1
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Liang C, Luong LT. Ghosts of parasites past influence current non-consumptive effects in Drosophila nigrospiracula. Int J Parasitol 2024:S0020-7519(24)00078-X. [PMID: 38677400 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpara.2024.04.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2023] [Revised: 03/26/2024] [Accepted: 04/22/2024] [Indexed: 04/29/2024]
Abstract
Parasites can indirectly impact hosts through non-consumptive effects (NCEs) via changes in behaviour, morphology, and/or physiology. These responses can be understood in terms of the ecology of fear (ectoparasites) or the ecology of disgust (endoparasites) framework. We tested the hypothesis that NCEs of parasite exposure (e.g., parasite avoidance and defense) trade off with other important behaviours such as feeding and resting. We predicted that when exposed to parasites (without infection), hosts will increase their defensive behaviors at the expense of feeding. We also posited that history of exposure (without infection), or previous infection would impact the expression of these NCEs. The study system involves a cactophilic fruit fly (Drosophila nigrospiracula) and a naturally occurring parasitic mite (Macrocheles subbadius). First, we assessed how prior mite exposure affected fly behaviour in response to current parasite exposure. Mite presence resulted in increased grooming and movement, but exposure history did not affect these behaviours. However, the interaction between previous and current exposure influenced host feeding and resting behaviours. We found that previously exposed flies increased feeding and decreased resting upon a secondary mite exposure. In a second experiment, we tested the role of infection history on current parasite exposure. Compared with naïve flies, previously infected flies were expected to increase defensive behaviours upon secondary exposure. Flies increased defensive and ambulatory behaviour in the presence of mites, and consequently less time was spent resting but feeding was unaffected. None of the behaviours measured were affected by previous infection status. In general, current parasite exposure resulted in NCEs. Moreover, our results showed that previous exposure (without infection) to parasites may have an even stronger effect upon secondary exposure than infection history. Our study highlights the importance of the ecology of fear and the role that exposure and infection history plays in generating NCEs of parasitism.
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Affiliation(s)
- C Liang
- University of Alberta, Department of Biological Sciences, 11455 Saskatchewan Drive, Edmonton, AB T6G 2E9, Canada.
| | - L T Luong
- University of Alberta, Department of Biological Sciences, 11455 Saskatchewan Drive, Edmonton, AB T6G 2E9, Canada
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2
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Pahl CC, Ruedas LA. Big boned: How fat storage and other adaptations influenced large theropod foraging ecology. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0290459. [PMID: 37910492 PMCID: PMC10619836 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0290459] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2022] [Accepted: 08/08/2023] [Indexed: 11/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Dinosaur foraging ecology has been the subject of scientific interest for decades, yet much of what we understand about it remains hypothetical. We wrote an agent-based model (ABM) to simulate meat energy sources present in dinosaur environments, including carcasses of giant sauropods, along with living, huntable prey. Theropod dinosaurs modeled in this environment (specifically allosauroids, and more particularly, Allosaurus Marsh, 1877) were instantiated with heritable traits favorable to either hunting success or scavenging success. If hunter phenotypes were more reproductively successful, their traits were propagated into the population through their offspring, resulting in predator specialists. If selective pressure favored scavenger phenotypes, the population would evolve to acquire most of their calories from carrion. Data generated from this model strongly suggest that theropods in sauropod-dominated systems evolved to detect carcasses, consume and store large quantities of fat, and dominate carcass sites. Broadly speaking, selective forces did not favor predatory adaptations, because sauropod carrion resource pools, as we modeled them, were too profitable for prey-based resource pools to be significant. This is the first research to test selective pressure patterns in dinosaurs, and the first to estimate theropod mass based on metabolic constraints.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cameron C. Pahl
- Department of Biology and Museum of Vertebrate Biology, Science Research and Teaching Center—246, Portland State University, Portland, Oregon, United States of America
| | - Luis A. Ruedas
- Department of Biology and Museum of Vertebrate Biology, Science Research and Teaching Center—246, Portland State University, Portland, Oregon, United States of America
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3
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Horn CJ, Robinson S, Tang H, Luong LT. Ectoparasitic mites exert non-consumptive effects on the larvae of a fruit fly host. Parasitology 2023; 150:934-938. [PMID: 37565500 PMCID: PMC10577651 DOI: 10.1017/s0031182023000744] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2023] [Revised: 08/03/2023] [Accepted: 08/07/2023] [Indexed: 08/12/2023]
Abstract
The mere presence of predators or parasites can negatively impact the fitness of prey or hosts. Exposure to predators during an organism's development can have deleterious effects on juvenile survival and the subsequent adult stage. Currently, it is unknown if parasites have analogous impacts on host larval stages and whether these effects carry over into other subsequent life stages. However, parasites may be exerting widespread yet underestimated non-consumptive effects (NCEs). We tested if Drosophila nigrospiracula larvae avoid pupating near mite cues (caged Macrocheles subbadius) in arena experiments, and measured the rate of pupation in arenas with mites and arenas without mites. Larvae disproportionately pupated on the side of arenas that lacked mite cues. Furthermore, fewer larvae successfully pupated in arenas containing mites cues compared to arenas without mite cues. We found that ectoparasitic mites exert NCEs on Drosophila larvae, even though the larval stage is not susceptible to infection. We discuss these results in the context of parasite impacts on host population growth in an infectious world.
