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Perumalsamy N, Sharma R, Subramanian M, Nagarajan SA. Hard Ticks as Vectors: The Emerging Threat of Tick-Borne Diseases in India. Pathogens 2024; 13:556. [PMID: 39057783 PMCID: PMC11279560 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens13070556] [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: 04/03/2024] [Revised: 05/06/2024] [Accepted: 05/07/2024] [Indexed: 07/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Hard ticks (Ixodidae) play a critical role in transmitting various tick-borne diseases (TBDs), posing significant global threats to human and animal health. Climatic factors influence the abundance, diversity, and vectorial capacity of tick vectors. It is imperative to have a comprehensive understanding of hard ticks, pathogens, eco-epidemiology, and the impact of climatic changes on the transmission dynamics of TBDs. The distribution and life cycle patterns of hard ticks are influenced by diverse ecological factors that, in turn, can be impacted by changes in climate, leading to the expansion of the tick vector's range and geographical distribution. Vector competence, a pivotal aspect of vectorial capacity, involves the tick's ability to acquire, maintain, and transmit pathogens. Hard ticks, by efficiently feeding on diverse hosts and manipulating their immunity through their saliva, emerge as competent vectors for various pathogens, such as viruses, parasites and bacteria. This ability significantly influences the success of pathogen transmission. Further exploration of genetic diversity, population structure, and hybrid tick vectors is crucial, as they play a substantial role in influencing vector competence and complicating the dynamics of TBDs. This comprehensive review deals with important TBDs in India and delves into a profound understanding of hard ticks as vectors, their biology, and the factors influencing their vector competence. Given that TBDs continue to pose a substantial threat to global health, the review emphasizes the urgency of investigating tick control strategies and advancing vaccine development. Special attention is given to the pivotal role of population genetics in comprehending the genetic diversity of tick populations and providing essential insights into their adaptability to environmental changes.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Shriram Ananganallur Nagarajan
- Division of Vector Biology and Control, Indian Council of Medical Research—Vector Control Research Centre (ICMR-VCRC), Puducherry 605006, India; (N.P.); (R.S.); (M.S.)
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Muzarabani KC, Carolus H, Schols R, Hammoud C, Barson M, Huyse T. An update on snail and trematode communities in the Sanyati Basin of Lake Kariba: New snail and trematode species but no human schistosomes. Parasitol Int 2024; 99:102830. [PMID: 38016629 DOI: 10.1016/j.parint.2023.102830] [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: 07/05/2023] [Revised: 11/20/2023] [Accepted: 11/22/2023] [Indexed: 11/30/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The construction of Lake Kariba brought about a rise in the incidence of schistosomiasis in its surrounding towns of Kariba (Zimbabwe) and Siavonga (Zambia). After extensive control programs in Kariba, schistosomiasis prevalence dropped significantly. The objective of this study was to revisit the same localities sampled by Chimbari et al. (2003), and provide an update on the snail community and prevalence of trematodes in the Northern shore of Lake Kariba while focusing on planorbid species. METHODS Monthly sampling of snails at 16 sites along the Northern shoreline of Lake Kariba, near Kariba town, was undertaken for one year. Minimum one specimen per morphotype was identified using molecular barcoding (sequencing a fragment of cytochrome c oxidase I subunit (COI)). The infection status of snails was assessed by Rapid Diagnostic PCRs (RD-PCR), and trematode infections were genotyped by sequencing COI and 18S rDNA markers. RESULTS We collected and identified seven snail species: Bulinus truncatus, Bulinus forskalii, Gyraulus sp., Physella acuta, Bellamya sp., Radix affinis plicatula and Pseudosuccinea columella. Physella acuta was the most abundant snail species (comprising 56.95% of the total snail count) and present at all sites. The B. truncatus population was found to be infected with the stomach fluke Carmyerius cruciformis, a Petasiger sp. and a trematode species belonging to the family Notocotylidae. No Schistosoma sp. infections were detected in our collected snail specimens. CONCLUSIONS We report B. truncatus as an intermediate snail host for Carmyerius cruciformis, and the presence of three non-schistosome trematode species that have not been reported in Lake Kariba before. Furthermore, we detect a possible shift in the snail community when compared to the report by Chimbari et al. (2003): this is the first record of Gyraulus sp. in Lake Kariba, and we did not observe the previously reported B. pfeifferi, B. globosus and Radix natalensis. Although this shift in snail communities might have contributed to the absence of Schistosoma spp. detection in this study, further monitoring of final and intermediate hosts across the Kariba basin is essential to prove a decrease of schistosomiasis in the area.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kudzai C Muzarabani
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Zimbabwe, Harare, Zimbabwe.
| | - Hans Carolus
- Laboratory of Molecular Cell Biology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Ruben Schols
- Department of Biology, Royal Museum for Central Africa, Tervuren, Belgium; Laboratory of Aquatic Biology, KU Leuven Kulak, Kortrijk, Belgium
| | - Cyril Hammoud
- Department of Biology, Royal Museum for Central Africa, Tervuren, Belgium; Limnology Research Unit, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Maxwell Barson
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Zimbabwe, Harare, Zimbabwe; Department of Biological Sciences, University of Botswana, Gaborone, Botswana
| | - Tine Huyse
- Department of Biology, Royal Museum for Central Africa, Tervuren, Belgium
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3
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Schulz G, Camenzind T, Sánchez-Galindo LM, Schneider D, Scheu S, Krashevska V. Response of protists to nitrogen addition, arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi manipulation, and mesofauna reduction in a tropical montane rainforest in southern Ecuador. J Eukaryot Microbiol 2023; 70:e12996. [PMID: 37577763 DOI: 10.1111/jeu.12996] [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: 03/09/2023] [Revised: 07/10/2023] [Accepted: 07/27/2023] [Indexed: 08/15/2023]
Abstract
The tropical Andes are a species-rich and nitrogen-limited system, susceptible to increased nitrogen (N) inputs from the atmosphere. However, our understanding of the impacts of increased N input on belowground systems, in particular on protists and their role in nutrient cycling, remains limited. We explored how increased N affects protists in tropical montane rainforests in Ecuador using high-throughput sequencing (HTS) of environmental DNA from two litter layers. In addition, we manipulated the amount of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and mesofauna, both playing a significant role in N cycling and interacting in complex ways with protist communities. We found that N strongly affected protist community composition in both layers, while mesofauna reduction had a stronger effect on the lower layer. Changes in concentration of the AMF marker lipid had little effect on protists. In both layers, the addition of N increased phagotrophs and animal parasites and decreased plant parasites, while mixotrophs decreased in the upper layer but increased in the lower layer. In the upper layer with higher AMF concentration, mixotrophs decreased, while in the lower layer, photoautotrophs increased and plant parasites decreased. With reduced mesofauna, phagotrophs increased and animal parasites decreased in both layers, while plant parasites increased only in the upper layer. The findings indicate that to understand the intricate response of protist communities to environmental changes, it is critical to thoroughly analyze these communities across litter and soil layers, and to include HTS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Garvin Schulz
- Johann Friedrich Blumenbach Institute of Zoology and Anthropology, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Tessa Camenzind
- Institute of Biology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Laura M Sánchez-Galindo
- Johann Friedrich Blumenbach Institute of Zoology and Anthropology, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Dominik Schneider
- Genomic and Applied Microbiology and Goettingen Genomics Laboratory, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Stefan Scheu
- Johann Friedrich Blumenbach Institute of Zoology and Anthropology, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
- Centre of Biodiversity and Sustainable Land Use, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Valentyna Krashevska
- Johann Friedrich Blumenbach Institute of Zoology and Anthropology, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
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Truter M, Přikrylová I, Hadfield K, Smit N. Working towards a conservation plan for fish parasites: Cyprinid parasites from the south African cape fold freshwater ecoregion as a case study. Int J Parasitol Parasites Wildl 2023; 21:277-286. [PMID: 37533698 PMCID: PMC10393515 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijppaw.2023.07.003] [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: 05/14/2023] [Revised: 07/07/2023] [Accepted: 07/07/2023] [Indexed: 08/04/2023]
Abstract
The preservation of the world's biodiversity for future generations has been a global objective for many years, with the establishment of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species in 1964. However, the conservation of parasites is a more recent development and, due to the difficulty in obtaining data and studying some of the parasitic species, comes its own series of challenges. Using parasites of cyprinid hosts (one critically endangered, one endangered and three near threatened) collected from South Africa's Cape Fold freshwater ecoregion (CF) as a case study, this paper discusses the challenges and possible solutions for implementing a fish parasite conservation project. Novel data on the fish parasites (1819 metazoan parasite individuals, representing the Acanthocephala, Cestoda, Copepoda, Digenea, Monogenea and Nematoda) of the CF are provided from the five endemic hosts, Cheilobarbus serra (Peters, 1864), Labeobarbus seeberi (Gilchrist et Thompson, 1913), Pseudobarbus phlegethon (Barnard, 1938), Sedercypris calidus (Barnard, 1938), and Sedercypris erubescens (Skelton, 1974). Conservation statuses for selected parasite taxa are also proposed based on the conservation statuses of the fish hosts, according to the Conservation Assessment Methodology for Animal Parasites (CAMAP).
