Physiological analyses of host-finding behaviour in trematode cercariae: adaptations for transmission success

Physiological analyses of the behaviour of several cercarial species which actively find and invade their hosts have revealed very complex sequences of behaviour patterns and responses to very different stimuli from the environment and the host. A result of these physiological studies is that the behaviour patterns of each of the species investigated are surprisingly individual. The behavioural patterns of host-finding of those species analysed in some detail reveal profound adaptations to maximize transmission success. This can be demonstrated for movement patterns during swimming, for responses to environmental conditions such as gravity, light and temperature, for responses to stimuli emanating from the host such as shadows, water turbulence and chemical compounds and especially for the responses after contact with the host. The behaviour patterns can be interpreted as adaptations to: (1) dispersal by leaving the habitat of the snail intermediate host and distribution within the area; (2) long survival by energy saving swimming behaviour, by avoiding responses to inappropriate stimuli, by selecting favourable microhabitats and probably by avoiding predation; (3) finding and invading particular host types by selecting microhabitats frequented by the hosts and responding to sequences of specific stimuli emanating from the hosts.