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Hayward AD, Behnke JM, Childs DZ, Corripio-Miyar Y, Fenton A, Fraser MD, Kenyon F, McNeilly TN, Pakeman RJ, Pedersen AB, Pemberton JM, Sweeny AR, Wilson K, Pilkington JG. Long-term temporal trends in gastrointestinal parasite infection in wild Soay sheep. Parasitology 2022; 149:1749-59. [PMID: 36052517 DOI: 10.1017/S0031182022001263] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Monitoring the prevalence and abundance of parasites over time is important for addressing their potential impact on host life histories, immunological profiles and their influence as a selective force. Only long-term ecological studies have the potential to shed light on both the temporal trends in infection prevalence and abundance and the drivers of such trends, because of their ability to dissect drivers that may be confounded over shorter time scales. Despite this, only a relatively small number of such studies exist. Here, we analysed changes in the prevalence and abundance of gastrointestinal parasites in the wild Soay sheep population of St. Kilda across 31 years. The host population density (PD) has increased across the study, and PD is known to increase parasite transmission, but we found that PD and year explained temporal variation in parasite prevalence and abundance independently. Prevalence of both strongyle nematodes and coccidian microparasites increased during the study, and this effect varied between lambs, yearlings and adults. Meanwhile, abundance of strongyles was more strongly linked to host PD than to temporal (yearly) dynamics, while abundance of coccidia showed a strong temporal trend without any influence of PD. Strikingly, coccidian abundance increased 3-fold across the course of the study in lambs, while increases in yearlings and adults were negligible. Our decades-long, intensive, individual-based study will enable the role of environmental change and selection pressures in driving these dynamics to be determined, potentially providing unparalleled insight into the drivers of temporal variation in parasite dynamics in the wild.
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Drechsler RM, Belliure J, Megía-Palma R. Phenological and intrinsic predictors of mite and haemacoccidian infection dynamics in a Mediterranean community of lizards. Parasitology 2021; 148:1328-38. [PMID: 34078494 DOI: 10.1017/S0031182021000858] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
Ectotherms are vulnerable to environmental changes and their parasites are biological health indicators. Thus, parasite load in ectotherms is expected to show a marked phenology. This study investigates temporal host–parasite dynamics in a lizard community in Eastern Spain during an entire annual activity period. The hosts investigated were Acanthodactylus erythrurus, Psammodromus algirus and Psammodromus edwardsianus, three lizard species coexisting in a mixed habitat of forests and dunes, providing a range of body sizes, ecological requirements and life history traits. Habitat and climate were considered as potential environmental predictors of parasite abundance, while size, body condition and sex as intrinsic predictors. Linear models based on robust estimates were fitted to analyse parasite abundance and prevalence. Ectoparasitic mites and blood parasites from two haemococcidian genera were found: Lankesterella spp. and Schellackia spp. Habitat type was the only predictor explaining the abundance of all parasites, being mostly higher in the forest than in the dunes. The results suggest that particularities in each host–parasite relationship should be accounted even when parasites infect close-related hosts under the same environmental pressures. They also support that lizard parasites can be biomarkers of environmental perturbation, but the relationships need to be carefully interpreted for each host–parasite assemblage.
