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Lancaster J, Downes BJ. Aquatic versus Terrestrial Insects: Real or Presumed Differences in Population Dynamics? INSECTS 2018; 9:insects9040157. [PMID: 30388810 PMCID: PMC6315690 DOI: 10.3390/insects9040157] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2018] [Revised: 10/29/2018] [Accepted: 10/30/2018] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
The study of insect populations is dominated by research on terrestrial insects. Are aquatic insect populations different or are they just presumed to be different? We explore the evidence across several topics. (1) Populations of terrestrial herbivorous insects are constrained most often by enemies, whereas aquatic herbivorous insects are constrained more by food supplies, a real difference related to the different plants that dominate in each ecosystem. (2) Population outbreaks are presumed not to occur in aquatic insects. We report three examples of cyclical patterns; there may be more. (3) Aquatic insects, like terrestrial insects, show strong oviposition site selection even though they oviposit on surfaces that are not necessarily food for their larvae. A novel outcome is that density of oviposition habitat can determine larval densities. (4) Aquatic habitats are often largely 1-dimensional shapes and this is presumed to influence dispersal. In rivers, drift by insects is presumed to create downstream dispersal that has to be countered by upstream flight by adults. This idea has persisted for decades but supporting evidence is scarce. Few researchers are currently working on the dynamics of aquatic insect populations; there is scope for many more studies and potentially enlightening contrasts with terrestrial insects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jill Lancaster
- School of Geography, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC 3010, Australia.
| | - Barbara J Downes
- School of Geography, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC 3010, Australia.
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McDevitt-Galles T, Calhoun DM, Johnson PTJ. Parasite richness and abundance within aquatic macroinvertebrates: testing the roles of host- and habitat-level factors. Ecosphere 2018; 9. [PMID: 30271654 DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.2188] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The importance of parasites as both members of biological communities and as structuring agents of host communities has been increasingly emphasized. Yet parasites of aquatic macroinvertebrates and the environmental factors regulating their richness and abundance remain poorly studied. Here we quantified parasite richness and abundance within 12 genera of odonate naiads and opportunistically sampled four additional orders of aquatic macroinvertebrates from 35 freshwater ponds in the San Francisco Bay Area of California, USA. We also tested the relative contributions of host- and habitat-level factors in driving patterns of infection abundance for the most commonly encountered parasite (the trematode Haematoloechus sp.) in nymphal damselflies and dragonflies using hierarchical generalized linear mixed models. Over the course of two years, we quantified the presence and intensity of parasites from 1,612 individuals. We identified six parasite taxa: two digenetic trematodes, one larval nematode, one larval acanthocephalan, one gregarine, and a mite, for which the highest infection prevalence (39%) occurred in the damselfly genus, Ishnura sp. Based on the hierarchical analysis of Haematoloechus sp. occurrence, infection prevalence and abundance were associated predominantly with site-level factors, including definitive host (frog) presence, nymphal odonate density, water pH and conductivity. In addition, host suborder interacted with the presence of fishes, such that damselflies had higher infection rates in sites with fish relative to those without, whereas the opposite was true for dragonfly nymphs. These findings offer insights into the potential interaction between host- and site-level factors in shaping parasite populations within macroinvertebrate taxa.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Dana Marie Calhoun
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80309 USA
| | - Pieter T J Johnson
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80309 USA