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Affiliation(s)
- Collin J. Horn
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, 11455 Saskatchewan Drive Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - Sarah Robinson
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, 11455 Saskatchewan Drive Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - Holly Tang
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, 11455 Saskatchewan Drive Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - Lien T. Luong
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, 11455 Saskatchewan Drive Edmonton, AB, Canada
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4
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Kar S, Sirin D, Akyildiz G, Sakaci Z, Talay S, Camlitepe Y. Predation of ant species Lasius alienus on tick eggs: impacts of egg wax coating and tick species. Sci Rep 2022; 12:14773. [PMID: 36042343 PMCID: PMC9427936 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-19300-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2022] [Accepted: 08/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Several animal species, including ants, have been reported to be capable of predation on ticks. However, determining factors in most interactions between ticks and predators have not yet been fully deciphered. We hypothesized that the ant species Lasius alienus, which is unknown whether it has any impact on ticks, may exhibit predation on the eggs of tick species Hyalomma marginatum, H. excavatum, and Rhipicephalus bursa, and that the tick egg wax can be the main determinant in possible predation. In the study, 6300 tick eggs with the natural wax coating (waxed/untreated) and 2700 dewaxed tick eggs, the wax of which was removed in the laboratory, were repeatedly presented to the foraging workers belonging to three different ant nests in their natural habitat. Depending on the tick species and trials, the rate of the eggs carried by the ants ranged from 12.8 to 52.1% in the waxed and from 59.8 to 78.4% in the dewaxed eggs. It was observed that the dewaxing process both increased the interest of the ants in the eggs and resulted in a reduction in the variation associated with tick species. This study showed that L. alienus has a predatory effect on tick eggs, the severity of this impact is closely associated with the tick species, the tick-associated difference is caused by the species-specific property of the egg wax, and the variety in the protective effects of the wax seems to be an evolutional result of the biological and ecological adaptation process of the species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sirri Kar
- Department of Biology, Tekirdag Namik Kemal University, 59030, Suleymanpasa, Tekirdag, Turkey.
| | - Deniz Sirin
- Department of Biology, Tekirdag Namik Kemal University, 59030, Suleymanpasa, Tekirdag, Turkey
| | - Gurkan Akyildiz
- Department of Basic Health Sciences, Health Sciences Faculty, Marmara University, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Zafer Sakaci
- Department of Biology, Tekirdag Namik Kemal University, 59030, Suleymanpasa, Tekirdag, Turkey.,Department of Biology, Balikesir University, Balikesir, Turkey
| | - Sengul Talay
- Department of Biology, Tekirdag Namik Kemal University, 59030, Suleymanpasa, Tekirdag, Turkey
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5
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Lefèvre T, Sauvion N, Almeida RP, Fournet F, Alout H. The ecological significance of arthropod vectors of plant, animal, and human pathogens. Trends Parasitol 2022; 38:404-418. [DOI: 10.1016/j.pt.2022.01.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2021] [Revised: 01/11/2022] [Accepted: 01/12/2022] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
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6
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Smart carnivores think twice: Red fox delays scavenging on conspecific carcasses to reduce parasite risk. Appl Anim Behav Sci 2021; 243:105462. [PMID: 34602687 PMCID: PMC8464160 DOI: 10.1016/j.applanim.2021.105462] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2021] [Revised: 09/20/2021] [Accepted: 09/23/2021] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