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Affiliation(s)
- M. Truter
- Water Research Group, Unit for Environmental Sciences and Management, North-West University, Private Bag X6001, Potchefstroom, 2520, South Africa
- DST/NRF Research Chair in Inland Fisheries and Freshwater Ecology, South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity, Makhanda, South Africa
| | - I. Přikrylová
- Water Research Group, Unit for Environmental Sciences and Management, North-West University, Private Bag X6001, Potchefstroom, 2520, South Africa
- DSI-NRF SARChI Chair (Ecosystem Health), Department of Biodiversity, University of Limpopo, Private Bag X1106, Sovenga, 0727, South Africa
| | - K.A. Hadfield
- Water Research Group, Unit for Environmental Sciences and Management, North-West University, Private Bag X6001, Potchefstroom, 2520, South Africa
| | - N.J. Smit
- Water Research Group, Unit for Environmental Sciences and Management, North-West University, Private Bag X6001, Potchefstroom, 2520, South Africa
- DST/NRF Research Chair in Inland Fisheries and Freshwater Ecology, South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity, Makhanda, South Africa
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Santos JJD, Mascarenhas CS, Müller G. A new genus and new species of Cyclocoelidae (Digenea), a parasite in spotted rail, Pardirallus maculatus (Gruiformes: Rallidae), in the Pampa biome, southern Brazil. Zootaxa 2023; 5319:120-126. [PMID: 37518246 DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5319.1.8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2023] [Indexed: 08/01/2023]
Abstract
Seventeen specimens of the spotted rail, Pardirallus maculatus (Boddaert) (Gruiformes: Rallidae), from the southern Brazil were examined for helminths. Three birds were positive for specimens of Cyclocoelidae (Digenea), which were found in both nasal and abdominal cavities. Helminths were described as Nasuscoelum pampensis n. gen., n. sp. The new genus has an intertesticular ovary forming a triangle with the testis, characterizing the Cyclocoelinae. Nasuscoelum pampensis n. gen., n. sp. is similar to Cyclocoelum mutabile (Zeder, 1800), however it differs from the latter by the presence of vitelline follicles confluence in the posterior region. A revised key to the Cyclocoelinae was proposed to include the new genus.
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Affiliation(s)
- José Junior Dos Santos
- Programa de Pós-graduação em Microbiologia e Parasitologia; Laboratório de Parasitologia de Animais Silvestres (LAPASIL); Instituto de Biologia; Departamento de Microbiologia e Parasitologia; Universidade Federal de Pelotas (UFPel); Campus Universitário S/N; CEP 96160-000; Capão do Leão; RS; Brazil.
| | - Carolina Silveira Mascarenhas
- Programa de Pós-graduação em Microbiologia e Parasitologia; Laboratório de Parasitologia de Animais Silvestres (LAPASIL); Instituto de Biologia; Departamento de Microbiologia e Parasitologia; Universidade Federal de Pelotas (UFPel); Campus Universitário S/N; CEP 96160-000; Capão do Leão; RS; Brazil.
| | - Gertrud Müller
- Programa de Pós-graduação em Microbiologia e Parasitologia; Laboratório de Parasitologia de Animais Silvestres (LAPASIL); Instituto de Biologia; Departamento de Microbiologia e Parasitologia; Universidade Federal de Pelotas (UFPel); Campus Universitário S/N; CEP 96160-000; Capão do Leão; RS; Brazil.
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Strona G, Bradshaw CJA, Cardoso P, Gotelli NJ, Guillaume F, Manca F, Mustonen V, Zaman L. Time-travelling pathogens and their risk to ecological communities. PLoS Comput Biol 2023; 19:e1011268. [PMID: 37498846 PMCID: PMC10374110 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1011268] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2022] [Accepted: 06/13/2023] [Indexed: 07/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Permafrost thawing and the potential 'lab leak' of ancient microorganisms generate risks of biological invasions for today's ecological communities, including threats to human health via exposure to emergent pathogens. Whether and how such 'time-travelling' invaders could establish in modern communities is unclear, and existing data are too scarce to test hypotheses. To quantify the risks of time-travelling invasions, we isolated digital virus-like pathogens from the past records of coevolved artificial life communities and studied their simulated invasion into future states of the community. We then investigated how invasions affected diversity of the free-living bacteria-like organisms (i.e., hosts) in recipient communities compared to controls where no invasion occurred (and control invasions of contemporary pathogens). Invading pathogens could often survive and continue evolving, and in a few cases (3.1%) became exceptionally dominant in the invaded community. Even so, invaders often had negligible effects on the invaded community composition; however, in a few, highly unpredictable cases (1.1%), invaders precipitated either substantial losses (up to -32%) or gains (up to +12%) in the total richness of free-living species compared to controls. Given the sheer abundance of ancient microorganisms regularly released into modern communities, such a low probability of outbreak events still presents substantial risks. Our findings therefore suggest that unpredictable threats so far confined to science fiction and conjecture could in fact be powerful drivers of ecological change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giovanni Strona
- European Commission, Joint Research Centre, Directorate D-Sustainable Resources, Ispra, Italy
- Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research Programme, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Corey J A Bradshaw
- Global Ecology | Partuyarta Ngadluku Wardli Kuu, College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage, Wollongong, Australia
| | - Pedro Cardoso
- Laboratory for Integrative Biodiversity Research-LIBRe, Finnish Museum of Natural History Luomus, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Nicholas J Gotelli
- Department of Biology, University of Vermont, Burlington, Vermont, United States of America
| | - Frédéric Guillaume
- Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research Programme, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Federica Manca
- Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research Programme, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Ville Mustonen
- Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research Programme, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Institute of Biotechnology, Department of Computer Science, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Luis Zaman
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States of America
- Center for the Study of Complex Systems, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States of America
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Halliday RB. Prelude to a study of the feather mites of Australia (Acariformes: Astigmata). Zootaxa 2023; 5280:1-73. [PMID: 37518754 DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5280.1.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2023] [Indexed: 08/01/2023]
Abstract
This paper reviews the state of knowledge of the feather mites of Australia (Arachnida: Acariformes: Astigmata). The known fauna includes 149 species arranged in 95 genera and 24 families, in the Superfamilies Analgoidea and Pterolichoidea. A checklist of the fauna is provided, including bibliographic details for every species and genus. The bird host and collecting localities are listed for every species, and taxonomic and nomenclatural problems are discussed where necessary. The total fauna may include as many as 800 undescribed species. The checklist is preceded by a brief review of some aspects of the biology of feather mites, which have not been studied in the context of the Australian fauna.The correct spelling for a family of respiratory tract parasites is confirmed as Kytoditidae. Dabertia indistincta (Dabert & Atyeo, 1993) comb. n. (Syringobiidae) and Hemialges australis (Trouessart, 1885) comb. n. (Analgidae) are new combinations proposed herein.
