Divergence in host–parasite interactions during the cane toad's invasion of Australia

Justicia, Lia Schlippe; Mayer, Martin; Shine, Richard; Shilton, Catherine M.; Brown, Gregory P.

doi:10.1002/ece3.9220

Cited by 7 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 58 publications

(124 reference statements)

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“…Although selection and spatial sorting of dispersal-enhancing traits have altered immune investment of toads at the range edge [14,39,40], toads from the invasion front retained effective immune defences against lungworms from long-colonized areas (figure 2). The high infection success of invasion-front lungworms (consistent with earlier studies: [18,19,25]) cannot be explained by larger larvae, because the sizes of L3 used for experimental infections did not differ significantly among states. Instead, the higher infection abundances of invasion-front lungworms may result from circumstances that intensify selection on the ability of parasites to infect new hosts.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 86%

“…Most of the cane toad's native-range parasites were left behind during the species' stepwise translocation to Australia [15,16], but a nematode lungworm Rhabdias pseudosphaerocephala was carried by the colonizing toads, and now occurs at high prevalence and intensity in most of the toad's invaded range [16]. However, the lungworm is absent from the toad invasion front, where low host densities reduce transmission opportunities [17,18] and thus are expected to increase selection on parasite infectivity [19].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A biological invasion modifies the dynamics of a host–parasite arms race

Brown,

Shine,

Rollins

2024

Proc. R. Soc. B.

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By imposing novel selection pressures on both participants, biological invasions can modify evolutionary ‘arms races’ between hosts and parasites. A spatially replicated cross-infection experiment reveals strong spatial divergence in the ability of lungworms ( Rhabdias pseudosphaerocephala ) to infect invasive cane toads ( Rhinella marina ) in Australia. In areas colonized for longer than 20 years, toads are more resistant to infection by local strains of parasites than by allopatric strains. The situation reverses at the invasion front, where super-infective parasites have evolved. Invasion-induced shifts in genetic diversity and selective pressures may explain why hosts gain advantage over parasites in long-colonized areas, whereas parasites gain advantage at the invasion front.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 86%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A biological invasion modifies the dynamics of a host–parasite arms race

Brown,

Shine,

Rollins

2024

Proc. R. Soc. B.

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“…Intuitively, we may expect that virulent parasites select for increased resistance and that this removes a parasite-imposed range speed limit. Such a case of resistance evolution has been found for populations of the cane toad infested by lung-worms at the range margin [42,43]. Theory further suggests that natural enemies select for changes in host dispersal.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 85%

Travelling with a parasite: the evolution of resistance and dispersal syndromes during experimental range expansion

et al. 2023

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Rapid evolutionary change during range expansions can lead to diverging range core and front populations, with the emergence of dispersal syndromes (coupled responses in dispersal and life-history traits). Besides intraspecific effects, range expansions may be impacted by interspecific interactions such as parasitism. Yet, despite the potentially large impact of parasites imposing additional selective pressures on the host, their role on range expansions remains largely unexplored. Using microcosm populations of the ciliate Paramecium caudatum and its bacterial parasite Holospora undulata , we studied experimental range expansions under parasite presence or absence. We found that the interaction of range expansion and parasite treatments affected the evolution of host dispersal syndromes. Namely, front populations showed different associations of population growth parameters and swimming behaviours than core populations, indicating divergent evolution. Parasitism reshaped trait associations, with hosts evolved in the presence of the parasite exhibiting overall increased resistance and reduced dispersal. Nonetheless, when comparing infected range core and front populations, we found a positive association, suggesting joint evolution of resistance and dispersal at the front. We conclude that host–parasite interactions during range expansions can change evolutionary trajectories; this in turn may feedback on the ecological dynamics of the range expansion and parasite epidemics.

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“…Intuitively, we may expect that virulent parasites select for increased resistance and that this removes a parasite-imposed range speed limit. Such a case of resistance evolution has been found for populations of the cane toad infested by lung-worms at the range margin [41,42]. Theory further suggests that natural enemies select for changes in host dispersal.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 85%

Travelling with a parasite: the evolution of resistance and dispersal syndromes during experimental range expansion

Zilio¹,

Nørgaard²,

Gougat-Barberá³

et al. 2020

Preprint

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Spatial dynamics of range-shifting species can be deeply affected by biotic interactions. One ubiquitous type of biotic interaction involves parasites. These can affect nearly all biological systems and impose major selective pressure on the host, leading to rapid evolutionary responses. Despite the potentially large impact of parasites, their role on host dispersal and subsequent range expansions remains mostly unexplored.Therefore, we investigated whether parasites affect and alter host evolution during experimental range expansions. Using microbial model organisms spreading in microcosm landscapes, we found multi-trait evolution and rapid evolutionary shifts in dispersal syndromes due to spatial dynamics and parasitism. As predicted by theory, hosts that had evolved in the absence of parasites changed their movement pattern and increased dispersal at the range margins. The presence of parasites during the range expansion reshaped host phenotypic divergence between front and core, with hosts exhibiting overall reduced dispersal but increased resistance in the front. We suggest that the evolved differences in resistance and other host traits may be associated with a trade-off between dispersal and foraging efficiency.Our work shows that the eco-evolutionary interactions between host and parasite during range expansions can shift the contenders to novel evolutionary trajectories and result in unexpected evolutionary outcomes. Understanding and finding general patterns to these complex dynamics is of critical relevance for conservation and disease management.

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Divergence in host–parasite interactions during the cane toad's invasion of Australia

Cited by 7 publications

References 58 publications

A biological invasion modifies the dynamics of a host–parasite arms race

A biological invasion modifies the dynamics of a host–parasite arms race

Travelling with a parasite: the evolution of resistance and dispersal syndromes during experimental range expansion

Travelling with a parasite: the evolution of resistance and dispersal syndromes during experimental range expansion

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