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Acanthocephalan size and sex affect the modification of intermediate host colouration

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 May 2009

D. P. BENESH ,
O. SEPPÄLÄ  and
E. T. VALTONEN
D. P. BENESH*
Affiliation:
Department of Evolutionary Ecology, Max-Planck-Institute for Evolutionary Biology, August-Thienemann-Strasse 2, 24306Plön, Germany
O. SEPPÄLÄ
Affiliation:
EAWAG, Department of Aquatic Ecology, and ETH-Zürich, Institute of Integrative Biology, Überlandstrasse 133, 8600Dübendorf, Switzerland
E. T. VALTONEN
Affiliation:
Department of Biological and Environmental Science, POB 35, FI-40014University of Jyväskylä, Finland
*
*Corresponding author: Department of Evolutionary Ecology, Max-Planck-Institute for Evolutionary Biology, August-Thienemann-Strasse 2, 24306Plön, Germany. Tel: +494522763258; fax: +494522763310. E-mail: benesh@evolbio.mpg.de
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Summary

For trophically transmitted parasites, transitional larval size is often related to fitness. Larger parasites may have higher establishment success and/or adult fecundity, but prolonged growth in the intermediate host increases the risk of failed transmission via natural host mortality. We investigated the relationship between the larval size of an acanthocephalan (Acanthocephalus lucii) and a trait presumably related to transmission, i.e. altered colouration in the isopod intermediate host. In natural collections, big isopods harboured larger worms and had more modified (darker) abdominal colouration than small hosts. Small isopods infected with a male parasite tended to have darker abdominal pigmentation than those infected with a female, but this difference was absent in larger hosts. Female size increases rapidly with host size, so females may have more to gain than males by remaining in and growing mutually with small hosts. In experimental infections, a large total parasite volume was associated with darker host respiratory operculae, especially when it was distributed among fewer worms. Our results suggest that host pigment alteration increases with parasite size, albeit differently for male and female worms. This may be an adaptive strategy if, as parasites grow, the potential for additional growth decreases and the likelihood of host mortality increases.

Keywords

AcanthocephalaAsellus aquaticuscystacanthhost exploitationhost phenotype manipulationintermediate hostlarval life historysexual dimorphismtrophic transmission
Type
Research Article
Information
Parasitology , Volume 136 , Issue 8 , July 2009 , pp. 847 - 854
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2009

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