Experimental parasite community ecology: intraspecific variation in a large tapeworm affects community assembly

Benesh, Daniel P.; Kalbe, Martin

doi:10.1111/1365-2656.12527

Cited by 39 publications

(51 citation statements)

References 91 publications

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“…We chose two populations of cestodes (Table ). S. solidus from lake Skogseidvatnet grow consistently faster than S. solidus from Neustädter Binnenwasser (Benesh & Kalbe, ; Kalbe et al, ; Ritter et al, ), thus justifying the conceptual names for the two types: HG (high growth) and LG (low growth) S. solidus . Two S. solidus sibships were used per population.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Such an approach neglects the complexity of natural systems and the consequences of coinfection. Indeed, parasite species can influence one another (Benesh & Kalbe, ), especially if multiple parasites infect one host. In such a case, coinfecting parasites interact directly or indirectly, for example through resource competition or effects on host immunity (Betts et al, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The vertebrate immune system coevolved with helminth parasites (metazoans classified as cestodes, nematodes and trematodes) that are exceptional immune modulators (Anthony, Rutitzky, Urban, Stadecker, & Gause, ; Khan & Fallon, ; Maizels, ). It has been shown that helminth infections can alter susceptibility to macroparasites (Benesh & Kalbe, ; Lello, Boag, Fenton, Stevenson, & Hudson, ; Pedersen & Antonovics, ) and microbes (Giacomin, Croese, Krause, Loukas, & Cantacessi, ; Graham, ). Moreover, helminth‐mediated downregulation of host immunity is observed to suppress autoimmune or inflammatory disorders such as asthma, rheumatoid arthritis, type 1 diabetes, multiple sclerosis, and inflammatory bowel diseases (Maizels & McSorley, ; Maizels & Yazdanbakhsh, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Habitat specific immunity and immune gene expression have been described (Huang et al, ; Lenz, Eizaguirre, Rotter, Kalbe, & Milinski, ; Lohman, Steinel, Weber, & Bolnick, ; Wegner, Reusch, & Kalbe, ). However, little is known about temporal changes and the ecological effects of the host's response to infection (see Benesh & Kalbe, ; Brunner et al, ). In an ecological context, host‐parasite interactions potentially influence the occurrence and ultimately the coevolutionary trajectories of coinfecting parasites and the fitness consequences on the host (Betts et al, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Following those findings, we exposed S. solidus infected and sham‐exposed control fish to a defined number of Diplostomum pseudospathaceum cercariae 3, 6 and 9 weeks post S. solidus infection. The susceptibility to D. pseudospathaceum was used as an indicator for the potential systemic modulatory effect of S. solidus and interparasitic interactions (Benesh & Kalbe, ). S. solidus’ effect on stickleback immune gene expression was studied in S. solidus infected and coinfected hosts (Figure ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The right response at the right time: Exploring helminth immune modulation in sticklebacks by experimental coinfection

2019

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Parasites are one of the strongest selective agents in nature. They select for hosts that evolve counter‐adaptive strategies to cope with infection. Helminth parasites are special because they can modulate their hosts’ immune responses. This phenomenon is important in epidemiological contexts, where coinfections may be affected. How different types of hosts and helminths interact with each other is insufficiently investigated. We used the three‐spined stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) – Schistocephalus solidus model to study mechanisms and temporal components of helminth immune modulation. Sticklebacks from two contrasting populations with either high resistance (HR) or low resistance (LR) against S. solidus, were individually exposed to S. solidus strains with characteristically high growth (HG) or low growth (LG) in G. aculeatus. We determined the susceptibility to another parasite, the eye fluke Diplostomum pseudospathaceum, and the expression of 23 key immune genes at three time points after S. solidus infection. D. pseudospathaceum infection rates and the gene expression responses depended on host and S. solidus type and changed over time. Whereas the effect of S. solidus type was not significant after three weeks, T regulatory responses and complement components were upregulated at later time points if hosts were infected with HG S. solidus. HR hosts showed a well orchestrated immune response, which was absent in LR hosts. Our results emphasize the role of regulatory T cells and the timing of specific immune responses during helminth infections. This study elucidates the importance to consider different coevolutionary trajectories and ecologies when studying host‐parasite interactions.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The right response at the right time: Exploring helminth immune modulation in sticklebacks by experimental coinfection