The recent SARS-CoV-2 epidemic has highlighted the need to prevent emerging and re-emerging diseases, which means that we must approach the study of diseases from a One Health perspective. The study of pathogen transmission in wildlife is challenging, but it is unquestionably key to understand how epidemiological interactions occur at the wildlife-domestic-human interface. In this context, studying parasite avoidance behaviours may provide essential insights on parasite transmission, host-parasite coevolution, and energy flow through food-webs. However, the strategies of avoiding trophically transmitted parasites in mammalian carnivores have received little scientific attention. Here, we explore the behaviour of red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) and other mammalian carnivores at conspecific and heterospecific carnivore carcasses using videos recorded by camera traps. We aim to determine 1) the factors influencing the probability of foxes to practice cannibalism, and 2) whether the scavenging behaviour of foxes differ when facing conspecific vs. heterospecific carcasses. We found that red foxes were generally reluctant to consume mesocarnivore carrion, especially of conspecifics. When recorded, consumption by foxes was delayed several days (heterospecific carcasses) or weeks (conspecific carcasses) after carcass detection. Other mammalian scavengers showed a similar pattern. Also, meat-borne parasite transmission from wild carnivore carcasses to domestic dogs and cats was highly unlikely. Our findings challenge the widespread assumption that cannibalistic or intra-specific scavenging is a major transmission route for Trichinella spp. and other meat-borne parasites, especially for the red fox. Overall, our results suggest that the feeding decisions of scavengers are probably shaped by two main contrasting forces, namely the nutritional reward provided by carrion of phylogenetically similar species and the risk of acquiring meat-borne parasites shared with these species. This study illustrates how the detailed monitoring of carnivore behaviour is essential to assess the epidemiological role of these hosts in the maintenance and dispersion of parasites of public and animal health relevance.
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7
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Koprivnikar J, Rochette A, Forbes MR. Risk-Induced Trait Responses and Non-consumptive Effects in Plants and Animals in Response to Their Invertebrate Herbivore and Parasite Natural Enemies. Front Ecol Evol 2021. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2021.667030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Predators kill and consume prey, but also scare living prey. Fitness of prey can be reduced by direct killing and consumption, but also by non-consumptive effects (NCEs) if prey show costly risk-induced trait responses (RITRs) to predators, which are meant to reduce predation risk. Recently, similarities between predators and parasites as natural enemies have been recognized, including their potential to cause victim RITRs and NCEs. However, plant-herbivore and animal host-parasite associations might be more comparable as victim-enemy systems in this context than either is to prey-predator systems. This is because plant herbivores and animal parasites are often invertebrate species that are typically smaller than their victims, generally cause lower lethality, and allow for further defensive responses by victims after consumption begins. Invertebrate herbivores can cause diverse RITRs in plants through various means, and animals also exhibit assorted RITRs to increased parasitism risk. This synthesis aims to broadly compare these two enemy-victim systems by highlighting the ways in which plants and animals perceive threat and respond with a range of induced victim trait responses that can provide pre-emptive defense against invertebrate enemies. We also review evidence that RITRs are costly in terms of reducing victim fitness or abundance, demonstrating how work with one victim-enemy system can inform the other with respect to the frequency and magnitude of RITRs and possible NCEs. We particularly highlight gaps in our knowledge about plant and animal host responses to their invertebrate enemies that may guide directions for future research. Comparing how potential plant and animal victims respond pre-emptively to the threat of consumption via RITRs will help to advance our understanding of natural enemy ecology and may have utility for pest and disease control.
