to survey these reclusive species has great potential as an alternative, with wide applicability in ecology and conservation. Hair-trapping has been extensively u...

1. Although time can be subdivided to promote species coexistence, quantitative examination of assemblage-wide temporal niche overlap has seldom been explored with appropriate null models. Because of the sequential and continuous nature of time, it requires a different kind of randomization model than those used to assess subdivision of discrete an...

Charles Dogson (cuyo nombre perdurable es Lewis Carroll) inmortalizó un simpático lepórido blanco con chaleco en su narración más famosa. Al principio de dicha historia este conejo pasa corriendo junto a Alicia exclamando "Ay Dios!, Ay Dios! Llegare tardísimo!" al mismo tiempo que saca un reloj para mirar la hora. A lo largo de esta historia el con...

Temporal niche partitioning can be a viable mechanism for coexistence, but has received less attention than other niche axes. We characterized and compared patterns of activity, and overlap of temporal activity among the five common rodent species from a tropical semideciduous forest (TSF) and between the two common rodent species from cloud forest...

Because global timber demands continue to threaten tropical rain forests, identification of sustainable-use forest management protocols that meet human needs while preserving biodiversity is critical. Reduced-impact logging (RIL) protocols are increasingly common in the tropics and may be a viable option for sustainable forest use; however, few stu...

Reduced-impact logging (RIL) represents a viable option for sustainable use of Neotropical lowland forests while minimizing negative effects on local biodiversity. Many Neotropical bats of the family Phyllostomidae provide ecosystem services associated with pollination and seed dispersal that promote the regeneration of disturbed areas; therefore,...

Ecological assessments of the effects of anthropogenic change often focus on species richness or species abundances. Nonetheless, changes in behavior (e.g., activity patterns) may provide equally important insights into responses to disturbance that have conservation or management implications. Because many neotropical bats provide critical ecosyst...

Wild rodents (n=248) were trapped in two ecologically distinct sites at El Cielo Biosphere Reserve in the state of Tamaulipas, Mexico, during the summer of 2003. Samples from 199 individuals were tested for Hantavirus antibodies by an indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Hantavirus antibodies to recombinant Sin Nombre virus nucleocap...

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