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Dutta TK, Phani V. The pervasive impact of global climate change on plant-nematode interaction continuum. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2023; 14:1143889. [PMID: 37089646 PMCID: PMC10118019 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2023.1143889] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2023] [Accepted: 03/24/2023] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
Pest profiles in today's global food production system are continually affected by climate change and extreme weather. Under varying climatic conditions, plant-parasitic nematodes (PPNs) cause substantial economic damage to a wide variety of agricultural and horticultural commodities. In parallel, their herbivory also accredit to diverse ecosystem services such as nutrient cycling, allocation and turnover of plant biomass, shaping of vegetation community, and alteration of rhizospheric microorganism consortium by modifying the root exudation pattern. Thus PPNs, together with the vast majority of free-living nematodes, act as ecological drivers. Because of direct exposure to the open environment, PPN biology and physiology are largely governed by environmental factors including temperature, precipitation, humidity, atmospheric and soil carbon dioxide level, and weather extremes. The negative effects of climate change such as global warming, elevated CO2, altered precipitation and the weather extremes including heat waves, droughts, floods, wildfires and storms greatly influence the biogeographic range, distribution, abundance, survival, fitness, reproduction, and parasitic potential of the PPNs. Changes in these biological and ecological parameters associated to the PPNs exert huge impact on agriculture. Yet, depending on how adaptable the species are according to their geo-spatial distribution, the consequences of climate change include both positive and negative effects on the PPN communities. While assorting the effects of climate change as a whole, it can be estimated that the changing environmental factors, on one hand, will aggravate the PPN damage by aiding to abundance, distribution, reproduction, generation, plant growth and reduced plant defense, but the phenomena like sex reversal, entering cryptobiosis, and reduced survival should act in counter direction. This seemingly creates a contraposition effect, where assessing any confluent trend is difficult. However, as the climate change effects will differ according to space and time it is apprehensible that the PPNs will react and adapt according to their location and species specificity. Nevertheless, the bio-ecological shifts in the PPNs will necessitate tweaking their management practices from the agri-horticultural perspective. In this regard, we must aim for a 'climate-smart' package that will take care of the food production, pest prevention and environment protection. Integrated nematode management involving precise monitoring and modeling-based studies of population dynamics in relation to climatic fluctuations with escalated reliance on biocontrol, host resistance, and other safer approaches like crop rotation, crop scheduling, cover cropping, biofumigation, use of farmyard manure (FYM) would surely prove to be viable options. Although the novel nematicidal molecules are target-specific and relatively less harmful to the environment, their application should not be promoted following the global aim to reduce pesticide usage in future agriculture. Thus, having a reliable risk assessment with scenario planning, the adaptive management strategies must be designed to cope with the impending situation and satisfy the farmers' need.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tushar K. Dutta
- Division of Nematology, ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi, India
| | - Victor Phani
- Department of Agricultural Entomology, College of Agriculture, Uttar Banga Krishi Viswavidyalaya, West Bengal, India
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9
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Wood CL, Vanhove MPM. Is the world wormier than it used to be? We'll never know without natural history collections. J Anim Ecol 2023; 92:250-262. [PMID: 35959636 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13794] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2022] [Accepted: 07/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Many disease ecologists and conservation biologists believe that the world is wormier than it used to be-that is, that parasites are increasing in abundance through time. This argument is intuitively appealing. Ecologists typically see parasitic infections, through their association with disease, as a negative endpoint, and are accustomed to attributing negative outcomes to human interference in the environment, so it slots neatly into our worldview that habitat destruction, biodiversity loss and climate change should have the collateral consequence of causing outbreaks of parasites. But surprisingly, the hypothesis that parasites are increasing in abundance through time remains entirely untested for the vast majority of wildlife parasite species. Historical data on parasites are nearly impossible to find, which leaves no baseline against which to compare contemporary parasite burdens. If we want to know whether the world is wormier than it used to be, there is only one major research avenue that will lead to an answer: parasitological examination of specimens preserved in natural history collections. Recent advances demonstrate that, for many specimen types, it is possible to extract reliable data on parasite presence and abundance. There are millions of suitable specimens that exist in collections around the world. When paired with contemporaneous environmental data, these parasitological data could even point to potential drivers of change in parasite abundance, including climate, pollution or host density change. We explain how to use preserved specimens to address pressing questions in parasite ecology, give a few key examples of how collections-based parasite ecology can resolve these questions, identify some pitfalls and workarounds, and suggest promising areas for research. Natural history specimens are 'parasite time capsules' that give ecologists the opportunity to test whether infectious disease is on the rise and to identify what forces might be driving these changes over time. This approach will facilitate major advances in a new sub-discipline: the historical ecology of parasitism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chelsea L Wood
- School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Maarten P M Vanhove
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Research Group Zoology: Biodiversity & Toxicology, Hasselt University, Diepenbeek, Belgium
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A reconstruction of parasite burden reveals one century of climate-associated parasite decline. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2023; 120:e2211903120. [PMID: 36623180 PMCID: PMC9934024 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2211903120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Long-term data allow ecologists to assess trajectories of population abundance. Without this context, it is impossible to know whether a taxon is thriving or declining to extinction. For parasites of wildlife, there are few long-term data-a gap that creates an impediment to managing parasite biodiversity and infectious threats in a changing world. We produced a century-scale time series of metazoan parasite abundance and used it to test whether parasitism is changing in Puget Sound, United States, and, if so, why. We performed parasitological dissection of fluid-preserved specimens held in natural history collections for eight fish species collected between 1880 and 2019. We found that parasite taxa using three or more obligately required host species-a group that comprised 52% of the parasite taxa we detected-declined in abundance at a rate of 10.9% per decade, whereas no change in abundance was detected for parasites using one or two obligately required host species. We tested several potential mechanisms for the decline in 3+-host parasites and found that parasite abundance was negatively correlated with sea surface temperature, diminishing at a rate of 38% for every 1 °C increase. Although the temperature effect was strong, it did not explain all variability in parasite burden, suggesting that other factors may also have contributed to the long-term declines we observed. These data document one century of climate-associated parasite decline in Puget Sound-a massive loss of biodiversity, undetected until now.
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11
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Brian JI, Aldridge DC. Mussel parasite richness and risk of extinction. CONSERVATION BIOLOGY : THE JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY FOR CONSERVATION BIOLOGY 2022; 36:e13979. [PMID: 35929586 PMCID: PMC10087751 DOI: 10.1111/cobi.13979] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2022] [Revised: 04/22/2022] [Accepted: 06/15/2022] [Indexed: 04/13/2023]
Abstract
Parasite conservation is important for the maintenance of ecosystem diversity and function. Conserving parasites relies first on understanding parasite biodiversity and second on estimating the extinction risk to that biodiversity. Although steps have been taken independently in both these areas, previous studies have overwhelmingly focused on helminths in vertebrate hosts over broad scales, providing low resolution and excluding a large proportion of possible host and parasite diversity. We estimated both total obligate parasite richness and parasite extinction risk in freshwater mussels (Unionidae and Margaritiferidae) from Europe and the United States to provide a case study for considering parasite conservation in a severely understudied system. We used currently reported host-parasite relationships to extrapolate parasite diversity to all possible mussel hosts and then used the threat levels of those hosts to estimate the extinction risk for both described and undescribed parasites. An estimated 67% of parasite richness in freshwater mussels is undescribed and over 80% of the most host-specific groups (digenean trematodes and ciliates) are undescribed. We estimated that 21% of this total parasite fauna is at immediate risk of extinction, corresponding to 60 unique species, many of which will likely go extinct before being described. Given the important roles parasites play in community structure and function and the strong ecosystem engineering capacities of freshwater mussels, such extinctions are likely to severely affect freshwater ecosystems. Our detailed study of mussel parasites provides compelling evidence for the hidden conservation threat to parasites through extinction cascades and shows parasites are deserving of immediate attention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joshua I Brian
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Department of Geography, King's College London, London, UK
| | - David C Aldridge
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- BioRISC, St Catharine's College, Cambridge, UK
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12
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Fanton H, Franquet E, Logez M, Cavalli L, Kaldonski N. Acanthocephalan parasites reflect ecological status of freshwater ecosystem. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 838:156091. [PMID: 35609694 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.156091] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2022] [Revised: 05/10/2022] [Accepted: 05/17/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Acanthocephalans' position in food webs, in close interaction with free-living species, could provide valuable information about freshwater ecosystem health through the viability of the parasites' host populations. We explored Pomphorhynchus laevis cystacanths' and adults' intensities of infection, and the prevalence of infected hosts respectively in their Gammarus pulex intermediate hosts and Squalius cephalus definitive hosts in a Mediterranean river. First, we analysed the relationship between P. laevis intensity of infection, its two hosts populations and the other acanthocephalan species found (Pomphorhynchus tereticollis and Polymorphus minutus). Second, we characterised the influence of bacteriological, physicochemical and biological water parameters on these acanthocephalans, and their intermediate and definitive hosts. This research highlights that P. laevis infection was closely related to their two preferential hosts population in the river. Moreover, P. laevis intensity of infection was positively correlated with organic pollution in the river but negatively correlated with biodiversity and with ecological indexes of quality. Pomphorhynchus laevis could thus benefit from moderate freshwater pollution, which promotes their tolerant intermediate and definitive hosts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hadrien Fanton
- Aix Marseille Univ, Avignon Université, CNRS, IRD, IMBE, Marseille, France.
