The genetic population structures of the freshwater snail Bulinus globosus and its trematode parasite Schistosoma haematobium from 8 river sites in the Zimbabwean highveld were compared using randomly amplified DNA (RAPD) markers. There was significant variability between snail populations collected at different sites, but schistosome populations only showed differentiation at a wider geographical scale (between 2 non-connected river systems). For snails, genetic distance was better correlated with proximity along rivers than absolute geographical separation. In contrast, schistosome genetic distance was better correlated with absolute geographical separation than proximity along rivers. These results are consistent with different dispersal mechanisms for snails and schistosomes and the implications for host-parasite coevolution are discussed.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.