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Grabner DS, Weigand AM, Leese F, Winking C, Hering D, Tollrian R, Sures B. Invaders, natives and their enemies: distribution patterns of amphipods and their microsporidian parasites in the Ruhr Metropolis, Germany. Parasit Vectors 2015; 8:419. [PMID: 26263904 PMCID: PMC4534018 DOI: 10.1186/s13071-015-1036-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2015] [Accepted: 08/05/2015] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The amphipod and microsporidian diversity in freshwaters of a heterogeneous urban region in Germany was assessed. Indigenous and non-indigenous host species provide an ideal framework to test general hypotheses on potentially new host-parasite interactions, parasite spillback and spillover in recently invaded urban freshwater communities. Methods Amphipods were sampled in 17 smaller and larger streams belonging to catchments of the four major rivers in the Ruhr Metropolis (Emscher, Lippe, Ruhr, Rhine), including sites invaded and not invaded by non-indigenous amphipods. Species were identified morphologically (hosts only) and via DNA barcoding (hosts and parasites). Prevalence was obtained by newly designed parasite-specific PCR assays. Results Three indigenous and five non-indigenous amphipod species were detected. Gammarus pulex was further distinguished into three clades (C, D and E) and G. fossarum more precisely identified as type B. Ten microsporidian lineages were detected, including two new isolates (designated as Microsporidium sp. nov. RR1 and RR2). All microsporidians occurred in at least two different host clades or species. Seven genetically distinct microsporidians were present in non-invaded populations, six of those were also found in invaded assemblages. Only Cucumispora dikerogammari and Dictyocoela berillonum can be unambiguously considered as non-indigenous co-introduced parasites. Both were rare and were not observed in indigenous hosts. Overall, microsporidian prevalence ranged from 50 % (in G. roeselii and G. pulex C) to 73 % (G. fossarum) in indigenous and from 10 % (Dikerogammarus villosus) to 100 % (Echinogammarus trichiatus) in non-indigenous amphipods. The most common microsporidians belonged to the Dictyocoela duebenum- /D. muelleri- complex, found in both indigenous and non-indigenous hosts. Some haplotype clades were inclusive for a certain host lineage. Conclusions The Ruhr Metropolis harbours a high diversity of indigenous and non-indigenous amphipod and microsporidian species, and we found indications for an exchange of parasites between indigenous and non-indigenous hosts. No introduced microsporidians were found in indigenous hosts and prevalence of indigenous parasites in non-indigenous hosts was generally low. Therefore, no indication for parasite spillover or spillback was found. We conclude that non-indigenous microsporidians constitute only a minimal threat to the native amphipod fauna. However, this might change e.g. if C. dikerogammari adapts to indigenous amphipod species or if other hosts and parasites invade. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13071-015-1036-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel S Grabner
- Aquatic Ecology and Centre for Water and Environmental Research, University of Duisburg-Essen, Universitaetsstr. 5, 45141, Essen, Germany. .,Centre for Water and Environmental Research, University of Duisburg-Essen, Universitaetsstr. 5, 45141, Essen, Germany.
| | - Alexander M Weigand
- Department of Animal Ecology, Evolution and Biodiversity, Ruhr-University Bochum, Universitaetsstr. 150, 44801, Bochum, Germany.
| | - Florian Leese
- Department of Animal Ecology, Evolution and Biodiversity, Ruhr-University Bochum, Universitaetsstr. 150, 44801, Bochum, Germany. .,Present address: Aquatic Ecosystems Research, University of Duisburg-Essen, Universitaetsstr. 5, 45141, Essen, Germany. .,Centre for Water and Environmental Research, University of Duisburg-Essen, Universitaetsstr. 5, 45141, Essen, Germany.
| | - Caroline Winking
- Aquatic Ecology and Centre for Water and Environmental Research, University of Duisburg-Essen, Universitaetsstr. 5, 45141, Essen, Germany.
| | - Daniel Hering
- Aquatic Ecology and Centre for Water and Environmental Research, University of Duisburg-Essen, Universitaetsstr. 5, 45141, Essen, Germany. .,Centre for Water and Environmental Research, University of Duisburg-Essen, Universitaetsstr. 5, 45141, Essen, Germany.
| | - Ralph Tollrian
- Department of Animal Ecology, Evolution and Biodiversity, Ruhr-University Bochum, Universitaetsstr. 150, 44801, Bochum, Germany. .,Centre for Water and Environmental Research, University of Duisburg-Essen, Universitaetsstr. 5, 45141, Essen, Germany.
| | - Bernd Sures
- Aquatic Ecology and Centre for Water and Environmental Research, University of Duisburg-Essen, Universitaetsstr. 5, 45141, Essen, Germany. .,Department of Zoology, University of Johannesburg, PO Box 524, Auckland Park 2006, Johannesburg, South Africa. .,Centre for Water and Environmental Research, University of Duisburg-Essen, Universitaetsstr. 5, 45141, Essen, Germany.