| | - Evelyne Franquet
- Aix Marseille Univ, Avignon Université, CNRS, IRD, IMBE, Marseille, France
| | - Maxime Logez
- INRAE, Aix Marseille Univ, RECOVER, Aix-en-Provence, France; INRAE, UR RiverLy, F-69625 Villeurbanne Cedex, France
| | - Laurent Cavalli
- Aix Marseille Univ, Avignon Université, CNRS, IRD, IMBE, Marseille, France
| | - Nicolas Kaldonski
- Aix Marseille Univ, Avignon Université, CNRS, IRD, IMBE, Marseille, France
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13
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Merging theory and experiments to predict and understand coextinctions. Trends Ecol Evol 2022; 37:886-898. [DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2022.06.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2022] [Revised: 06/06/2022] [Accepted: 06/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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14
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Izvekova GI, Frolova TV, Izvekov EI, Zhokhov AE. Surviving in the fish gut: Comparative inhibitory capacities against the host proteinases in cestodes of the genus Proteocephalus. JOURNAL OF FISH DISEASES 2022; 45:1011-1021. [PMID: 35441367 DOI: 10.1111/jfd.13624] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2022] [Revised: 04/03/2022] [Accepted: 04/08/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Currently, little is known about inhibitory substances enabling tapeworms to settle in fish intestines thereby avoiding proteolysis. Contrary to previous studies with certain host-parasite pairs, this research compares the inhibitory capacities in three tapeworm species of the same genus Proteocephalus from four different fishes (P. torulosus from dace and zope, P. sagittus from stone loach and P. cernuae from ruffe). The tapeworm extracts studied significantly reduced the activity of commercial trypsin (although to a lesser degree than the synthetic inhibitor of serine proteinases PMSF), displaying clear inter-specific variation in worms' inhibitory ability. We also measured the proteolytic activity of the host intestinal mucosa exposed to tapeworm extracts which served as inhibitors. Based on per cent inhibition values, all tapeworm extracts significantly suppressed the mucosal proteolytic activity, with marked differences between certain host-parasite pairs. SDS-PAGE electrophoresis of the incubation media and extracts detected in each tapeworm species 20-36 protein bands with apparent molecular weights from 10-12 to 312.5 kDa, mostly below 50 kDa. The incubation medium and extract of each parasite shared one to six bands ranging from 12 to 35 kDa, depending on its species, with only four bands common for two or more species. The band profiles suggest that in various Proteocephalus species inhibitory capacities against host proteinases can be ensured by different proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Galina I Izvekova
- Papanin Institute for Biology of Inland Waters, Russian Academy of Sciences, Borok, Russia
| | - Tatyana V Frolova
- Papanin Institute for Biology of Inland Waters, Russian Academy of Sciences, Borok, Russia
| | - Evgeny I Izvekov
- Papanin Institute for Biology of Inland Waters, Russian Academy of Sciences, Borok, Russia
| | - Alexander E Zhokhov
- Papanin Institute for Biology of Inland Waters, Russian Academy of Sciences, Borok, Russia
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15
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Virrueta Herrera S, Johnson KP, Sweet AD, Ylinen E, Kunnasranta M, Nyman T. High levels of inbreeding with spatial and host-associated structure in lice of an endangered freshwater seal. Mol Ecol 2022; 31:4593-4606. [PMID: 35726520 PMCID: PMC9544963 DOI: 10.1111/mec.16569] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2022] [Revised: 05/12/2022] [Accepted: 05/20/2022] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
Host-specialist parasites of endangered large vertebrates are in many cases more endangered than their hosts. In particular, low host population densities and reduced among-host transmission rates are expected to lead to inbreeding within parasite infrapopulations living on single host individuals. Furthermore, spatial population structures of directly-transmitted parasites should be concordant with those of their hosts. Using population genomic approaches, we investigated inbreeding and population structure in a host-specialist seal louse (Echinophthirius horridus) infesting the Saimaa ringed seal (Phoca hispida saimensis), which is endemic to Lake Saimaa in Finland, and is one of the most endangered pinnipeds in the world. We conducted genome resequencing of pairs of lice collected from 18 individual Saimaa ringed seals throughout the Lake Saimaa complex. Our analyses showed high genetic similarity and inbreeding between lice inhabiting the same individual seal host, indicating low among-host transmission rates. Across the lake, genetic differentiation among individual lice was correlated with their geographic distance, and assignment analyses revealed a marked break in the genetic variation of the lice in the middle of the lake, indicating substantial population structure. These findings indicate that movements of Saimaa ringed seals across the main breeding areas of the fragmented Lake Saimaa complex may in fact be more restricted than suggested by previous population-genetic analyses of the seals themselves.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephany Virrueta Herrera
- Illinois Natural History Survey, Prairie Research Institute, University of Illinois, Champaign, Illinois, USA.,Program in Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois, USA
| | - Kevin P Johnson
- Illinois Natural History Survey, Prairie Research Institute, University of Illinois, Champaign, Illinois, USA
| | - Andrew D Sweet
- Department of Biological Sciences, Arkansas State University, Jonesboro, Arkansas, USA
| | - Eeva Ylinen
- Department of Environmental and Biological Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, Joensuu, Finland
| | - Mervi Kunnasranta
- Department of Environmental and Biological Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, Joensuu, Finland.,Natural Resources Institute Finland, Joensuu, Finland
| | - Tommi Nyman
- Department of Ecosystems in the Barents Region, Svanhovd Research Station, Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research, Svanvik, Norway
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16
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De Baets K, Huntley JW, Scarponi D, Klompmaker AA, Skawina A. Phanerozoic parasitism and marine metazoan diversity: dilution versus amplification. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2021; 376:20200366. [PMID: 34538136 PMCID: PMC8450635 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2020.0366] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Growing evidence suggests that biodiversity mediates parasite prevalence. We have compiled the first global database on occurrences and prevalence of marine parasitism throughout the Phanerozoic and assess the relationship with biodiversity to test if there is support for amplification or dilution of parasitism at the macroevolutionary scale. Median prevalence values by era are 5% for the Paleozoic, 4% for the Mesozoic, and a significant increase to 10% for the Cenozoic. We calculated period-level shareholder quorum sub-sampled (SQS) estimates of mean sampled diversity, three-timer (3T) origination rates, and 3T extinction rates for the most abundant host clades in the Paleobiology Database to compare to both occurrences of parasitism and the more informative parasite prevalence values. Generalized linear models (GLMs) of parasite occurrences and SQS diversity measures support both the amplification (all taxa pooled, crinoids and blastoids, and molluscs) and dilution hypotheses (arthropods, cnidarians, and bivalves). GLMs of prevalence and SQS diversity measures support the amplification hypothesis (all taxa pooled and molluscs). Though likely scale-dependent, parasitism has increased through the Phanerozoic and clear patterns primarily support the amplification of parasitism with biodiversity in the history of life. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Infectious disease macroecology: parasite diversity and dynamics across the globe’.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kenneth De Baets
- GeoZentrum Nordbayern, Fachgruppe PaläoUmwelt, Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg, Loewenichstraße 28, 91054 Erlangen, Germany
| | - John Warren Huntley
- Department of Geological Sciences, University of Missouri, 101 Geological Sciences Building, Columbia, MO 65211, USA
| | - Daniele Scarponi
- Dipartimento di Scienze Biologiche, Geologiche e Ambientali, University of Bologna, Piazza di Porta San Donato 1, 40131 Bologna, Italy
| | - Adiël A Klompmaker
- Department of Museum Research and Collections and Alabama Museum of Natural History, University of Alabama, Box 870340, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487, USA
| | - Aleksandra Skawina
- Department of Animal Physiology, Faculty of Biology, University of Warsaw, Warszawa, Poland
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17
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Herrera JP, Moody J, Nunn CL. Predictions of primate-parasite coextinction. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2021; 376:20200355. [PMID: 34538137 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2020.0355] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Future biodiversity loss threatens the integrity of complex ecological associations, including among hosts and parasites. Almost half of primate species are threatened with extinction, and the loss of threatened hosts could negatively impact parasite associations and ecosystem functions. If endangered hosts are highly connected in host-parasite networks, then future host extinctions will also drive parasite extinctions, destabilizing ecological networks. If threatened hosts are not highly connected, however, then network structure should not be greatly affected by the loss of threatened hosts. Networks with high connectance, modularity, nestedness and robustness are more resilient to perturbations such as the loss of interactions than sparse, nonmodular and non-nested networks. We analysed the interaction network involving 213 primates and 763 parasites and removed threatened primates (114 species) to simulate the effects of extinction. Our analyses revealed that connections to 23% of primate parasites (176 species) may be lost if threatened primates go extinct. In addition, measures of network structure were affected, but in varying ways because threatened hosts have fewer parasite interactions than non-threatened hosts. These results reveal that host extinctions will perturb the host-parasite network and potentially lead to secondary extinctions of parasites. The ecological consequences of these extinctions remain unclear. This article is part of the theme issue 'Infectious disease macroecology: parasite diversity and dynamics across the globe'.
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Affiliation(s)
- James P Herrera
- Duke Lemur Center SAVA Conservation, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - James Moody
- Department of Sociology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Charles L Nunn
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA.,Duke Global Health Institute, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
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18
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Vostinar AE, Skocelas KG, Lalejini A, Zaman L. Symbiosis in Digital Evolution: Past, Present, and Future. Front Ecol Evol 2021. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2021.739047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Symbiosis, the living together of unlike organisms as symbionts, is ubiquitous in the natural world. Symbioses occur within and across all scales of life, from microbial to macro-faunal systems. Further, the interactions between symbionts are multimodal in both strength and type, can span from parasitic to mutualistic within one partnership, and persist over generations. Studying the ecological and evolutionary dynamics of symbiosis in natural or laboratory systems poses a wide range of challenges, including the long time scales at which symbioses evolve de novo, the limited capacity to experimentally control symbiotic interactions, the weak resolution at which we can quantify interactions, and the idiosyncrasies of current model systems. These issues are especially challenging when seeking to understand the ecological effects and evolutionary pressures on and of a symbiosis, such as how a symbiosis may shift between parasitic and mutualistic modes and how that shift impacts the dynamics of the partner population. In digital evolution, populations of computational organisms compete, mutate, and evolve in a virtual environment. Digital evolution features perfect data tracking and allows for experimental manipulations that are impractical or impossible in natural systems. Furthermore, modern computational power allows experimenters to observe thousands of generations of evolution in minutes (as opposed to several months or years), which greatly expands the range of possible studies. As such, digital evolution is poised to become a keystone technique in our methodological repertoire for studying the ecological and evolutionary dynamics of symbioses. Here, we review how digital evolution has been used to study symbiosis, and we propose a series of open questions that digital evolution is well-positioned to answer.