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8
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Horn CJ, Mierzejewski MK, Elahi ME, Luong LT. Extending the ecology of fear: Parasite-mediated sexual selection drives host response to parasites. Physiol Behav 2020; 224:113041. [DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2020.113041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2020] [Revised: 06/08/2020] [Accepted: 06/27/2020] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
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9
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Poulin R, Bennett J, de Angeli Dutra D, Doherty JF, Filion A, Park E, Ruehle B. Evolutionary Signature of Ancient Parasite Pressures, or the Ghost of Parasitism Past. Front Ecol Evol 2020. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2020.00195] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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10
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Liddell C, Morgan ER, Bull K, Ioannou CC. Response to resources and parasites depends on health status in extensively grazed sheep. Proc Biol Sci 2020; 287:20192905. [PMID: 32019442 PMCID: PMC7031671 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2019.2905] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2019] [Accepted: 01/14/2020] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
A fundamental question in animal ecology is how an individual's internal state and the external environment together shape species distributions across habitats. The increasing availability of biologgers is driving a revolution in answering this question in a wide range of species. In this study, the position of sheep (Ovis aries) from Global Positioning System collars was integrated with remote sensing data, field sampling of parasite distributions, and parasite load and health measures for each tagged individual. This allowed inter-individual variation in habitat use to be examined. Once controlling for a positive relationship between vegetation productivity and tick abundance, healthier individuals spent more of their time at sites with higher vegetation productivity, while less healthy individuals showed a stronger (negative) response to tick abundance. These trends are likely to represent a trade-off in foraging decisions that vary between individuals based on their health status. Given the rarity of studies that explore how animal distributions are affected by health and external factors, we demonstrate the value of integrating biologging technology with remote sensing data, traditional ecological sampling and individual measures of animal health. Our study, using extensively grazed sheep as a model system, opens new possibilities to study free-living grazing systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caroline Liddell
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1TQ, UK
| | - Eric R. Morgan
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1TQ, UK
- School of Biological Sciences, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast BT9 5BL, UK
| | - Katie Bull
- Bristol Veterinary School, University of Bristol, Bristol BS40 5DU, UK
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11
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Vannatta JT, Knowles T, Minchella DJ, Gleichsner AM. The Road Not Taken: Host Infection Status Influences Parasite Host-Choice. J Parasitol 2020. [DOI: 10.1645/19-140] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- J. Trevor Vannatta
- Department of Biological Sciences, Purdue University, 915 West State Street, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907
| | - Thomas Knowles
- Department of Biological Sciences, Purdue University, 915 West State Street, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907
| | - Dennis J. Minchella
- Department of Biological Sciences, Purdue University, 915 West State Street, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907
| | - Alyssa M. Gleichsner
- Department of Biological Sciences, SUNY Plattsburgh, 101 Broad Street, Plattsburgh, New York 12901
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12
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Fecal contamination, parasite risk, and waterhole use by wild animals in a dry deciduous forest. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2019. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-019-2769-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
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13
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Burtis JC, Yavitt JB, Fahey TJ, Ostfeld RS. Ticks as Soil-Dwelling Arthropods: An Intersection Between Disease and Soil Ecology. JOURNAL OF MEDICAL ENTOMOLOGY 2019; 56:1555-1564. [PMID: 31318035 DOI: 10.1093/jme/tjz116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Ticks are widespread vectors for many important medical and veterinary infections, and a better understanding of the factors that regulate their population dynamics is needed to reduce risk for humans, wildlife, and domestic animals. Most ticks, and all non-nidicolous tick species, spend only a small fraction of their lives associated with vertebrate hosts, with the remainder spent in or on soils and other substrates. Ecological studies of tick-borne disease dynamics have emphasized tick-host interactions, including host associations, burdens, and efficiencies of pathogen transmission, while under emphasizing tick biology during off-host periods. Our ability to predict spatiotemporal trends in tick-borne diseases requires more knowledge of soil ecosystems and their effect on host and tick populations. In this review, we focus on tick species of medical and veterinary concern and describe: 1) the relationships between soil factors and tick densities; 2) biotic and abiotic factors within the soil ecosystem that directly affect tick survival; 3) potential indirect effects on ticks mediated by soil ecosystem influences on their vertebrate hosts; 4) the potential for tick-mediated effects on vertebrate host populations to affect ecosystems; and 5) possible nontarget impacts of tick management on the soil ecosystem. Soils are complex ecosystem components with enormous potential to affect the survival and behavior of ticks during their off-host periods. Hence, tick-borne disease systems present an excellent opportunity for soil ecologists and public health researchers to collaborate and improve understanding of these medically important and ecologically complex disease cycles.
