Host-parasite dialogue: fecundity compensation mechanisms of Fissurella crassa
Parasites can alter the reproductive performance of their hosts, and to avoid or mitigate the resulting fitness loss, hosts may increase their current reproductive output to compensate for the future loss due to the parasitic infection. Fecundity compensation can be exploited by parasites for their...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2024-01-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Marine Science |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmars.2023.1266405/full |
| _version_ | 1797353626653425664 |
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| author | M. Roberto García-Huidobro M. Roberto García-Huidobro Miguel Reyes Nelson Caro Fuentes Tamara Bruna Fabián Guzmán-Rivas Ángel Urzúa José Pulgar José Pulgar Marcela Aldana Marcela Aldana |
| author_facet | M. Roberto García-Huidobro M. Roberto García-Huidobro Miguel Reyes Nelson Caro Fuentes Tamara Bruna Fabián Guzmán-Rivas Ángel Urzúa José Pulgar José Pulgar Marcela Aldana Marcela Aldana |
| author_sort | M. Roberto García-Huidobro |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Parasites can alter the reproductive performance of their hosts, and to avoid or mitigate the resulting fitness loss, hosts may increase their current reproductive output to compensate for the future loss due to the parasitic infection. Fecundity compensation can be exploited by parasites for their own transmission (exploitation of host compensatory responses by parasites). However, this phenomenon has rarely been reported in second intermediate hosts of trematodes and its mechanisms and consequences largely unexplored. Along the east coast of the South Pacific, the second intermediate host, the mollusk Fissurella crassa, has been observed to display higher muscular foot, greater shell length and weight, and a higher gonadosomatic index when parasitized by metacercariaes of Proctoeces humboldti compared to non-parasitized hosts. In this study, we examined the histology, biochemistry (glucose, lipids, and proteins), and levels of sex hormones (estradiol and progesterone) in both parasitized and non-parasitized female individuals of F. crassa. Our findings revealed that the gonad of parasitized limpets had a higher density of oocytes, but these had a smaller individual area. Additionally, the gonadal tissue of parasitized limpets exhibited lower glucose content but higher lipid content. Notably, the levels of progesterone increased with parasite intensity. These results suggest that F. crassa possesses the ability to compensate for the negative effects of parasites by increasing the number of oocytes through biochemical and hormonal mechanisms. Our study contributes to the limited research on the impact of metacercariae on the reproduction of second intermediate hosts. Furthermore, we discuss how these changes in parasitized limpets could benefit parasite transmission. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-08T13:32:48Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-c9b46c4235864892951bae312c239361 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2296-7745 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-08T13:32:48Z |
| publishDate | 2024-01-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Marine Science |
| spelling | doaj.art-c9b46c4235864892951bae312c2393612024-01-17T04:43:11ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Marine Science2296-77452024-01-011010.3389/fmars.2023.12664051266405Host-parasite dialogue: fecundity compensation mechanisms of Fissurella crassaM. Roberto García-Huidobro0M. Roberto García-Huidobro1Miguel Reyes2Nelson Caro Fuentes3Tamara Bruna4Fabián Guzmán-Rivas5Ángel Urzúa6José Pulgar7José Pulgar8Marcela Aldana9Marcela Aldana10Centro de Investigación e Innovación para el Cambio Climático, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Santo Tomás, Santiago, ChilePrograma de Doctorado en Conservación y Gestión de la Biodiversidad, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Santo Tomás, Santiago, ChileCentro de Investigación e Innovación para el Cambio Climático, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Santo Tomás, Santiago, ChileCentro de Investigación Austral Biotech, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Santo Tomás, Santiago, ChileCentro de Investigación Austral Biotech, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Santo Tomás, Santiago, ChilePrograma de Doctorado en Ciencias mención Biodiversidad y Biorecursos, Universidad Católica de la Santísima Concepción, Concepción, ChileDepartamento de Ecología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Católica de la Santísima Concepción, Concepción, ChileDepartamento de Ecología y Biodiversidad, Facultad de Ciencias de la Vida, Universidad Andres Bello, Santiago, ChileCentro de Investigaciones marinas de Quintay, Facultad de Ciencias de la Vida, Universidad Andres Bello, Valparaíso, ChileCentro de Investigación e Innovación para el Cambio Climático, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Santo Tomás, Santiago, ChilePrograma de Doctorado en Conservación y Gestión de la Biodiversidad, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Santo Tomás, Santiago, ChileParasites can alter the reproductive performance of their hosts, and to avoid or mitigate the resulting fitness loss, hosts may increase their current reproductive output to compensate for the future loss due to the parasitic infection. Fecundity compensation can be exploited by parasites for their own transmission (exploitation of host compensatory responses by parasites). However, this phenomenon has rarely been reported in second intermediate hosts of trematodes and its mechanisms and consequences largely unexplored. Along the east coast of the South Pacific, the second intermediate host, the mollusk Fissurella crassa, has been observed to display higher muscular foot, greater shell length and weight, and a higher gonadosomatic index when parasitized by metacercariaes of Proctoeces humboldti compared to non-parasitized hosts. In this study, we examined the histology, biochemistry (glucose, lipids, and proteins), and levels of sex hormones (estradiol and progesterone) in both parasitized and non-parasitized female individuals of F. crassa. Our findings revealed that the gonad of parasitized limpets had a higher density of oocytes, but these had a smaller individual area. Additionally, the gonadal tissue of parasitized limpets exhibited lower glucose content but higher lipid content. Notably, the levels of progesterone increased with parasite intensity. These results suggest that F. crassa possesses the ability to compensate for the negative effects of parasites by increasing the number of oocytes through biochemical and hormonal mechanisms. Our study contributes to the limited research on the impact of metacercariae on the reproduction of second intermediate hosts. Furthermore, we discuss how these changes in parasitized limpets could benefit parasite transmission.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmars.2023.1266405/fullProctoeces humboldtisecond intermediate hostReproductive performanceGonadal histologyBiochemical responses |
| spellingShingle | M. Roberto García-Huidobro M. Roberto García-Huidobro Miguel Reyes Nelson Caro Fuentes Tamara Bruna Fabián Guzmán-Rivas Ángel Urzúa José Pulgar José Pulgar Marcela Aldana Marcela Aldana Host-parasite dialogue: fecundity compensation mechanisms of Fissurella crassa Frontiers in Marine Science Proctoeces humboldti second intermediate host Reproductive performance Gonadal histology Biochemical responses |
| title | Host-parasite dialogue: fecundity compensation mechanisms of Fissurella crassa |
| title_full | Host-parasite dialogue: fecundity compensation mechanisms of Fissurella crassa |
| title_fullStr | Host-parasite dialogue: fecundity compensation mechanisms of Fissurella crassa |
| title_full_unstemmed | Host-parasite dialogue: fecundity compensation mechanisms of Fissurella crassa |
| title_short | Host-parasite dialogue: fecundity compensation mechanisms of Fissurella crassa |
| title_sort | host parasite dialogue fecundity compensation mechanisms of fissurella crassa |
| topic | Proctoeces humboldti second intermediate host Reproductive performance Gonadal histology Biochemical responses |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmars.2023.1266405/full |
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