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19
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Sitko J, Heneberg P. Long-term dynamics of trematode infections in common birds that use farmlands as their feeding habitats. Parasit Vectors 2021; 14:383. [PMID: 34353362 PMCID: PMC8344216 DOI: 10.1186/s13071-021-04876-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2020] [Accepted: 07/09/2021] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The biodiversity of farmland habitats is witnessing unprecedented change, mostly in declines and simplification of assemblages that were established during centuries of the use of traditional agricultural techniques. In Central Europe, conspicuous changes are evident in populations of common farmland birds, in strong contrast to forest birds in the same region. However, there is a lack of information on longitudinal changes in trematodes that are associated with common farmland birds, despite the fact that diversity of trematodes is directly linked to the preservation of long-established food webs and habitat use adaptations of their hosts. Methods We analyzed the population trends of trematodes for the period 1963–2020 in six bird species that use Central European farmlands as their predominant feeding habitats. Namely, we examined Falco tinnunculus, Vanellus vanellus, winter populations of Buteo buteo, Ciconia ciconia, extravilan population of Pica pica, and Asio otus, all originating from the Czech Republic. Results We observed dramatic population losses of all trematode species in C. ciconia and V. vanellus; the changes were less prominent in the other examined hosts. Importantly, the declines in prevalence and intensity of infection affected all previously dominant species. These included Tylodelphys excavata and Chaunocephalus ferox in C. ciconia, Lyperosomum petiolatum in P. pica, Strigea strigis in A. otus, Neodiplostomum attenuatum and Strigea falconis in B. buteo (χ2 test P < 0.001 each), and Echinoparyphium agnatum and Uvitellina adelpha in V. vanellus (completely absent in 2011–2000). In contrast, the frequency and spectrum of isolated records of trematode species did not change to any large extent except those in V. vanellus. Conclusions The analysis of six unrelated common bird species that use farmlands as their feeding habitats revealed a previously unreported collapse of previously dominant trematode species. The previously dominant trematode species declined in terms of both prevalence and intensity of infection. The causes of the observed declines are unclear; of note is, however, that some of the broadly used agrochemicals, such as azole fungicides, are well known for their antihelminthic activity. Further research is needed to provide direct evidence for effects of field-realistic concentrations of azole fungicides on the survival and fitness of trematodes. Graphical abstract ![]()
Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13071-021-04876-2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiljí Sitko
- Comenius Museum, Moravian Ornithological Station, Přerov, Czech Republic
| | - Petr Heneberg
- Charles University, Third Faculty of Medicine, Prague, Czech Republic.
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20
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Ardura A, Rick J, Martinez JL, Zaiko A, Garcia-Vazquez E. Stress resistance for unraveling potential biopollutants. Insights from ballast water community analysis through DNA. MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN 2021; 163:111935. [PMID: 33360727 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2020.111935] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2020] [Revised: 12/05/2020] [Accepted: 12/05/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
In marine settings, anthropogenic disturbances and climate change increase the rate of biological invasions. Predicting still undescribed invasive alien species (IAS) is needed for preparing timely management responses. We tested a strategy for discovering new potential IAS using DNA in a trans-equatorial expedition onboard RV Polarstern. During one-month travel, species inside ballast water experienced oxygen depletion, warming, darkness and ammonium stress. Many organisms died but several phytoplankton and zooplankton survivors resisted and were detected through a robust combination of individual sampling, DNA barcoding and metabarcoding, new in ballast water studies. Ammonium was identified as an important influential factor to explain diversity changes in phytoplankton and zooplankton. Some species reproduced until the end of the travel. These species tolerant to travel stress could be targeted as potential IAS and prioritized for designing control measures. Introducing resistance to travel stress in biosecurity risk analysis would be recommended.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alba Ardura
- Department of Functional Biology, University of Oviedo, C/ Julian Claveria s/n, 33006 Oviedo, Spain
| | - Johannes Rick
- Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, AWI, Department of Coastal Ecology, Germany
| | - Jose L Martinez
- Scientific-Technical Services, University of Oviedo, Oviedo, Asturias, Spain
| | - Anastasija Zaiko
- Coastal and Freshwater Group, Cawthron Institute, 98 Halifax Street East, 7010 Nelson, New Zealand; Marine Research Institute, Klaipeda University, H. Manto 84, LT-92294 Klaipeda, Lithuania
| | - Eva Garcia-Vazquez
- Department of Functional Biology, University of Oviedo, C/ Julian Claveria s/n, 33006 Oviedo, Spain.
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21
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de Groot MD, Dumolein I, Hiller T, Sándor AD, Szentiványi T, Schilthuizen M, Aime MC, Verbeken A, Haelewaters D. On the Fly: Tritrophic Associations of Bats, Bat Flies, and Fungi. J Fungi (Basel) 2020; 6:jof6040361. [PMID: 33322768 PMCID: PMC7770572 DOI: 10.3390/jof6040361] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2020] [Revised: 12/05/2020] [Accepted: 12/11/2020] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Parasitism is one of the most diverse and abundant modes of life, and of great ecological and evolutionary importance. Notwithstanding, large groups of parasites remain relatively understudied. One particularly unique form of parasitism is hyperparasitism, where a parasite is parasitized itself. Bats (Chiroptera) may be parasitized by bat flies (Diptera: Hippoboscoidea), obligate blood-sucking parasites, which in turn may be parasitized by hyperparasitic fungi, Laboulbeniales (Ascomycota: Laboulbeniomycetes). In this study, we present the global tritrophic associations among species within these groups and analyze their host specificity patterns. Bats, bat flies, and Laboulbeniales fungi are shown to form complex networks, and sixteen new associations are revealed. Bat flies are highly host-specific compared to Laboulbeniales. We discuss possible future avenues of study with regard to the dispersal of the fungi, abiotic factors influencing the parasite prevalence, and ecomorphology of the bat fly parasites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michiel D. de Groot
- Research Group Evolutionary Ecology, Naturalis Biodiversity Center, Darwinweg 2, 2333CR Leiden, The Netherlands;
- Correspondence:
| | - Iris Dumolein
- Research Group Mycology, Department of Biology, Ghent University, K.L. Ledeganckstraat 35, 9000 Ghent, Belgium; (I.D.); (A.V.); (D.H.)
| | - Thomas Hiller
- Ecology of Tropical Agricultural Systems, University of Hohenheim, Garbenstrasse 13, 70599 Stuttgart, Germany;
- Institute of Evolutionary Ecology and Conservation Genomics, University of Ulm, Albert-Einstein-Allee 11, 89081 Ulm, Germany
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Apartado 0843-03092, Balboa, Panama
| | - Attila D. Sándor
- Department of Parasitology and Parasitic Diseases, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, Calea Mănăștur 3-5, 400372 Cluj-Napoca, Romania;
- Department of Parasitology and Zoology, University of Veterinary Medicine, István u. 2, 1078 Budapest, Hungary
| | - Tamara Szentiványi
- Pathogen and Microbiome Institute, Northern Arizona University, 1395 S. Knoles Drive, Flagstaff, AZ 86011, USA;
| | - Menno Schilthuizen
- Research Group Evolutionary Ecology, Naturalis Biodiversity Center, Darwinweg 2, 2333CR Leiden, The Netherlands;
| | - M. Catherine Aime
- Department of Botany and Plant Pathology, Purdue University, 915 W. State Street, West Lafayette, IN 47906, USA;
| | - Annemieke Verbeken
- Research Group Mycology, Department of Biology, Ghent University, K.L. Ledeganckstraat 35, 9000 Ghent, Belgium; (I.D.); (A.V.); (D.H.)
| | - Danny Haelewaters
- Research Group Mycology, Department of Biology, Ghent University, K.L. Ledeganckstraat 35, 9000 Ghent, Belgium; (I.D.); (A.V.); (D.H.)
