The Effect of a Trematode Parasite (Microphallus Sp.) on the Response of the Freshwater Snail Potamopyrgus Antipodarum to Light and Gravity

Levri, Edward P.; Fisher, Len

doi:10.1163/156853900502565

Cited by 21 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 31 publications

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“…Earlier studies have showed that snails infected by Microphallus sp. move more slowly (Levri & Fisher, 2000) and spend more time in the shaded underside of rocks during the day (Levri, 1999) than uninfected conspecifics. However, the response of Microphallus-infected snails to chemical cues from a fish predator, the common bully Gobiomorphus cotidianus, was not different from that of uninfected snails (Levri, 1998).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Behavioural impacts of trematodes on their snail host: Species‐specific effects or generalised response?

Poulin

Selbach

2018

Ethology

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Behavioural changes induced by parasites are extremely common, but their ultimate causes are often difficult to determine: they may represent adaptive manipulation by the parasite, adaptive responses by the host, or non‐adaptive side‐effects of infection. Contrasting the impacts of different parasites on the same host species offers an opportunity to test for species‐specific changes in host behaviour, which are less likely to be general side‐effects. Here, we tested the impacts of three trematode species (Apatemon sp. I, Plagiorchioid sp. I, and Maritrema poulini) on movement, microhabitat choice and responses to predator cues of their common intermediate host, the freshwater snail Potamopyrgus antipodarum. All three trematodes cause the castration of their host, and thus adaptive host responses to infection can be ruled out. In laboratory trials, snails infected with Apatemon sp. I moved a shorter total distance during the experimental period than uninfected control snails. However, all three trematode species similarly neutralised the attraction to lighted areas shown by uninfected snails, and none of the trematodes affected the time spent moving by their host or its responses to predator cues. Overall, there was little evidence for species‐specific effects on host behaviour by the three different trematode species in the same snail host. The single difference in induced behavioural change, involving one trematode species and one specific behavioural measure, is insufficient to reject the hypothesis that the behavioural impacts on the snail host are general and non‐adaptive by‐products of trematode infection.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Behavioural impacts of trematodes on their snail host: Species‐specific effects or generalised response?

Poulin

Selbach

2018

Ethology

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“…Microphallus has been demonstrated to influence the behaviour (Levri & Lively, 1996 ;Levri, 1998 a, b;Levri, 1999 ;Levri & Fisher, 2000) and life-history (Lively, 1987 ;Jokela & Lively, 1995 b ;Krist & Lively, 1998) of this snail species. The snail varies in maximum length by geographical location (Winterbourn, 1970), and even by depth within a lake (Jokela & Lively, 1995 a).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Trematode infection correlates with shell shape and defence morphology in a freshwater snail

2005

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Parasitism often influences the phenotype of individuals. Many of the resulting changes are due to changes in resource allocation that come with infection. Here we examine the effect of a trematode parasite on the shape and defence morphology of a New Zealand freshwater snail, Potamopyrgus antipodarum. The trematode Microphallus sp. asexually produces hundreds of metacercarial cysts in the snail. The length, width and 2-dimensional area of each snail were measured. Snails were also assessed for their degree of spininess. Snails were dissected to determine gender, brooding condition and parasitism. Snails infected with Microphallus sp. were found to be significantly less spiny than uninfected snails. Microphallus-infected snails were also found to have a significantly greater width to length ratio at larger sizes than their uninfected counterparts. These trends could be explained in at least 3 ways. (1) Infection causes the snails to not produce spines and to become wider. (2) Spiny and narrower snails are more likely to die when they become infected. (3) Spiny and narrower snails are more resistant to infection. The changes in phenotype observed are unlikely to be adaptive for either the host or parasite and probably represent physiological by-products of the host-parasite relationship.

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“…Consequently, it is possible that the parasite influences the behaviour of its hosts in ways that increase the probability of its transmission, as discussed by [27]. Melanoides tuberculatus infected with Centrocestus formosanus , in addition to a reduced movement, exhibited an irregular locomotory activity pattern, whereas uninfected snails had a regular pattern of locomotory activity during the biomonitoring period.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Does the trematode Centrocestus formosanus affect the locomotory activity of the mollusc Melanoides tuberculatus?

2013

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BackgroundMelanoides tuberculatus (Müller, 1774) (Thiaridae), an introduced gastropod mollusc with a wide geographical distribution in the Neotropics, is the intermediate host of the trematode Centrocestus formosanus (Nishigori, 1924) (Heterophyidae). This parasite is considered to be pathogenic to humans. The aim of the present work was to evaluate the locomotory activity of uninfected M. tuberculatus compared with those naturally infected with C. formosanus.FindingsThe locomotory activity of each mollusc was recorded using an image analysis biomonitoring system, Videomex-V ®, to evaluate and quantify the parameters of ‘Stereotypic’ and ‘Resting time’. The Generalized Estimating Equation analysis of locomotory activity of M. tuberculatus infected with C. formosanus revealed significant differences compared with uninfected molluscs for the parameters ‘Stereotypic time’ and ‘Resting time’ with a reduction of movement. The variations in the values of the monitoring intervals recorded showed a significant difference for the infected molluscs in the case of Stereotypic time, with an irregular locomotory activity pattern, as compared to that of uninfected molluscs. The analysis of the standard length of all molluscs did not exhibit any correlation with locomotory activity, showing that C. formosanus is able to alter the locomotory activity of its snail host regardless of the standard length.ConclusionsThe trematode C. formosanus affects the locomotory activity of the mollusc M. tuberculatus by reducing its movement and causing it to exhibit an irregular pattern of activity, both of which are independent of the snail's standard length.

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The Effect of a Trematode Parasite (Microphallus Sp.) on the Response of the Freshwater Snail Potamopyrgus Antipodarum to Light and Gravity

Cited by 21 publications

References 31 publications

Behavioural impacts of trematodes on their snail host: Species‐specific effects or generalised response?

Behavioural impacts of trematodes on their snail host: Species‐specific effects or generalised response?

Trematode infection correlates with shell shape and defence morphology in a freshwater snail

Does the trematode Centrocestus formosanus affect the locomotory activity of the mollusc Melanoides tuberculatus?

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