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Power ME, Bouma-Gregson K, Higgins P, Carlson SM. The Thirsty Eel: Summer and Winter Flow Thresholds that Tilt the Eel River of Northwestern California from Salmon-Supporting to Cyanobacterially Degraded States. COPEIA 2015. [DOI: 10.1643/ce-14-086] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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Grabner DS, Schertzinger G, Sures B. Effect of multiple microsporidian infections and temperature stress on the heat shock protein 70 (hsp70) response of the amphipod Gammarus pulex. Parasit Vectors 2014; 7:170. [PMID: 24708778 PMCID: PMC4234974 DOI: 10.1186/1756-3305-7-170] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2014] [Accepted: 02/28/2014] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Increasing temperatures can be a significant stressor for aquatic organisms. Amphipods are one of the most abundant and functionally important groups of freshwater macroinvertebrates. Therefore, we conducted a laboratory experiment with Gammarus pulex, naturally infected with microsporidians. Methods In each group, 42 gammarids were exposed to 15°C and 25°C for 24 h. Sex of gammarids was determined and microsporidian infections were detected by specific PCR. To quantify stress levels of the amphipods, the 70 kDa heat shock proteins (hsp70) were analyzed by western blot. Results More males than females were detected in the randomized population sample (ratio of females/males: 0.87). No mortality occurred at 15°C, while 42.9% of gammarids died at 25°C. Sequences of three microsporidians (M1, M2, M3) were detected in this G. pulex population (99.7%-100% sequence identity to Microsporidium spp. from GenBank). Previous studies showed that M3 is vertically transmitted, while M1 and M2 are presumably horizontally transmitted. Prevalences, according to PCR, were 27.0%, 37.8% and 64.9% for Microsporidium sp. M1, M2 and M3, respectively. Cumulative prevalence was 82.4%. Multiple infections with all three microsporidians in single gammarids were detected with a prevalence of 8.1%, and bi-infections ranged between 12.2% and 25.7%. In dead gammarids, comparatively low prevalences were noted for M1 (males and females: 11.1%) and M2 (females: 11.1%; males 0%), while prevalence of M3 was higher (females: 66.7%; males: 88.9%). No significant effect of host sex on microsporidian infection was found. Significant effects of temperature and bi-infection with Microsporidium spp. M2 + M3 on hsp70 response were detected by analysis of the whole sample (15°C and 25°C group) and of M2 + M3 bi-infection and gammarid weight when analyzing the 25°C group separately. None of the parameters had a significant effect on hsp70 levels in the 15°C group. Conclusion This study shows that some microsporidian infections in amphipods can cause an increase in stress protein level, in addition to other stressors. Although more harmful effects of combined stressors can be expected, experimental evidence suggests that such an increase might possibly have a protective effect for the host against acute temperature stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel S Grabner
- Aquatic Ecology and Centre for Water and Environmental Research, University of Duisburg-Essen, Universitaetsstr, 5, Essen 45141, Germany.