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Affiliation(s)
- James C Burtis
- Department of Natural Resources, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY
- Department of Entomology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY
| | - Joseph B Yavitt
- Department of Natural Resources, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY
| | - Timothy J Fahey
- Department of Natural Resources, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY
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14
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Behringer DC, Karvonen A, Bojko J. Parasite avoidance behaviours in aquatic environments. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2019; 373:rstb.2017.0202. [PMID: 29866915 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2017.0202] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/09/2018] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Parasites, including macroparasites, protists, fungi, bacteria and viruses, can impose a heavy burden upon host animals. However, hosts are not without defences. One aspect of host defence, behavioural avoidance, has been studied in the terrestrial realm for over 50 years, but was first reported from the aquatic environment approximately 20 years ago. Evidence has mounted on the importance of parasite avoidance behaviours and it is increasingly apparent that there are core similarities in the function and benefit of this defence mechanism between terrestrial and aquatic systems. However, there are also stark differences driven by the unique biotic and abiotic characteristics of terrestrial and aquatic (marine and freshwater) environments. Here, we review avoidance behaviours in a comparative framework and highlight the characteristics of each environment that drive differences in the suite of mechanisms and cues that animals use to avoid parasites. We then explore trade-offs, potential negative effects of avoidance behaviour and the influence of human activities on avoidance behaviours. We conclude that avoidance behaviours are understudied in aquatic environments but can have significant implications for disease ecology and epidemiology, especially considering the accelerating emergence and re-emergence of parasites.This article is part of the Theo Murphy meeting issue 'Evolution of pathogen and parasite avoidance behaviours'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Donald C Behringer
- School of Forest Resources and Conservation, Program in Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA .,Emerging Pathogens Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Anssi Karvonen
- Department of Biological and Environmental Science, University of Jyvaskyla, PO Box 35, 40014 Jyvaskyla, Finland
| | - Jamie Bojko
- School of Forest Resources and Conservation, Program in Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA.,Emerging Pathogens Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
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15
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Buck JC, Weinstein SB, Young HS. Ecological and Evolutionary Consequences of Parasite Avoidance. Trends Ecol Evol 2018; 33:619-632. [PMID: 29807838 DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2018.05.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 82] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2018] [Revised: 05/01/2018] [Accepted: 05/03/2018] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
Predators often cause prey to adopt defensive strategies that reduce predation risk. The 'ecology of fear' examines these trait changes and their consequences. Similarly, parasites can cause hosts to adopt defensive strategies that reduce infection risk. However the ecological and evolutionary consequences of these behaviors (the 'ecology of disgust') are seldom considered. Here we identify direct and indirect effects of parasite avoidance on hosts and parasites, and examine differences between predators and parasites in terms of cost, detectability, and aggregation. We suggest that the nonconsumptive effects of parasites might overshadow their consumptive effects, as has been shown for predators. We emphasize the value of uniting predator-prey and parasite-host theory under a general consumer-resource framework.
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Affiliation(s)
- J C Buck
- Ecology, Evolution and Marine Biology, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, USA; Department of Biology and Marine Biology, University of North Carolina Wilmington, Wilmington, NC, USA.
| | - S B Weinstein
- Department of Biology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Center for Conservation Genomics, Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, National Zoological Park, Washington, DC 20008, USA
| | - H S Young
- Ecology, Evolution and Marine Biology, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, USA
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16
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Weinstein SB, Moura CW, Mendez JF, Lafferty KD. Fear of feces? Tradeoffs between disease risk and foraging drive animal activity around raccoon latrines. OIKOS 2018. [DOI: 10.1111/oik.04866] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Sara B. Weinstein
- Dept of Ecology, Evolution and Marine Biology Univ. of California Santa Barbara CA 93106 USA
| | - Chad W. Moura
- Dept of Ecology, Evolution and Marine Biology Univ. of California Santa Barbara CA 93106 USA
| | - Jon Francis Mendez
- Dept of Ecology, Evolution and Marine Biology Univ. of California Santa Barbara CA 93106 USA
| | - Kevin D. Lafferty
- Dept of Ecology, Evolution and Marine Biology Univ. of California Santa Barbara CA 93106 USA
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17
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Johnson PTJ, Stanton DE, Forshay KJ, Calhoun DM. Vertically challenged: How disease suppresses Daphnia vertical migration behavior. LIMNOLOGY AND OCEANOGRAPHY 2017; 63:886-896. [PMID: 32704187 PMCID: PMC7377221 DOI: 10.1002/lno.10676] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/30/2023]
Abstract
