Parasite infection and the movement of the aquatic snail Potamopyrgus antipodarum along a depth cline
Abstract Parasite species that use two or more host species during their life cycle depend on successful transmission between these species. These successive host species may have different habitat requirements. For example, one host species may be aquatic while the other is terrestrial. To overcome...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wiley
2023-05-01
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| Series: | Ecology and Evolution |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.10124 |
| _version_ | 1797776517970788352 |
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| author | Frida Feijen Claudia Buser Kirsten Klappert Jukka Jokela |
| author_facet | Frida Feijen Claudia Buser Kirsten Klappert Jukka Jokela |
| author_sort | Frida Feijen |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Parasite species that use two or more host species during their life cycle depend on successful transmission between these species. These successive host species may have different habitat requirements. For example, one host species may be aquatic while the other is terrestrial. To overcome this complicating factor in transmission, a wide diversity of parasite species have adaptations that alter the habitat preference in one host species to facilitate transmission to the next host species. Two common trematode parasites in New Zealand, Atriophallophorus winterbourni and Notocotylus spp., both have a life cycle with two host species. The aquatic snail Potamopyrgus antipodarum is the intermediate host, from which the parasites require transmission to dabbling ducks or other waterfowl. Of these parasites, A. winterbourni is most frequently found in snails from the shallow‐water margin. This may indicate parasite‐induced movement of infected snails into the foraging habitat of dabbling ducks. To test whether the parasites manipulate the snails to move into shallow water, we stretched tubular mesh cages across depth‐specific ecological habitat zones in a lake. Both infected and healthy snails were released into the cages. After 11 days, significantly higher infection frequencies of A. winterbourni were retrieved from the shallowest end of the cages, while Notocotylus spp. frequencies did not vary with depth. The hypothesis that A. winterbourni induces its snail host to move into the shallow‐water habitat cannot be rejected based on the experimental results. Although further research is needed to address alternative explanations, the depth preference of infected snails may be due to a parasite adaptation that facilitates trophic transmission of parasites to dabbling ducks. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-12T22:52:09Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-8c148dcc44ed4d12827784d7a1f6bd08 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2045-7758 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-12T22:52:09Z |
| publishDate | 2023-05-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Ecology and Evolution |
| spelling | doaj.art-8c148dcc44ed4d12827784d7a1f6bd082023-07-20T08:50:56ZengWileyEcology and Evolution2045-77582023-05-01135n/an/a10.1002/ece3.10124Parasite infection and the movement of the aquatic snail Potamopyrgus antipodarum along a depth clineFrida Feijen0Claudia Buser1Kirsten Klappert2Jukka Jokela3Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology Dübendorf SwitzerlandEawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology Dübendorf SwitzerlandEawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology Dübendorf SwitzerlandEawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology Dübendorf SwitzerlandAbstract Parasite species that use two or more host species during their life cycle depend on successful transmission between these species. These successive host species may have different habitat requirements. For example, one host species may be aquatic while the other is terrestrial. To overcome this complicating factor in transmission, a wide diversity of parasite species have adaptations that alter the habitat preference in one host species to facilitate transmission to the next host species. Two common trematode parasites in New Zealand, Atriophallophorus winterbourni and Notocotylus spp., both have a life cycle with two host species. The aquatic snail Potamopyrgus antipodarum is the intermediate host, from which the parasites require transmission to dabbling ducks or other waterfowl. Of these parasites, A. winterbourni is most frequently found in snails from the shallow‐water margin. This may indicate parasite‐induced movement of infected snails into the foraging habitat of dabbling ducks. To test whether the parasites manipulate the snails to move into shallow water, we stretched tubular mesh cages across depth‐specific ecological habitat zones in a lake. Both infected and healthy snails were released into the cages. After 11 days, significantly higher infection frequencies of A. winterbourni were retrieved from the shallowest end of the cages, while Notocotylus spp. frequencies did not vary with depth. The hypothesis that A. winterbourni induces its snail host to move into the shallow‐water habitat cannot be rejected based on the experimental results. Although further research is needed to address alternative explanations, the depth preference of infected snails may be due to a parasite adaptation that facilitates trophic transmission of parasites to dabbling ducks.https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.10124behavioral manipulationmultiple‐host life cyclesparasitism |
| spellingShingle | Frida Feijen Claudia Buser Kirsten Klappert Jukka Jokela Parasite infection and the movement of the aquatic snail Potamopyrgus antipodarum along a depth cline Ecology and Evolution behavioral manipulation multiple‐host life cycles parasitism |
| title | Parasite infection and the movement of the aquatic snail Potamopyrgus antipodarum along a depth cline |
| title_full | Parasite infection and the movement of the aquatic snail Potamopyrgus antipodarum along a depth cline |
| title_fullStr | Parasite infection and the movement of the aquatic snail Potamopyrgus antipodarum along a depth cline |
| title_full_unstemmed | Parasite infection and the movement of the aquatic snail Potamopyrgus antipodarum along a depth cline |
| title_short | Parasite infection and the movement of the aquatic snail Potamopyrgus antipodarum along a depth cline |
| title_sort | parasite infection and the movement of the aquatic snail potamopyrgus antipodarum along a depth cline |
| topic | behavioral manipulation multiple‐host life cycles parasitism |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.10124 |
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