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Apartado 0843-03092, Balboa, Panama
- Department of Botany and Plant Pathology, Purdue University, 915 W. State Street, West Lafayette, IN 47906, USA;
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Szentiványi T, Markotter W, Dietrich M, Clément L, Ançay L, Brun L, Genzoni E, Kearney T, Seamark E, Estók P, Christe P, Glaizot O. Host conservation through their parasites: molecular surveillance of vector-borne microorganisms in bats using ectoparasitic bat flies. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2020; 27:72. [PMID: 33306024 PMCID: PMC7731914 DOI: 10.1051/parasite/2020069] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2020] [Accepted: 11/23/2020] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Most vertebrates host a wide variety of haematophagous parasites, which may play an important role in the transmission of vector-borne microorganisms to hosts. Surveillance is usually performed by collecting blood and/or tissue samples from vertebrate hosts. There are multiple methods to obtain samples, which can be stored for decades if properly kept. However, blood sampling is considered an invasive method and may possibly be harmful to the sampled individual. In this study, we investigated the use of ectoparasites as a tool to acquire molecular information about the presence and diversity of infectious microorganism in host populations. We tested the presence of three distinct vector-borne microorganisms in both bat blood and bat flies: Bartonella bacteria, malaria-like Polychromophilus sp. (Apicomplexa), and Trypanosoma sp. (Kinetoplastea). We detected the presence of these microorganisms both in bats and in their bat flies, with the exception of Trypanosoma sp. in South African bat flies. Additionally, we found Bartonella sp. in bat flies from one population in Spain, suggesting its presence in the host population even if not detected in bats. Bartonella and Polychromophilus infection showed the highest prevalence in both bat and bat fly populations. Single, co- and triple infections were also frequently present in both. We highlight the use of haematophagous ectoparasites to study the presence of infectious microorganism in host blood and its use as an alternative, less invasive sampling method.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tamara Szentiványi
- Museum of Zoology, 1014 Lausanne, Switzerland - Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Lausanne, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Wanda Markotter
- Department of Medical Virology, University of Pretoria, 0001 Pretoria, South Africa - AfricanBats NPC, 0157 Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Muriel Dietrich
- UMR Processus Infectieux en Milieu Insulaire Tropical, 97490 Sainte-Clotilde, Reunion Island, France
| | - Laura Clément
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Lausanne, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Laurie Ançay
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Lausanne, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Loïc Brun
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Lausanne, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Eléonore Genzoni
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Lausanne, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Teresa Kearney
- AfricanBats NPC, 0157 Pretoria, South Africa - Ditsong National Museum of Natural History, 0001 Pretoria, South Africa - Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Pretoria, 0083 Pretoria, South Africa
| | | | - Peter Estók
- Department of Zoology, Eszterházy Károly University, 3300 Eger, Hungary
| | - Philippe Christe
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Lausanne, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Olivier Glaizot
- Museum of Zoology, 1014 Lausanne, Switzerland - Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Lausanne, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
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Abstract
The aim of the present study was to evaluate the state of knowledge about the helminthology of wild mammals in Argentine Patagonia and its link with the conservation of parasite species and biodiversity. To this end, the information included in the previously reported checklist of the helminths found in terrestrial wild mammals of Argentine Patagonia was completed and updated. The methodology used for the search was the same as that previously used, with slight modifications. Eighty-two species of mammals currently inhabit the region, and an additional six species are considered to have become extinct before the 20th century. The reports used to complete and update the information correspond to research done since 2015 to date. Considering the number of records analysed in the previously reported checklist and those of the current update, a total of 1918 helminthological reports for current Patagonian mammals and 2141 on mammal species that inhabited Patagonia before the 20th century were accounted for. It is important to point out that 41% of the 82 species of wild mammals currently inhabiting Patagonia have not been studied helminthologically; 38% of these without helminthological records are either threatened or do not have categorization, and 79% of mammals without helminthological studies have some degree of endemism. Therefore, in order to evaluate conservation priorities, the information about the parasitic richness in Patagonian wild mammals should be substantially increased, especially in those endangered or endemic.
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24
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Loss of protozoan and metazoan intestinal symbiont biodiversity in wild primates living in unprotected forests. Sci Rep 2020; 10:10917. [PMID: 32616818 PMCID: PMC7331812 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-67959-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2020] [Accepted: 05/20/2020] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
Abstract
In light of the current biodiversity crisis, investigating the human impact on non-human primate gut biology is important to understanding the ecological significance of gut community dynamics across changing habitats and its role in conservation. Using traditional coproscopic parasitological techniques, we compared the gastrointestinal protozoan and metazoan symbiont richness of two primates: the Udzungwa red colobus (Procolobus gordonorum) and the yellow baboon (Papio cynocephalus). These species live sympatrically in both protected and unprotected forests within the Udzungwa Mountains of Tanzania with distinct ecological adaptations and diets. Our results showed that terrestrial and omnivorous yellow baboons had 2 (95% CI 1.47–2.73) and 3.78 (2.62–5.46) times higher gut symbiont richness (both including and excluding rare protozoans) compared to the arboreal and leaf-eating Udzungwa red colobus in unprotected and protected forest, respectively. We also found a consistent depletion of symbiont richness in red colobus living in the unprotected forest fragment compared to the continuous protected forests [the latter having 1.97 times (95% CI 1.33–2.92) higher richness], but not in yellow baboons. Richness reduction was particularly evident in the Udzungwa red colobus monkeys, confirming the pattern we reported previously for gut bacterial communities. This study demonstrates the impact of human activities even on the microbiodiversity of the intestinal tract of this species. Against the background of rapid global change and habitat degradation, and given the health benefits of intact gut communities, the decrease in natural gut symbionts reported here is worrying. Further study of these communities should form an essential part of the conservation framework.
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Kleindorfer S, Custance G, Peters KJ, Sulloway FJ. Introduced parasite changes host phenotype, mating signal and hybridization risk: Philornis downsi effects on Darwin's finch song. Proc Biol Sci 2019; 286:20190461. [PMID: 31185871 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2019.0461] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Introduced parasites that alter their host's mating signal can change the evolutionary trajectory of a species through sexual selection. Darwin's Camarhynchus finches are threatened by the introduced fly Philornis downsi that is thought to have accidentally arrived on the Galapagos Islands during the 1960s. The P. downsi larvae feed on the blood and tissue of developing finches, causing on average approximately 55% in-nest mortality and enlarged naris size in survivors. Here we test if enlarged naris size is associated with song characteristics and vocal deviation in the small tree finch ( Camarhynchus parvulus), the critically endangered medium tree finch ( C. pauper) and the recently observed hybrid tree finch group ( Camarhynchus hybrids). Male C. parvulus and C. pauper with enlarged naris size produced song with lower maximum frequency and greater vocal deviation, but there was no significant association in hybrids. Less vocal deviation predicted faster pairing success in both parental species. Finally, C. pauper males with normal naris size produced species-specific song, but male C. pauper with enlarged naris size had song that was indistinguishable from other tree finches. When parasites disrupt host mating signal, they may also facilitate hybridization. Here we show how parasite-induced naris enlargement affects vocal quality, resulting in blurred species mating signals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sonia Kleindorfer
- 1 College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University , Adelaide 5001 , Australia.,2 Konrad Lorenz Research Station and Department of Behavioural Biology, University of Vienna , Vienna , Austria
| | - Georgina Custance
- 1 College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University , Adelaide 5001 , Australia
| | - Katharina J Peters
- 1 College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University , Adelaide 5001 , Australia
| | - Frank J Sulloway
- 3 Department of Psychology, University of California , 2121 Berkeley Way, Room 3302, 4125 Tolman Hall, Berkeley, CA 94720 , USA
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Okamura B, Hartigan A, Naldoni J. Extensive Uncharted Biodiversity: The Parasite Dimension. Integr Comp Biol 2019; 58:1132-1145. [PMID: 29860443 DOI: 10.1093/icb/icy039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Parasites are often hidden in their hosts and exhibit patchy spatial distributions. This makes them relatively difficult to detect and sample. Consequently we have poor knowledge of parasite diversities, distributions, and extinction. We evaluate our general understanding of parasite diversity and highlight the enormous bias in research on parasites such as helminths and arthropods that infect vertebrate hosts. We then focus on Myxozoa as an exemplary case for demonstrating uncharted parasite diversity. Myxozoans are a poorly recognized but speciose clade of endoparasitic cnidarians with complex life cycles that have radiated to exploit freshwater, marine, and terrestrial hosts by adopting strategies convergent to those of parasitic protists. Myxozoans are estimated to represent some 20% of described cnidarian species-greatly outnumbering the combined species richness of scyphozoans, cubozoans, and staurozoans. We summarize limited understanding of myxozoan diversification and geographical distributions, and highlight gaps in knowledge and approaches for measuring myxozoan diversity. We close by reviewing methods and problems in estimating parasite extinction and concerns about extinction risks in view of the fundamental roles parasites play in ecosystem dynamics and in driving host evolutionary trajectories.