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Masud N, Hayes L, Crivelli D, Grigg S, Cable J. Noise pollution: acute noise exposure increases susceptibility to disease and chronic exposure reduces host survival. R Soc Open Sci 2020; 7:200172. [PMID: 33047012 PMCID: PMC7540788 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.200172] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2020] [Accepted: 08/21/2020] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
Anthropogenic noise is a pervasive global pollutant that has been detected in every major habitat on the planet. Detrimental impacts of noise pollution on physiology, immunology and behaviour have been shown in terrestrial vertebrates and invertebrates. Equivalent research on aquatic organisms has until recently been stunted by the misnomer of a silent underwater world. In fish, however, noise pollution can lead to stress, hearing loss, behavioural changes and impacted immunity. But, the functional effects of this impacted immunity on disease resistance due to noise exposure have remained neglected. Parasites that cause transmissible disease are key drivers of ecosystem biodiversity and a significant factor limiting the sustainable expansion of the animal trade. Therefore, understanding how a pervasive stressor is impacting host-parasite interactions will have far-reaching implications for global animal health. Here, we investigated the impact of acute and chronic noise on vertebrate susceptibility to parasitic infections, using a model host-parasite system (guppy-Gyrodactylus turnbulli). Hosts experiencing acute noise suffered significantly increased parasite burden compared with those in no noise treatments. By contrast, fish experiencing chronic noise had the lowest parasite burden. However, these hosts died significantly earlier compared with those exposed to acute and no noise treatments. By revealing the detrimental impacts of acute and chronic noise on host-parasite interactions, we add to the growing body of evidence demonstrating a link between noise pollution and reduced animal health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Numair Masud
- Schools of Biosciences, Cardiff University, CF10 3AX Cardiff, UK
| | - Laura Hayes
- Schools of Biosciences, Cardiff University, CF10 3AX Cardiff, UK
| | | | - Stephen Grigg
- Engineering, Cardiff University, CF10 3AX Cardiff, UK
| | - Jo Cable
- Schools of Biosciences, Cardiff University, CF10 3AX Cardiff, UK
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Majewska AA, Sims S, Schneider A, Altizer S, Hall RJ. Multiple transmission routes sustain high prevalence of a virulent parasite in a butterfly host. Proc Biol Sci 2019; 286:20191630. [PMID: 31480975 PMCID: PMC6742984 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2019.1630] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Understanding factors that allow highly virulent parasites to reach high infection prevalence in host populations is important for managing infection risks to human and wildlife health. Multiple transmission routes have been proposed as one mechanism by which virulent pathogens can achieve high prevalence, underscoring the need to investigate this hypothesis through an integrated modelling-empirical framework. Here, we examine a harmful specialist protozoan infecting monarch butterflies that commonly reaches high prevalence (50–100%) in resident populations. We integrate field and modelling work to show that a combination of three empirically-supported transmission routes (vertical, adult transfer and environmental transmission) can produce and sustain high infection prevalence in this system. Although horizontal transmission is necessary for parasite invasion, most new infections post-establishment arise from vertical transmission. Our study predicts that multiple transmission routes, coupled with high parasite virulence, can reduce resident host abundance by up to 50%, suggesting that the protozoan could contribute to declines of North American monarchs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ania A Majewska
- Odum School of Ecology, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA.,Center for the Ecology of Infectious Disease, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA.,Department of Biology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Stuart Sims
- Odum School of Ecology, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
| | - Anna Schneider
- Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Sonia Altizer
- Odum School of Ecology, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA.,Center for the Ecology of Infectious Disease, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
| | - Richard J Hall
- Odum School of Ecology, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA.,Center for the Ecology of Infectious Disease, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA.,Department of Infectious Diseases, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
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Abstract
Many amphibian species around the world, except in Asia, suffer morbidity and mortality when infected by the emerging infectious pathogen Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd). A lineage of the amphibian chytrid fungus isolated from South Korean amphibians (BdAsia-1) is evolutionarily basal to recombinant global pandemic lineages (BdGPL) associated with worldwide amphibian population declines. In Asia, the Bd pathogen and its amphibian hosts have coevolved over 100 years or more. Thus, resilience of Asian amphibian populations to infection might result from attenuated virulence of endemic Bd lineages, evolved immunity to the pathogen or both. We compared susceptibilities of an Australasian amphibian, Litoria caerulea, known to lack resistance to BdGPL, with those of three Korean species, Bufo gargarizans, Bombina orientalis and Hyla japonica, after inoculation with BdAsia-1, BdGPL or a blank solution. Subjects became infected in all experimental treatments but Korean species rapidly cleared themselves of infection, regardless of Bd lineage. They survived with no apparent secondary effects. By contrast, L. caerulea, after infection by either BdAsia-1 or BdGPL, suffered deteriorating body condition and carried progressively higher Bd loads over time. Subsequently, most subjects died. Comparing their effects on L. caerulea, BdAsia-1 induced more rapid disease progression than BdGPL. The results suggest that genomic recombination with other lineages was not necessary for the ancestral Bd lineage to evolve hypervirulence over its long period of coevolution with amphibian hosts. The pathogen's virulence may have driven strong selection for immune responses in endemic Asian amphibian host species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Minjie Fu
