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Welsh JE, Markovic M, van der Meer J, Thieltges DW. Non-linear effects of non-host diversity on the removal of free-living infective stages of parasites. Oecologia 2024; 204:339-349. [PMID: 38300256 PMCID: PMC10907414 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-023-05462-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2023] [Accepted: 09/26/2023] [Indexed: 02/02/2024]
Abstract
Among the ecological functions and services of biodiversity is the potential buffering of diseases through dilution effects where increased biodiversity results in a reduction in disease risk for humans and wildlife hosts. Whether such effects are a universal phenomenon is still under intense debate and diversity effects are little studied in cases when non-host organisms remove free-living parasite stages during their transmission from one host to the next by consumption or physical obstruction. Here, we investigated non-host diversity effects on the removal of cercarial stages of trematodes, ubiquitous parasites in aquatic ecosystems. In laboratory experiments using response surface designs, varying both diversity and density at same time, we compared three combinations of two non-hosts at four density levels: predatory crabs that actively remove cercariae from the water column via their mouth parts and gills, filter feeding oysters that passively filter cercariae from the water column while not becoming infected themselves, and seaweed which physically obstructs cercariae. The addition of a second non-host did not generally result in increased parasite removal but neutralised, amplified or reduced the parasite removal exerted by the first non-host, depending on the density and non-host combination. These non-linear non-host diversity effects were probably driven by intra- and interspecific interactions and suggest the need to integrate non-host diversity effects in understanding the links between community diversity and infection risk.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer E Welsh
- Department of Coastal Systems, NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, PO Box 59, 1790 AB, Den Burg, The Netherlands
| | - Mirjana Markovic
- Department of Coastal Systems, NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, PO Box 59, 1790 AB, Den Burg, The Netherlands
| | - Jaap van der Meer
- Wageningen Marine Research, Korringaweg 7, 4401 NT, Yerseke, The Netherlands
- Aquaculture and Fisheries Group, Wageningen University and Research, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - David W Thieltges
- Department of Coastal Systems, NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, PO Box 59, 1790 AB, Den Burg, The Netherlands.
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life-Sciences, GELIFES, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 7, 9747 AG, Groningen, The Netherlands.
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Khosravi M, Thieltges DW, Díaz-Morales DM, Bommarito C, Vajedsamiei J. Filtration and respiration responses of mussels ( Mytilus edulis) to trematode parasite infections ( Renicola roscovita) and transient heat exposure. Int J Parasitol Parasites Wildl 2023; 21:296-304. [PMID: 37547789 PMCID: PMC10403709 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijppaw.2023.07.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2023] [Revised: 07/25/2023] [Accepted: 07/25/2023] [Indexed: 08/08/2023]
Abstract
The mussel Mytilus edulis, a host to various trematode species, experiences performance decrements due to these infections. Yet, the impact magnitude and potential interactions with environmental stressors remain largely unexplored. This study scrutinizes the effect of Renicola roscovita infections on mussel filtration and respiration. We first assessed performance in both uninfected and lab-infected mussels at a mild temperature (16 °C), following an acute heat ramp to 30.5 °C and subsequent cooling. The experiment revealed neither a significant direct impact of the infection on the mussels' performance, nor any significant interplay between the infection and temperature variations. To account for possible infection effects obscured by low sample sizes or mussel size disparities, we conducted a reassessment at 16 °C using both small and large mussels. Infection notably hampered filtration in large mussels, with a marginal impact on smaller ones. A positive correlation was found between infection intensity and mussel filtration capacity, though the infection had no discernible impact on respiration. Our consistent finding of an 11-12 % infection effect size across all experiments indicates a slight reduction in mussel filtration due to trematode infections. While the exacerbating effect of transient heat stress on the infection's impact on filtration was not statistically significant, future investigations should explore potential interactions with prolonged heat stress. Our findings underscore the nuanced ways in which parasitic infections can influence marine bivalve physiology, emphasizing the need for more comprehensive studies that incorporate environmental stressors, such as heat stress, to fully elucidate the impact of parasitism on marine ecosystem health and resilience.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maral Khosravi
- Department of Marine Ecology, GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel, Düsternbrooker Weg 20, 24105, Kiel, Germany
| | - David W. Thieltges
- Department of Coastal Systems, NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, P.O. Box 59, 1790, A.B. Den Burg Texel, the Netherlands
| | - Dakeishla M. Díaz-Morales
- Department of Aquatic Ecology and Centre for Water and Environmental Research, University of Duisburg-Essen, Universitaetstr. 5, 45141, Essen, Germany
| | - Claudia Bommarito
- Department of Marine Ecology, GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel, Düsternbrooker Weg 20, 24105, Kiel, Germany
| | - Jahangir Vajedsamiei
- Department of Marine Ecology, GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel, Düsternbrooker Weg 20, 24105, Kiel, Germany
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Effects of first intermediate host density, host size and salinity on trematode infections in mussels of the south-western Baltic Sea. Parasitology 2020; 148:486-494. [PMID: 33213531 PMCID: PMC7938341 DOI: 10.1017/s0031182020002188] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Trematode prevalence and abundance in hosts are known to be affected by biotic drivers as well as by abiotic drivers. In this study, we used the unique salinity gradient found in the south-western Baltic Sea to: (i) investigate patterns of trematode infections in the first intermediate host, the periwinkle Littorina littorea and in the downstream host, the mussel Mytilus edulis, along a regional salinity gradient (from 13 to 22) and (ii) evaluate the effects of first intermediate host (periwinkle) density, host size and salinity on trematode infections in mussels. Two species dominated the trematode community, Renicola roscovita and Himasthla elongata. Salinity, mussel size and density of infected periwinkles were significantly correlated with R. roscovita, and salinity and density correlated with H. elongata abundance. These results suggest that salinity, first intermediate host density and host size play an important role in determining infection levels in mussels, with salinity being the main major driver. Under expected global change scenarios, the predicted freshening of the Baltic Sea might lead to reduced trematode transmission, which may be further enhanced by a potential decrease in periwinkle density and mussel size.