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Affiliation(s)
- Beth Okamura
- Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD, UK
| | - Ashlie Hartigan
- Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD, UK
| | - Juliana Naldoni
- Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP), Diadema, SP 09972-270, Brazil
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Derne BT, Hutchinson MN, Weinstein P, Gardner MG, Halliday B. Parasite in peril? A new species of mite in the genus
Ophiomegistus
Banks (Parasitiformes: Paramegistidae) on an endangered host, the pygmy bluetongue lizard
Tiliqua adelaidensis
(Peters) (Squamata: Scincidae). AUSTRAL ECOL 2018. [DOI: 10.1111/aec.12692] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Bonnie T. Derne
- College of Science and Engineering Flinders University GPO Box 2100 Adelaide 5001 South Australia Australia
| | | | - Philip Weinstein
- School of Biological Sciences University of Adelaide Adelaide South Australia Australia
| | - Michael G. Gardner
- College of Science and Engineering Flinders University GPO Box 2100 Adelaide 5001 South Australia Australia
- South Australian Museum Adelaide South Australia Australia
| | - Bruce Halliday
- Australian National Insect Collection CSIRO Canberra Australian Capital Territory Australia
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28
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Strona G, Bradshaw CJA. Co-extinctions annihilate planetary life during extreme environmental change. Sci Rep 2018; 8:16724. [PMID: 30425270 PMCID: PMC6233172 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-35068-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2018] [Accepted: 10/30/2018] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Climate change and human activity are dooming species at an unprecedented rate via a plethora of direct and indirect, often synergic, mechanisms. Among these, primary extinctions driven by environmental change could be just the tip of an enormous extinction iceberg. As our understanding of the importance of ecological interactions in shaping ecosystem identity advances, it is becoming clearer how the disappearance of consumers following the depletion of their resources — a process known as ‘co-extinction’ — is more likely the major driver of biodiversity loss. Although the general relevance of co-extinctions is supported by a sound and robust theoretical background, the challenges in obtaining empirical information about ongoing (and past) co-extinction events complicate the assessment of their relative contributions to the rapid decline of species diversity even in well-known systems, let alone at the global scale. By subjecting a large set of virtual Earths to different trajectories of extreme environmental change (global heating and cooling), and by tracking species loss up to the complete annihilation of all life either accounting or not for co-extinction processes, we show how ecological dependencies amplify the direct effects of environmental change on the collapse of planetary diversity by up to ten times.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giovanni Strona
- European Commission, Joint Research Centre, Directorate D - Sustainable Resources, Ispra, Italy.
| | - Corey J A Bradshaw
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage, Global Ecology, College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, Adelaide, Australia
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29
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Kubečka BW, Bruno A, Rollins D. Host Specificity of Oxyspirura petrowi in Wild Turkey. SOUTHEAST NAT 2018. [DOI: 10.1656/058.017.0402] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Andrea Bruno
- Rolling Plains Quail Research Foundation, Roby, TX 79543
| | - Dale Rollins
- Rolling Plains Quail Research Foundation, Roby, TX 79543
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30
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Szentiványi T, Haelewaters D, Pfliegler WP, Clément L, Christe P, Glaizot O. Laboulbeniales (Fungi: Ascomycota) infection of bat flies (Diptera: Nycteribiidae) from Miniopterus schreibersii across Europe. Parasit Vectors 2018; 11:395. [PMID: 29976258 PMCID: PMC6034341 DOI: 10.1186/s13071-018-2921-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2018] [Accepted: 05/28/2018] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Bat flies (Diptera: Nycteribiidae and Streblidae) are obligate, blood-sucking ectoparasites of bats with specialized morphology, life-cycle and ecology. Bat flies are occasionally infected by different species of Laboulbeniales (Fungi: Ascomycota), microscopic fungal ectoparasites belonging to three genera: Arthrorynchus spp. are restricted to the Eastern Hemisphere, while species of Gloeandromyces and Nycteromyces occur on Neotropical bat flies. Little is known about the distribution and host specificity of Arthrorynchus spp. on bat flies. In this study, we focused on sampling bat flies from the cave-dwelling bat species Miniopterus schreibersii. Bat and ectoparasite collection took place in Albania, Croatia, Hungary, Italy, Portugal, Slovakia, Spain and Switzerland. Flies were inspected for Laboulbeniales infections. RESULTS Six hundred sixty seven bat flies of five species were collected: Nycteribia latreillii, N. pedicularia, N. schmidlii, Penicillidia conspicua, and P. dufourii. Laboulbeniales infection was observed on 60 specimens (prevalence = 9%). Two Laboulbeniales species, Arthrorhynchus eucampsipodae and A. nycteribiae, were present on three bat fly species. All observations of A. eucampsipodae were on N. schmidlii, and A. nycteribiae was present on P. conspicua and P dufourii. Arthrorhynchus eucampsipodae is, for the first time, reported from Slovakia and Spain. Arthrorhynchus nycteribiae represents a new country record for Portugal and Slovakia. There were no significant differences among infection rates in different countries. Females of N. schmidlii showed a higher infection rate than males with an observable trend (P = 0.0502). No sex differences in infection rate for P. conspicua and P. dufourii were detected. Finally, thallus density was significantly lower in N. schmidlii compared to P. conspicua and P. dufourii. CONCLUSIONS With this study, we contribute to the knowledge of the geographical distribution and host specificity of Laboulbeniales fungi associated with ectoparasitic bat flies within Europe. We discuss parasite prevalence and host specificity in the light of our findings and the available literature. Penicillidia conspicua is unambiguously the main host species for A. nycteribiae based on our and previous findings. Differences in parasite intensity and sex-biased infections of the fungi are possible depending on the species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tamara Szentiványi
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Lausanne, Biophore, CH-1015, Lausanne, Switzerland. .,Museum of Zoology, Palais de Rumine, Place de la Riponne 6, CH-1014, Lausanne, Switzerland.
| | - Danny Haelewaters
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 02138, USA.,Farlow Reference Library and Herbarium of Cryptogamic Botany, Harvard University, 22 Divinity Avenue, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 02138, USA
| | - Walter P Pfliegler
- Department of Biotechnology and Microbiology, University of Debrecen, Egyetem tér 1, Debrecen, H4032, Hungary
| | - Laura Clément
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Lausanne, Biophore, CH-1015, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Philippe Christe
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Lausanne, Biophore, CH-1015, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Olivier Glaizot
- Museum of Zoology, Palais de Rumine, Place de la Riponne 6, CH-1014, Lausanne, Switzerland
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31
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Bakenhaster MD, Bullard SA, Curran SS, Kritsky DC, Leone EH, Partridge LK, Ruiz CF, Scharer RM, Poulakis GR. Parasite component community of smalltooth sawfish off Florida: diversity, conservation concerns, and research applications. ENDANGER SPECIES RES 2018. [DOI: 10.3354/esr00863] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
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32
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Dallas T, Huang S, Nunn C, Park AW, Drake JM. Estimating parasite host range. Proc Biol Sci 2018; 284:rspb.2017.1250. [PMID: 28855365 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2017.1250] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2017] [Accepted: 07/20/2017] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Estimating the number of host species that a parasite can infect (i.e. host range) provides key insights into the evolution of host specialism and is a central concept in disease ecology. Host range is rarely estimated in real systems, however, because variation in species relative abundance and the detection of rare species makes it challenging to confidently estimate host range. We applied a non-parametric richness indicator to estimate host range in simulated and empirical data, allowing us to assess the influence of sampling heterogeneity and data completeness. After validating our method on simulated data, we estimated parasite host range for a sparsely sampled global parasite occurrence database (Global Mammal Parasite Database) and a repeatedly sampled set of parasites of small mammals from New Mexico (Sevilleta Long Term Ecological Research Program). Estimation accuracy varied strongly with parasite taxonomy, number of parasite occurrence records, and the shape of host species-abundance distribution (i.e. the dominance and rareness of species in the host community). Our findings suggest that between 20% and 40% of parasite host ranges are currently unknown, highlighting a major gap in our understanding of parasite specificity, host-parasite network structure, and parasite burdens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tad Dallas
- Odum School of Ecology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA .,Environmental Science and Policy, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA
| | - Shan Huang
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre (BiK-F), Senckenberganlage 25, 60325 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Charles Nunn
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA.,Duke Global Health Institute, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Andrew W Park
- Odum School of Ecology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA.,Center for the Ecology of Infectious Diseases, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA
| | - John M Drake
- Odum School of Ecology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA.,Center for the Ecology of Infectious Diseases, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA
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33
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Hu XL, Liu G, Wei YT, Wang YH, Zhang TX, Yang S, Hu DF, Liu SQ. Regional and seasonal effects on the gastrointestinal parasitism of captive forest musk deer. Acta Trop 2018; 177:1-8. [PMID: 28963064 DOI: 10.1016/j.actatropica.2017.09.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2016] [Revised: 09/07/2017] [Accepted: 09/25/2017] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Parasite infections can cause adverse effects on health, survival and welfare of forest musk deer. However, few studies have quantified the parasite infection status and evaluated the parasite temporal dynamics and differences between breeding centers for captive forest musk deer. The purpose of this study was to assess seasonal and regional effects on the parasite prevalence, shedding capacity, diversity, aggregation and infracommunity to establish baseline data on captive forest musk deer. The McMaster technique was applied to count parasite eggs or oocysts in 990 fecal samples collected at three breeding centers located in Qinling Mountains and Tibetan Plateau during spring, summer, and winter. Five gastrointestinal parasite groups were found in musk deer, and Eimeria spp. were dominant (mean oocysts per gram=1273.7±256.3). A positive correlation between Eimeria spp. and Strongyloides spp. (r=0.336, p<0.001) based on shedding capacity data was found, as well as a negative correlation between Eimeria spp. and Moniezia spp. (r=-0.375, p=0.003). Both seasonal and regional differences in diversity, prevalence, shedding capacity, aggregation and infracommunity were observed for five parasite groups. The low level of aggregation and high shedding capacity of Eimeria spp. and Strongyloides spp. might reflect the contaminated environment, and indicate that host-parasite relationships are unstable. The high degree of aggregation of Trichuris spp., Ascaris spp., and Moniezia spp. also suggests that some individual hosts had less ability to resist pathogens and greater transmission potential than others. These conclusions suggest that a focus on disease control strategies could improve the health of forest musk deer in captivity.