2019

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Differences in prey personality mediate trophic cascades

Sommer

Schmitz

2020

Ecology and Evolution

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Functional trait approaches in ecology chiefly assume the mean trait value of a population adequately predicts the outcome of species interactions. Yet this assumption ignores substantial trait variation among individuals within a population, which can have a profound effect on community structure and function. We explored individual trait variation through the lens of animal personality to test whether among‐individual variation in prey behavior mediates trophic interactions. We quantified the structure of personalities within a population of generalist grasshoppers and examined, through a number of field and laboratory‐based experiments, how personality types could impact tri‐trophic interactions in a food chain. Unlike other studies of this nature, we used spatial habitat domains to evaluate how personality types mechanistically map to behaviors relevant in predator–prey dynamics and found shy and bold individuals differed in both their habitat use and foraging strategy under predation risk by a sit‐and‐wait spider predator. In the field‐based mesocosm portion of our study, we found experimental populations of personality types differed in their trophic impact, demonstrating that prey personality can mediate trophic cascades. We found no differences in respiration rates or body size between personality types used in the mesocosm experiment, indicating relative differences in trophic impact were not due to variation in prey physiology but rather variation in behavioral strategies. Our work demonstrates how embracing the complexity of individual trait variation can offer mechanistically richer understanding of the processes underlying trophic interactions.

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Pathogenic endoparasites of the spotted seatrout, Cynoscion nebulosus: patterns of infection in estuaries of South Carolina, USA

et al. 2017

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Six types of pathogenic endoparasites in an economically important fish, spotted seatrout Cynoscion nebulosus, were studied in order to test whether prevalence of infection and assemblage richness varied with season, host sex, host size, or host age. Fish were collected from South Carolina estuaries, USA, over 12 months (n = 216; total lengths 15-663 mm). They were screened histologically for presence of Henneguya cynoscioni (Myxozoa) and Cardicola spp. (Digenea) in the heart, Kudoa inornata (Myxozoa) in the skeletal muscle, Sinuolinea dimorpha (Myxozoa) in the urinary system, Ichthyophonus sp. (Mesomycetozoea) in the kidney, and an unidentified microsporidian in the liver. Prevalence of infection was 29.8, 38.6, 47.2, 41.2, 13.6, and 2.8%, respectively. All factors had significant, but varying effects on the parasites. Parasite infections were more prevalent in winter than other seasons for Cardicola spp. and H. cynoscioni, more prevalent in winter and spring for Ichthyophonus sp., and more prevalent in male fish than female fish for K. inornata, S. dimorpha, and Ichthyophonus. Prevalence of infection by the three myxosporeans and Cardicola spp. increased with fish length, whereas prevalence of Ichthyophonus increased with length among young fish, but decreased with length among older fish. None of the factors affected the liver microsporidian, although statistical power was low due to its rareness. Assemblage richness varied between 0 and 5, was greater during winter and in male fish, and increased with fish length and fish age. Our results demonstrate that spotted seatrout are commonly co-infected by multiple pathogenic endoparasites, suggesting these parasites likely play an import role in controlling fish population numbers.

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Experimental parasite community ecology: intraspecific variation in a large tapeworm affects community assembly

Cited by 39 publications

References 91 publications

The right response at the right time: Exploring helminth immune modulation in sticklebacks by experimental coinfection

The right response at the right time: Exploring helminth immune modulation in sticklebacks by experimental coinfection

Differences in prey personality mediate trophic cascades

Pathogenic endoparasites of the spotted seatrout, Cynoscion nebulosus: patterns of infection in estuaries of South Carolina, USA

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