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Bouwmeester MM, Goedknegt MA, Poulin R, Thieltges DW. Collateral diseases: Aquaculture impacts on wildlife infections. J Appl Ecol 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2664.13775] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Mark M. Bouwmeester
- Department of Coastal Systems NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research Den Burg The Netherlands
| | - M. Anouk Goedknegt
- UMR 5805 EPOC Station Marine d'Arcachon CNRSUniversité de Bordeaux Arcachon France
| | - Robert Poulin
- Department of Zoology University of Otago Dunedin New Zealand
| | - David W. Thieltges
- Department of Coastal Systems NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research Den Burg The Netherlands
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Albuixech-Martí S, Lynch SA, Culloty SC. Biotic and abiotic factors influencing haplosporidian species distribution in the cockle Cerastoderma edule in Ireland. J Invertebr Pathol 2020; 174:107425. [PMID: 32553639 DOI: 10.1016/j.jip.2020.107425] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2019] [Revised: 05/26/2020] [Accepted: 06/05/2020] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
The Phylum Haplosporidia consists of four genera (Minchinia, Haplosporidium, Urosporidium and Bonamia) that are endoparasitic protists of a wide range of marine invertebrates including commercial bivalve species. Characterization of haplosporidian species remains a challenge due to their patchy spatial and temporal distributions, host-restricted occurrence, and poorly known life cycles. However, they are commonly associated with significant mortality events in bivalves. Due to the recent sporadic mortality events that have occurred in cockles in Europe, the objectives of this study were to determine the diversity, distribution and seasonality of haplosporidian species in Cerastoderma edule populations at several Irish sites. The role of abiotic (temperature, salinity and dissolved oxygen in water) and biotic (cockle size and age) factors as drivers or inhibitors of haplosporidian infection were also assessed. Cockles (n = 998) from the intertidal were sampled from April/July 2018 to April 2019 at three sites with no commercial fishing activity on the south coast (Celtic Sea) and one site on the northeast coast (Irish Sea) with an active commercial fishery. Screening of the cockles by molecular techniques (PCR, Sanger sequencing) and by histopathology was carried out. Two species were identified and confirmed in Irish C. edule for the first time, Minchinia mercenariae -like (14.8%) and Minchinia tapetis (29.6%). Similar to other haplosporidian parasites, the Minchinia spp. detected in our study were present year-round at all sites, except for M. tapetis in Youghal Bay (Celtic Sea). Coinfection of both Minchinia species was only observed in Cork Harbour (Celtic Sea) and Dundalk Bay (Irish Sea), where Minchinia spp. showed a higher presence compared to Youghal Bay and Dungarvan Harbour (Celtic Sea). Moreover, haplosporidians detected with generic primers, were present at all of the sample sites throughout the year but had a higher occurrence during the winter months and were positively correlated with dissolved oxygen. Likewise, smaller and older C.edule seemed to be more vulnerable to the haplosporidian infection. Furthermore, haplosporidian distribution displayed spatial variability between and within sample sites, with the highest presence being observed in cockles at one of the commercially fished Dundalk beds, while the lowest presence was observed in cockles at the second Dundalk bed that was more influenced by freshwater runoff when the tide was out. Findings from this study provide additional information on the distribution and seasonal presence of novel haplosporidian species and their potential abiotic and biotic drivers/inhibitors of infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Albuixech-Martí
- School of Biological, Earth & Environmental Sciences, Environmental Research Institute, University College Cork, The Cooperage, Distillery Fields, North Mall, Cork, Ireland.
| | - S A Lynch
- School of Biological, Earth & Environmental Sciences, Environmental Research Institute, University College Cork, The Cooperage, Distillery Fields, North Mall, Cork, Ireland; Aquaculture & Fisheries Development Centre, Environmental Research Institute, and University College Cork, The Cooperage, Distillery Fields, North Mall, Cork, Ireland
| | - S C Culloty
- School of Biological, Earth & Environmental Sciences, Environmental Research Institute, University College Cork, The Cooperage, Distillery Fields, North Mall, Cork, Ireland; Aquaculture & Fisheries Development Centre, Environmental Research Institute, and University College Cork, The Cooperage, Distillery Fields, North Mall, Cork, Ireland; MaREI Centre for Marine and Renewable Energy, Environmental Research Institute, University College Cork, The Cooperage, Distillery Fields, North Mall, Cork, Ireland
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