Sex-biased interactions between spur-thighed tortoises (Testudo graeca) and hindgut nematodes

Sex-biased interactions between spur-thighed tortoises (Testudo graeca) and hindgut nematodes | Authorea try { document.documentElement.classList.add('js'); } catch (e) { } var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'G-8VDV14Y67G']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); Skip to main content Preprints Collections Wiley Open Research IET Open Research Ecological Society of Japan All Collections About About Authorea FAQs Contact Us Quick Search anywhere Search for preprint articles, keywords, etc. Search Search ADVANCED SEARCH SCROLL This is a preprint and has not been peer reviewed. Data may be preliminary. 10 February 2026 V1 Latest version Share on Sex-biased interactions between spur-thighed tortoises (Testudo graeca) and hindgut nematodes Authors : Julieta Benítez-Malvido 0000-0001-6180-1651 [email protected] , Eva Graciá 0000-0003-0790-163X , Andrés Giménez , Irais Avila-Eulogio , Diana Méndez Rojas 0000-0002-5863-4044 , Roberto Rodríguez-Caro 0000-0003-2321-9497 , Rocío Ruiz-De Ybáñez , and Anna Traveset Authors Info & Affiliations https://doi.org/10.22541/au.177070879.99878872/v1 141 views 75 downloads Contents Abstract Supplementary Material Information & Authors Metrics & Citations View Options References Figures Tables Media Share Abstract 1. The nature of endosymbiont interactions is driven by different ecological and evolutionary processes. In herbivorous reptiles exhibiting sexual dimorphism, it remains unclear whether host´s sex and habitat type influence their interactions with hindgut nematodes. 2. To explore this, we sampled spur-thighed tortoises (Testudo graeca) across different land-use practices in southern Spain (Mediterranean shrublands, traditional and intensified agricultural fields, pine plantations, and unproductive lands). For male and female tortoises, we assessed the relationships between nematode infestation with body traits (weight, height, volume, plastron width, and carapace length) and growth rates, across different land uses. Further, we investigated differences in species composition and diversity of hindgut nematode communities between sexes. Finally, with an intrapopulation ecological network approach, we evaluated the structure and diversity of tortoise-nematode interactions by focusing on nematode species infesting individual male and female tortoises. 3. The results revealed a sex-mediated relationship between nematodes and tortoises. Although nematode prevalence and infestation were similar between sexes, infestation increased with body size and weight in females, whereas in males, infestation was negatively related to size. At low levels of nematode infestation, males grew faster than females; however, as infestation increased, male growth rates declined, whereas female growth remained stable. In both sexes, nematode infestation decreased with the proportion of unproductive lands, and growth rates increased significantly in response to this landscape characteristic. Females hosted significantly more diverse and evenly distributed nematode communities than males despite low compositional dissimilarity between sexes. Nestedness was greater in female-nematode networks, suggesting that nematodes can be more easily transmitted across these networks compared with males. 4. Overall, females seem more resilient to nematode infestation than males. These findings have important implications for understanding the complex interactions between hindgut nematodes, habitat loss and host ecophysiological traits, which emphasises the need for sex-directed conservation approaches for tortoises. Supplementary Material File (jbmetalecolevol-ms.doc) Download 9.10 MB Information & Authors Information Version history V1 Version 1 10 February 2026 Copyright This work is licensed under a Non Exclusive No Reuse License. Keywords comparative evolutionary ecology multiple natural history terrestrial Authors Affiliations Julieta Benítez-Malvido 0000-0001-6180-1651 [email protected] Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico View all articles by this author Eva Graciá 0000-0003-0790-163X Universidad Miguel Hernandez de Elche View all articles by this author Andrés Giménez Universidad Miguel Hernandez de Elche View all articles by this author Irais Avila-Eulogio Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México View all articles by this author Diana Méndez Rojas 0000-0002-5863-4044 Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México View all articles by this author Roberto Rodríguez-Caro 0000-0003-2321-9497 Universidad Miguel Hernandez de Elche View all articles by this author Rocío Ruiz-De Ybáñez Universidad de Murcia View all articles by this author Anna Traveset Spanish Scientific Research Council View all articles by this author Metrics & Citations Metrics Article Usage 141 views 75 downloads .FvxKWukQNSOunydq8rnd { width: 100px; } Citations Download citation Julieta Benítez-Malvido, Eva Graciá, Andrés Giménez, et al. Sex-biased interactions between spur-thighed tortoises (Testudo graeca) and hindgut nematodes. Authorea . 10 February 2026. DOI: https://doi.org/10.22541/au.177070879.99878872/v1 If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download. For more information or tips please see 'Downloading to a citation manager' in the Help menu . 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