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Nazarova A, Mutin A, Skafar D, Bolbat N, Sedova S, Chupalova P, Pomazkin V, Drozdova P, Gurkov A, Timofeyev M. Leeches Baicalobdella torquata feed on hemolymph but have a low effect on the cellular immune response of amphipod Eulimnogammarus verrucosus from Lake Baikal. PeerJ 2024; 12:e17348. [PMID: 38770098 PMCID: PMC11104339 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.17348] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2023] [Accepted: 04/17/2024] [Indexed: 05/22/2024] Open
Abstract
Lake Baikal is one of the largest and oldest freshwater reservoirs on the planet with a huge endemic diversity of amphipods (Amphipoda, Crustacea). These crustaceans have various symbiotic relationships, including the rarely described phenomenon of leech parasitism on amphipods. It is known that leeches feeding on hemolymph of crustacean hosts can influence their physiology, especially under stressful conditions. Here we show that leeches Baicalobdella torquata (Grube, 1871) found on gills of Eulimnogammarus verrucosus (Gerstfeldt, 1858), one of the most abundant amphipods in the Baikal littoral zone, indeed feed on the hemolymph of their host. However, the leech infection had no effect on immune parameters such as hemocyte concentration or phenoloxidase activity and also did not affect glycogen content. The intensity of hemocyte reaction to foreign bodies in a primary culture was identical between leech-free and leech-infected animals. Artificial infection with leeches also had only a subtle effect on the course of a model microbial infection in terms of hemocyte concentration and composition. Despite we cannot fully exclude deleterious effects of the parasites, our study indicates a low influence of a few leeches on E. verrucosus and shows that leech-infected amphipods can be used at least for some types of ecophysiological experiments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Nazarova
- Institute of Biology, Irkutsk State University, Irkutsk, Russia
| | - Andrei Mutin
- Institute of Biology, Irkutsk State University, Irkutsk, Russia
| | - Denis Skafar
- Faculty of Biology, Department of Aquatic Bioresources and Aquaculture, Kuban State University, Krasnodar, Russia
- Krasnodar Department, Azov Estuaries Sector, Azov-Black Sea Branch of the Russian Federal Research Institute of Fisheries and Oceanography, Rostov-on-Don, Russia
| | - Nadezhda Bolbat
- Institute of Biology, Irkutsk State University, Irkutsk, Russia
| | - Sofya Sedova
- Institute of Biology, Irkutsk State University, Irkutsk, Russia
| | | | | | - Polina Drozdova
- Institute of Biology, Irkutsk State University, Irkutsk, Russia
- Baikal Research Centre, Irkutsk, Russia
- Faculty of Biology and Soil Sciences, Irkutsk State University, Irkutsk, Russia
| | - Anton Gurkov
- Institute of Biology, Irkutsk State University, Irkutsk, Russia
- Baikal Research Centre, Irkutsk, Russia
| | - Maxim Timofeyev
- Institute of Biology, Irkutsk State University, Irkutsk, Russia
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Kaygorodova IA. Annotated checklist of the leech species diversity in the Maloe More Strait of Lake Baikal, Russia. Zookeys 2015; 545:37-52. [PMID: 26798292 PMCID: PMC4714365 DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.545.6053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2015] [Accepted: 10/27/2015] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
In this paper, the very first checklist of the freshwater leeches of Maloe More Strait, a special part of Lake Baikal, is presented. It includes 14 free-living and parasitic species, of which four species belong to endemic Baikal genera - two species from Baicalobdella and one species each from Baicaloclepsis and Codonobdella. The checklist highlights six potentially new morphological species recorded for the first time in the area. The exact systematic position is stated for all leech species. Each species from the list is provided with information on taxonomic synonymy, data on its geographic distribution, and ecological characteristics. New species records are additionally provided with brief morphological characteristics and photos of their external morphology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Irina A. Kaygorodova
- Irkutsk State University, 5 Sukhe Bator Street, 664003, Russia
- Limnological Institute, 3 Ulan-Batorskaya Street, 664033 Irkutsk, Russia
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