- 1 Laboratory of Behavioral and Population Ecology, School of Biological Sciences, Seoul National University , Seoul 08826 , South Korea
| | - Bruce Waldman
- 1 Laboratory of Behavioral and Population Ecology, School of Biological Sciences, Seoul National University , Seoul 08826 , South Korea.,2 Department of Integrative Biology, Oklahoma State University , Stillwater, OK 74078 , USA
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Tadiri CP, Scott ME, Fussmann GF. Microparasite dispersal in metapopulations: a boon or bane to the host population? Proc Biol Sci 2018; 285:rspb.2018.1519. [PMID: 30158314 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2018.1519] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2018] [Accepted: 08/03/2018] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Although connectivity can promote host species persistence in a metapopulation, dispersal may also enable disease transmission, an effect further complicated by the impact that parasite distribution may have on host-parasite population dynamics. We investigated the effects of connectivity and initial parasite distribution (clustered or dispersed) on microparasite-host dynamics in experimental metapopulations, using guppies and Gyrodactylus turnbulli We created metapopulations of guppies divided into four subpopulations and introduced either a low level of parasites to all subpopulations (dispersed) or a high level of parasites to one subpopulation (clustered). Controlled migration among subpopulations occurred every 10 days. In additional trials, we introduced low or high levels of parasites to isolated populations. Parasites persisted longer in metapopulations than in isolated populations. Mortality was lowest in isolated populations with low-level introductions. The interaction of connectivity and initial parasite distribution influenced parasite abundance. With low-level introductions, connectivity helped the parasite persist longer but had little effect on the hosts. With high levels, connectivity also benefited the hosts, lowering parasite burdens. These findings have implications for disease management and species conservation.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Marilyn E Scott
- Institute of Parasitology, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
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Reichard M, Douda K, Przybyłski M, Popa OP, Karbanová E, Matasová K, Rylková K, Polačik M, Blažek R, Smith C. Population-specific responses to an invasive species. Proc Biol Sci 2016; 282:20151063. [PMID: 26180070 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2015.1063] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Predicting the impacts of non-native species remains a challenge. As populations of a species are genetically and phenotypically variable, the impact of non-native species on local taxa could crucially depend on population-specific traits and adaptations of both native and non-native species. Bitterling fishes are brood parasites of unionid mussels and unionid mussels produce larvae that parasitize fishes. We used common garden experiments to measure three key elements in the bitterling-mussel association among two populations of an invasive mussel (Anodonta woodiana) and four populations of European bitterling (Rhodeus amarus). The impact of the invasive mussel varied between geographically distinct R. amarus lineages and between local populations within lineages. The capacity of parasitic larvae of the invasive mussel to exploit R. amarus was higher in a Danubian than in a Baltic R. amarus lineage and in allopatric than in sympatric R. amarus populations. Maladaptive oviposition by R. amarus into A. woodiana varied among populations, with significant population-specific consequences for R. amarus recruitment. We suggest that variation in coevolutionary states may predispose different populations to divergent responses. Given that coevolutionary relationships are ubiquitous, population-specific attributes of invasive and native populations may play a critical role in the outcome of invasion. We argue for a shift from a species-centred to population-centred perspective of the impacts of invasions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin Reichard
- Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Květná 8, Brno 603 65, Czech Republic
| | - Karel Douda
- Department of Zoology and Fisheries, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Kamýcká 129, Prague 165 00, Czech Republic
| | - Mirosław Przybyłski
- Department of Ecology and Vertebrate Zoology, University of Łodz, Banacha 12/16, Łodz 90-237, Poland
| | - Oana P Popa
- Grigore Antipa National Museum of Natural History, Kiseleff Street, no. 1, Bucharest 011341, Romania
| | - Eva Karbanová
- Department of Zoology and Fisheries, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Kamýcká 129, Prague 165 00, Czech Republic
| | - Klára Matasová
- Department of Zoology and Fisheries, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Kamýcká 129, Prague 165 00, Czech Republic
| | - Kateřina Rylková
- Department of Zoology and Fisheries, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Kamýcká 129, Prague 165 00, Czech Republic
| | - Matej Polačik
- Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Květná 8, Brno 603 65, Czech Republic
| | - Radim Blažek
- Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Květná 8, Brno 603 65, Czech Republic
| | - Carl Smith
- Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Květná 8, Brno 603 65, Czech Republic School of Biology, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, Fife KY16 8LB, UK
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