Parasitic infections are increasingly recognized as influential forces in the migratory behaviors of hosts ranging from butterflies to whales. In aquatic zooplankton, diel vertical migrations (DVMs) are among the most recurrent behaviors with implications for predator-prey interactions, nutrient cycling, and energy flow, yet how parasitism affects such migrations remains an open question. Here, we tested the effects of sporangia cluster disease (SCD) on DVM of the large-bodied Daphnia pulicaria, which is often considered a key component of lake food webs. By collecting depth-specific zooplankton samples across diel cycles, between years, and among lakes, we show that infection is associated with strong inhibition of host DVM; while all Daphnia tended to occur deeper during the day, uninfected Daphnia and especially gravid individuals migrated to shallower waters at night. In contrast, infected hosts-which could comprise 40% of the population-were more likely to remain deep regardless of time of day. Among infected hosts, the intensity of SCD (sporangia count per host) predicted the degree of DVM inhibition. These observations-coupled with lab-based assays showing that infected hosts exhibited fewer swimming movements and persisted at lower depths than uninfected conspecifics-suggest that parasite-induced inhibition of DVM is a "sickness behavior" resulting from increasing morbidity and energy depletion as the infection intensifies toward host death. Considering the importance of large-bodied Daphnia as regulators of water clarity and prey for fishes, parasite-induced alterations of host migratory behavior have broad potential to affect the redistribution of energy and nutrients within lake ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pieter T J Johnson
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado
| | - Daniel E Stanton
- Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota
| | - Kenneth J Forshay
- Groundwater and Ecosystem Restoration Division, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Ada, Oklahoma
| | - Dana M Calhoun
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado
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18
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Lesser of two evils? Foraging choices in response to threats of predation and parasitism. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0116569. [PMID: 25635765 PMCID: PMC4312073 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0116569] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2014] [Accepted: 12/11/2014] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Predators have documented post-encounter (density-mediated) effects on prey but their pre-encounter impacts, including behavioural alterations, can be substantial as well. While it is increasingly evident that this "ecology of fear" is important to understand for natural enemy-victim relationships, fear responses of hosts to the threat of infection by a parasite are relatively unknown. We examined larval amphibian (Lithobates pipiens) foraging choices by experimentally manipulating the presence of cues relating to predator (larval odonate) or parasite (the trematode Ribeiroia ondatrae) threats. Tadpoles avoided foraging where predator or parasite cues were present; however, they did not treat these as equal hazards. When both threats were simultaneously present, tadpoles strongly preferred to forage under the threat of parasitism compared to predation, likely driven by their relative lethality in our study. Our results indicate that altered spatial use is an important anti-parasite behaviour, and demonstrate that parasite avoidance can affect foraging in a manner similar to predators, warranting greater study of the pre-encounter effects of this enemy type.
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19
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Preston DL, Boland CE, Hoverman JT, Johnson PTJ. Natural enemy ecology: comparing the effects of predation risk, infection risk and disease on host behaviour. Funct Ecol 2014. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.12293] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Daniel L. Preston
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology; University of Colorado; Boulder Colorado 80309 USA
| | - Clara E. Boland
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology; University of Colorado; Boulder Colorado 80309 USA
| | - Jason T. Hoverman
- Department of Forestry and Natural Resources; Purdue University; West Lafayette Indiana 47907 USA
| | - Pieter T. J. Johnson
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology; University of Colorado; Boulder Colorado 80309 USA
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Taylor KR, Takano A, Konnai S, Shimozuru M, Kawabata H, Tsubota T. Differential tick burdens may explain differential Borrelia afzelii and Borrelia garinii infection rates among four, wild, rodent species in Hokkaido, Japan. J Vet Med Sci 2013; 75:785-90. [PMID: 23391510 DOI: 10.1292/jvms.12-0439] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The ecologies of Lyme disease Borrelia spp. are very specific to location, as they are dependent upon the spirochete species and genotypes, the vectors and the host vertebrates present. In Hokkaido, Japan, where two human pathogenic, Lyme disease Borrelia spp. are present, and human cases are reported annually, the ecologies have been poorly studied. Our goal was to determine whether variation in borrelial infection rates among rodent species sharing an environment, is due to immunological or ecological differences. To this end, we examined the relationships between tick burden and borrelial infection, by including examination of agreement between nested PCR, as a test for infection, and serology, as a test for exposure. We collected 868 rodents, comprised of four species commonly found in Hokkaido, and tested for infection rates with Borrelia spp. using PCR for the borrelial flaB gene, seroprevalence of Borrelia afzelii and Borrelia garinii using ELISA, and attachment of ticks by direct counts. We noted a correlation between differential nymph and larval burdens and the borrelial infection rates found among the four rodent species. Furthermore, there was significant correlation between infection and seroprevalence of B. afzelii and B. garinii (P<0.01), between infection and Ixodes persulcatus nymph burden (P<0.01), and between seroprevalence and I. persulcatus nymph burden (P<0.01). The close agreement among rodent species seroprevalences with infection rates and tick burdens suggest the differences in infection rates of Borrelia spp. may largely be a direct consequence of differential exposure to vectors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kyle R Taylor
- Laboratory of Wildlife Biology and Medicine, Graduate School of Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido University, Kita 18 Nishi 9, Sapporo, Hokkaido 060-0818, Japan
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