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Lass S, Hottinger JW, Fabbro T, Ebert D. Converging seasonal prevalence dynamics in experimental epidemics. BMC Ecol 2011; 11:14. [PMID: 21586126 PMCID: PMC3112375 DOI: 10.1186/1472-6785-11-14] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2010] [Accepted: 05/17/2011] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Regular seasonal changes in prevalence of infectious diseases are often observed in nature, but the mechanisms are rarely understood. Empirical tests aiming at a better understanding of seasonal prevalence patterns are not feasible for most diseases and thus are widely lacking. Here, we set out to study experimentally the seasonal prevalence in an aquatic host-parasite system. The microsporidian parasite Hamiltosporidium tvärminnensis exhibits pronounced seasonality in natural rock pool populations of its host, Daphnia magna with a regular increase of prevalence during summer and a decrease during winter. An earlier study was, however, unable to test if different starting conditions (initial prevalence) influence the dynamics of the disease in the long term. Here, we aim at testing how the starting prevalence affects the regular prevalence changes over a 4-year period in experimental populations. Results In an outdoor experiment, populations were set up to include the extremes of the prevalence spectrum observed in natural populations: 5% initial prevalence mimicking a newly invading parasite, 100% mimicking a rock pool population founded by infected hosts only, and 50% prevalence which is commonly observed in natural populations in spring. The parasite exhibited similar prevalence changes in all treatments, but seasonal patterns in the 100% treatment differed significantly from those in the 5% and 50% treatments. Populations started with 5% and 50% prevalence exhibited strong and regular seasonality already in the first year. In contrast, the amplitude of changes in the 100% treatment was low throughout the experiment demonstrating the long-lasting effect of initial conditions on prevalence dynamics. Conclusions Our study shows that the time needed to approach the seasonal changes in prevalence depends strongly on the initial prevalence. Because individual D. magna populations in this rock pool metapopulation are mostly short lived, only few populations might ever reach a point where the initial conditions are not visible anymore.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandra Lass
- Départment de Biology, Ecologie et Evolution, Université de Fribourg, Chemin du Musée 10, Fribourg, 1700, Switzerland.
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Granovitch AI, Yagunova EB, Maximovich AN, Sokolova IM. Elevated female fecundity as a possible compensatory mechanism in response to trematode infestation in populations of Littorina saxatilis (Olivi). Int J Parasitol 2009; 39:1011-9. [PMID: 19275903 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpara.2009.02.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2008] [Revised: 02/01/2009] [Accepted: 02/02/2009] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Co-evolution between parasites and their hosts may lead to changes in the life-history traits of the host that promote sustainability of their populations despite parasite pressure. Such changes are expected to be especially pronounced in the host-parasite systems where parasites cause complete castration of their hosts. We have studied populations of the rough periwinkle, Littorina saxatilis, infested by castrating trematode species, in order to determine whether high infestation levels are associated with a compensatory increase in host fecundity. To test this hypothesis, we determined female fecundity in populations with trematode prevalence spanning from <1% to 30-75%, and followed long-term changes in female fecundity and trematode infestation in two heavily infested populations of L. saxatilis. The broad-scale geographic analysis of populations with different trematode burdens showed that fecundity of uninfected females is significantly higher in highly infested L. saxatilis populations than in those with low trematode burdens. This is also supported by a comparison of fecundity in two pairs of geographically adjacent populations with contrasting trematode levels, revealing higher fecundity of uninfected females in heavily infested populations. Higher fecundity could be explained by the larger size of uninfected females in some heavily infested populations but not in others. Long-term (15-20 years) intra-population analysis performed in two heavily infested L. saxatilis populations showed that female fecundity increased in parallel with a long-term increase in trematode prevalence from 20% to >75% in one population, but remained high and relatively stable in the second population, reflecting its consistently high trematode prevalence (40-65%). These data support the hypothesis that an increase in female fecundity may be a population compensation mechanism in response to heavy trematode infestation in L. saxatilis and suggest the possible involvement of both natural selection and fast (physiological) regulation mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- A I Granovitch
- Department of Invertebrate Zoology, St. Petersburg State University, St. Petersburg, Russia.