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34
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Thompson RA, Lymbery AJ, Godfrey SS. Parasites at Risk – Insights from an Endangered Marsupial. Trends Parasitol 2018; 34:12-22. [DOI: 10.1016/j.pt.2017.09.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2017] [Revised: 09/04/2017] [Accepted: 09/04/2017] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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35
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Hoyal Cuthill JF, Sewell KB, Cannon LRG, Charleston MA, Lawler S, Littlewood DTJ, Olson PD, Blair D. Australian spiny mountain crayfish and their temnocephalan ectosymbionts: an ancient association on the edge of coextinction? Proc Biol Sci 2017; 283:rspb.2016.0585. [PMID: 27226467 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2016.0585] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2016] [Accepted: 04/27/2016] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Australian spiny mountain crayfish (Euastacus, Parastacidae) and their ecotosymbiotic temnocephalan flatworms (Temnocephalida, Platyhelminthes) may have co-occurred and interacted through deep time, during a period of major environmental change. Therefore, reconstructing the history of their association is of evolutionary, ecological, and conservation significance. Here, time-calibrated Bayesian phylogenies of Euastacus species and their temnocephalans (Temnohaswellia and Temnosewellia) indicate near-synchronous diversifications from the Cretaceous. Statistically significant cophylogeny correlations between associated clades suggest linked evolutionary histories. However, there is a stronger signal of codivergence and greater host specificity in Temnosewellia, which co-occurs with Euastacus across its range. Phylogeography and analyses of evolutionary distinctiveness (ED) suggest that regional differences in the impact of climate warming and drying had major effects both on crayfish and associated temnocephalans. In particular, Euastacus and Temnosewellia show strong latitudinal gradients in ED and, conversely, in geographical range size, with the most distinctive, northern lineages facing the greatest risk of extinction. Therefore, environmental change has, in some cases, strengthened ecological and evolutionary associations, leaving host-specific temnocephalans vulnerable to coextinction with endangered hosts. Consequently, the extinction of all Euastacus species currently endangered (75%) predicts coextinction of approximately 60% of the studied temnocephalans, with greatest loss of the most evolutionarily distinctive lineages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer F Hoyal Cuthill
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EQ, UK Earth-Life Science Institute, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Tokyo 152-8550, Japan
| | - Kim B Sewell
- Centre for Microscopy and Microanalysis (CMM), The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | | | | | - Susan Lawler
- Department of Ecology, Environment and Evolution, La Trobe University, Wodonga, Victoria 3690, Australia
| | | | - Peter D Olson
- Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD, UK
| | - David Blair
- College of Marine and Environmental Sciences, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland 4811, Australia
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36
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Sures B, Nachev M, Pahl M, Grabner D, Selbach C. Parasites as drivers of key processes in aquatic ecosystems: Facts and future directions. Exp Parasitol 2017; 180:141-147. [PMID: 28456692 DOI: 10.1016/j.exppara.2017.03.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2016] [Revised: 03/10/2017] [Accepted: 03/25/2017] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Despite the advances in our understanding of the ecological importance of parasites that we have made in recent years, we are still far away from having a complete picture of the ecological implications connected to parasitism. In the present paper we highlight key issues that illustrate (1) important contributions of parasites to biodiversity, (2) their integral role in ecosystems, (3) as well as their ecological effects as keystone species (4) and in biological invasion processes. By using selected examples from aquatic ecosystems we want to provide an insight and generate interest into the topic, and want to show directions for future research in the field of ecological parasitology. This may help to convince more parasitologists and ecologists contributing and advancing our understanding of the complex and fascinating interplay of parasites, hosts and ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- B Sures
- Aquatic Ecology, University of Duisburg-Essen, Universitätsstr. 5, D-45141 Essen, Germany; Centre for Water and Environmental Research, University of Duisburg-Essen, Universitätsstr. 5, D-45141 Essen, Germany; Department of Zoology, University of Johannesburg, PO Box 524, Auckland Park 2006, Johannesburg, South Africa.
| | - M Nachev
- Aquatic Ecology, University of Duisburg-Essen, Universitätsstr. 5, D-45141 Essen, Germany; Centre for Water and Environmental Research, University of Duisburg-Essen, Universitätsstr. 5, D-45141 Essen, Germany
| | - M Pahl
- Aquatic Ecology, University of Duisburg-Essen, Universitätsstr. 5, D-45141 Essen, Germany
| | - D Grabner
- Aquatic Ecology, University of Duisburg-Essen, Universitätsstr. 5, D-45141 Essen, Germany; Centre for Water and Environmental Research, University of Duisburg-Essen, Universitätsstr. 5, D-45141 Essen, Germany
| | - C Selbach
- Water Research Group, Unit for Environmental Sciences and Management, North-West University, Private Bag X6001, Potchefstroom 2520, South Africa
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37
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Cizauskas CA, Carlson CJ, Burgio KR, Clements CF, Dougherty ER, Harris NC, Phillips AJ. Parasite vulnerability to climate change: an evidence-based functional trait approach. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2017; 4:160535. [PMID: 28280551 PMCID: PMC5319317 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.160535] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2016] [Accepted: 12/06/2016] [Indexed: 05/19/2023]
Abstract
Despite the number of virulent pathogens that are projected to benefit from global change and to spread in the next century, we suggest that a combination of coextinction risk and climate sensitivity could make parasites at least as extinction prone as any other trophic group. However, the existing interdisciplinary toolbox for identifying species threatened by climate change is inadequate or inappropriate when considering parasites as conservation targets. A functional trait approach can be used to connect parasites' ecological role to their risk of disappearance, but this is complicated by the taxonomic and functional diversity of many parasite clades. Here, we propose biological traits that may render parasite species particularly vulnerable to extinction (including high host specificity, complex life cycles and narrow climatic tolerance), and identify critical gaps in our knowledge of parasite biology and ecology. By doing so, we provide criteria to identify vulnerable parasite species and triage parasite conservation efforts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carrie A. Cizauskas
- Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
- Author for correspondence: Carrie A. Cizauskas e-mail:
| | - Colin J. Carlson
- Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Kevin R. Burgio
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA
| | - Chris F. Clements
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, The University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Eric R. Dougherty
- Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Nyeema C. Harris
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Anna J. Phillips
- Department of Invertebrate Zoology, Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History, Washington, DC, USA
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38
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Strona G, Lafferty KD. Environmental change makes robust ecological networks fragile. Nat Commun 2016; 7:12462. [PMID: 27511722 PMCID: PMC4987532 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms12462] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2016] [Accepted: 07/05/2016] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Complex ecological networks appear robust to primary extinctions, possibly due to consumers' tendency to specialize on dependable (available and persistent) resources. However, modifications to the conditions under which the network has evolved might alter resource dependability. Here, we ask whether adaptation to historical conditions can increase community robustness, and whether such robustness can protect communities from collapse when conditions change. Using artificial life simulations, we first evolved digital consumer-resource networks that we subsequently subjected to rapid environmental change. We then investigated how empirical host–parasite networks would respond to historical, random and expected extinction sequences. In both the cases, networks were far more robust to historical conditions than new ones, suggesting that new environmental challenges, as expected under global change, might collapse otherwise robust natural ecosystems. Despite their complexity, ecological networks appear robust to species loss. Here, Strona and Lafferty use artificial life simulations and real-world data to show that such robustness applies to stable conditions, but can collapse when the environment changes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giovanni Strona
- European Commission, Joint Research Centre, Institute for Environment and Sustainability, Via E. Fermi 2749, 21027 Ispra, Italy
| | - Kevin D Lafferty
- US Geological Survey, Western Ecological Research Center c/o Marine Science Institute, University of California, Santa Barbara, California 93106, USA
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39
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Farrell MJ, Stephens PR, Davies TJ. Response to Strona & Fattorini: are generalist parasites being lost from their hosts? J Anim Ecol 2016; 85:624-7. [PMID: 26751600 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.12470] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2015] [Accepted: 10/30/2015] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
We respond to criticism of our recent paper by examining assumptions about the structure of host-parasite networks, and discuss the implications of host extinction on our perception of parasite specificity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maxwell J Farrell
- Biology Department, McGill University, 1205 Docteur Penfield, Montreal, QC, H3A 1B1, Canada
| | | | - T Jonathan Davies
- Biology Department, McGill University, 1205 Docteur Penfield, Montreal, QC, H3A 1B1, Canada.,African Centre for DNA Barcoding, University of Johannesburg, PO Box 524, Auckland Park, 2006, Johannesburg, South Africa
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