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Seasonal changes in host phenotype manipulation by an acanthocephalan: time to be transmitted?
D P Benesh1, T Hasu, O Seppälä
1Department of Evolutionary Ecology, Max-Planck-Institute for Evolutionary Biology, Plön, Germany. benesh@evolbio.mpg.de
Parasitology
|December 19, 2008
Summary
Parasitic manipulation of host behavior in isopods is seasonal, peaking in spring to optimize transmission. This seasonal change in hiding behavior develops over winter, independent of environmental conditions.
Area of Science:
- Ecology
- Parasitology
- Animal Behavior
Background:
- Complex life cycle parasites often synchronize transmission with host availability.
- Seasonal transmission is crucial for many parasites, potentially influencing the timing of host manipulation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if the parasitic alteration of isopod host traits (hiding behavior, coloration) by Acanthocephalus lucii is more pronounced during the spring transmission season.
- To determine the role of environmental factors (light, temperature) and host/parasite age in seasonal host manipulation.
Main Methods:
- Compared refuge use and abdominal coloration of infected and uninfected isopods across seasons.
- Manipulated light and temperature conditions for infected isopods.
- Monitored changes in refuge use in infected isopods under controlled low temperatures over time.
Main Results:
- Infected isopods showed reduced refuge use in spring compared to summer and fall.
- Abdominal darkening in infected isopods was consistent across seasons.
- Environmental conditions (light, temperature) did not influence the level of host alteration.
- Reduced hiding behavior developed over winter in infected isopods kept at 4°C.
Conclusions:
- Seasonal alteration of host behavior appears linked to host and/or parasite age, not environmental cues.
- The observed seasonal manipulation may be an adaptive strategy for parasite transmission in spring.
- Further research is needed to confirm the adaptive significance of seasonal host manipulation in this parasite-host system.
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