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Parasites alter the topology of a stream food web across seasons. Oecologia 2008; 156:613-24. [DOI: 10.1007/s00442-008-0999-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2007] [Accepted: 02/04/2008] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
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Vera JC, Wheat CW, Fescemyer HW, Frilander MJ, Crawford DL, Hanski I, Marden JH. Rapid transcriptome characterization for a nonmodel organism using 454 pyrosequencing. Mol Ecol 2008; 17:1636-47. [PMID: 18266620 DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-294x.2008.03666.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 580] [Impact Index Per Article: 36.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
We present a de novo assembly of a eukaryote transcriptome using 454 pyrosequencing data. The Glanville fritillary butterfly (Melitaea cinxia; Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae) is a prominent species in population biology but had no previous genomic data. Sequencing runs using two normalized complementary DNA collections from a genetically diverse pool of larvae, pupae, and adults yielded 608,053 expressed sequence tags (mean length = 110 nucleotides), which assembled into 48,354 contigs (sets of overlapping DNA segments) and 59,943 singletons. BLAST comparisons confirmed the accuracy of the sequencing and assembly, and indicated the presence of c. 9000 unique genes, along with > 6000 additional microarray-confirmed unannotated contigs. Average depth of coverage was 6.5-fold for the longest 4800 contigs (348-2849 bp in length), sufficient for detecting large numbers of single nucleotide polymorphisms. Oligonucleotide microarray probes designed from the assembled sequences showed highly repeatable hybridization intensity and revealed biological differences among individuals. We conclude that 454 sequencing, when performed to provide sufficient coverage depth, allows de novo transcriptome assembly and a fast, cost-effective, and reliable method for development of functional genomic tools for nonmodel species. This development narrows the gap between approaches based on model organisms with rich genetic resources vs. species that are most tractable for ecological and evolutionary studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Cristobal Vera
- Department of Biology, 208 Mueller Laboratory, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA.
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Solter LF. Transmission as a predictor of ecological host specificity with a focus on vertical transmission of microsporidia. J Invertebr Pathol 2006; 92:132-40. [PMID: 16777140 DOI: 10.1016/j.jip.2006.03.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2006] [Accepted: 03/07/2006] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Consideration of vertical transmission is particularly important for understanding the life cycles of entomopathogens that are naturally occurring in invertebrate populations, are a problem in beneficial insect colonies, or are under consideration as classical biological control agents. Empirical studies generally corroborate the evolutionary hypothesis that virulence should be relatively low for pathogen species that utilize vertical transmission as one mechanism for maintenance in the host population. Nevertheless, many entomopathogens with significant effects on host populations are vertically as well as horizontally transmitted. In addition to gaining a better understanding of pathogen-host interactions and population dynamics, studies of the host range and specificity of putative biological control agents can benefit by using transmission studies to better predict ecological host specificity from physiological data. Horizontal transmission requires a tightly organized host-pathogen relationship to succeed, but still involves, albeit restricted by host behavior and pathogen dosage, the physiological susceptibility of the nontarget host. Vertical transmission studies can provide increased stringency for determining the ecological host specificity of a species and may be one very accurate predictor of the ability of a pathogen to successfully host-switch when introduced into a naïve population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leellen F Solter
- Illinois Natural History Survey, 1816 S. Oak St., Champaign, IL 61820, USA.
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Jokela J, Taskinen J, Mutikainen P, Kopp K. Virulence of parasites in hosts under environmental stress: experiments with anoxia and starvation. OIKOS 2005. [DOI: 10.1111/j.0030-1299.2005.13185.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 73] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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Riseng CM, Wiley MJ, Stevenson RJ. Hydrologic disturbance and nutrient effects on benthic community structure in midwestern US streams: a covariance structure analysis. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2004. [DOI: 10.1899/0887-3593(2004)023<0309:hdaneo>2.0.co;2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
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Ebert D, Lipsitch M, Mangin KL. The Effect of Parasites on Host Population Density and Extinction: Experimental Epidemiology with Daphnia and Six Microparasites. Am Nat 2000; 156:459-477. [DOI: 10.1086/303404] [Citation(s) in RCA: 189] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
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