Effect of starvation on parasite-induced mortality in a freshwater snail ( Potamopyrgus antipodarum)

Oecologia ◽  
1999 ◽  
Vol 119 (3) ◽  
pp. 320-325 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Jokela ◽  
C. M. Lively ◽  
J. Taskinen ◽  
A. D. Peters
Keyword(s):  
Freshwater Snail ◽  
Potamopyrgus Antipodarum

Perceived predation risk, parasitism, and the foraging behavior of a freshwater snail (Potamopyrgus antipodarum)

1998 ◽  
Vol 76 (10) ◽  
pp. 1878-1884 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edward P Levri
Keyword(s):  
Predation Risk ◽  
Foraging Behavior ◽  
Freshwater Snail ◽  
Potamopyrgus Antipodarum ◽  
Plain Water ◽  
Fish Diet ◽  
Fish Predator ◽  
Size Dependent ◽  
Individual Size ◽  
Perceived Predation Risk

Foraging behavior can be influenced by such factors as predation risk, individual size, and parasite infection. Snails (Potamopyrgus antipodarum) placed in tanks with large rocks were exposed to four types of water: (1) water with crushed snails, (2) water from a tank in which fish (Gobiomorphus cotidianus) were fed only trout chow, (3) water from a tank where the fish were also fed snails, and (4) plain water. Snails could respond by moving to the top of rocks (where algal food was present) or to the bottom of rocks (where the predation risk was lower). The snails responded to fish chemicals by moving to the bottom of rocks. The response was dependent on snail size and fish diet. Smaller snails moved to the bottom of rocks more than larger snails did. Trematode-infected snails were found on top of the rocks more than other classes of snails, but infected snails still moved to the bottom of rocks in response to the fish predator. Snails eaten by fish in the field tend to be smaller than snails in the overall available population. Thus, snails that are more vulnerable to predation respond more intensely to the odor of fish by moving to the bottom of rocks. This size-dependent response to fish appears to be independent of the occurrence of trematode infection.

scholarly journals Multiple paternity in the freshwater snail,Potamopyrgus antipodarum

2012 ◽  
Vol 2 (12) ◽  
pp. 3179-3185 ◽  
Author(s):  
Deanna M. Soper ◽  
Lynda F. Delph ◽  
Curt M. Lively
Keyword(s):  
Multiple Paternity ◽  
Freshwater Snail ◽  
Potamopyrgus Antipodarum

GENETIC STRUCTURE OF COEXISTING SEXUAL AND CLONAL SUBPOPULATIONS IN A FRESHWATER SNAIL (POTAMOPYRGUS ANTIPODARUM )

Evolution ◽  
1996 ◽  
Vol 50 (4) ◽  
pp. 1541-1548 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer A. Fox ◽  
Mark F. Dybdahl ◽  
Jukka Jokela ◽  
Curtis M. Lively
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Structure ◽  
Freshwater Snail ◽  
Potamopyrgus Antipodarum

THE EFFECT OF A TREMATODE PARASITE (MICROPHALLUS SP.) ON THE RESPONSE OF THE FRESHWATER SNAIL POTAMOPYRGUS ANTIPODARUM TO LIGHT AND GRAVITY

Behaviour ◽  
2000 ◽  
Vol 137 (9) ◽  
pp. 1141-1151 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Behavioral Change ◽  
Early Morning ◽  
Freshwater Snail ◽  
Final Host ◽  
Potamopyrgus Antipodarum ◽  
Digenetic Trematode ◽  
Trematode Parasite

AbstractParasites often influence the behavior of their hosts in ways that increase the probability of transmission of the parasite. The digenetic trematode Microphallus sp. has been demonstrated to alter the behavior of the New Zealand freshwater snail Potamopyrgus antipodarum in a way that increases the probability that infected snails will be eaten by the final host (waterfowl). Infected snails are found foraging on top of rocks more often in the early morning when waterfowl are feeding and less often in the afternoon when unsuitable hosts (fish) are feeding. The mechanism(s) that the parasite utilizes to produce this behavioral change is not known. The present study investigated three possible behaviors (phototaxis, geotaxis, and photokinesis) that the parasite could alter that may account for the behavioral change seen in the field. Infected and uninfected snails were assessed in terms of their orientation to light (phototaxis), orientation to gravity (geotaxis), and movement in response to light (photokinesis). There was no evidence of phototactic behaviors in either infected or uninfected snails. However, uninfected snails were found to positively orient towards gravity, while infected snails did not. Also, both infected and uninfected snails were found to be positively photokinetic (they move faster in the light than in the dark), but Microphallus infected snails were found to move more slowly than uninfected snails. The differences found between infected and uninfected snails may be part of the manipulative effort of the parasite, but by themselves the differences are not sufficient to explain the patterns observed in the field.

Genetic Structure of Coexisting Sexual and Clonal Subpopulations in a Freshwater Snail (Potamopyrgus antipodarum)

Evolution ◽  
1996 ◽  
Vol 50 (4) ◽  
pp. 1541 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer A. Fox ◽  
Mark F. Dybdahl ◽  
Jukka Jokela ◽  
Curtis M. Lively
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Structure ◽  
Freshwater Snail ◽  
Potamopyrgus Antipodarum

scholarly journals Exposure to parasites increases promiscuity in a freshwater snail

2014 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 20131091 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. M. Soper ◽  
K. C. King ◽  
D. Vergara ◽  
C. M. Lively
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Variation ◽  
Mating Behaviour ◽  
Freshwater Snail ◽  
Potamopyrgus Antipodarum ◽  
Red Queen Hypothesis ◽  
Red Queen ◽  
Trematode Parasite ◽  
Multiple Partners ◽  
Males And Females ◽  
The Red Queen

Under the Red Queen hypothesis, outcrossing can produce genetically variable progeny, which may be more resistant, on average, to locally adapted parasites. Mating with multiple partners may enhance this resistance by further increasing the genetic variation among offspring. We exposed Potamopyrgus antipodarum to the eggs of a sterilizing, trematode parasite and tested whether this altered mating behaviour. We found that exposure to parasites increased the number of snail mating pairs and the total number of different mating partners for both males and females. Thus, our results suggest that, in host populations under parasite-mediated selection, exposure to infective propagules increases the rate of mating and the number of mates.

scholarly journals Persistent Copulation in Asexual Female   Potamopyrgus antipodarum: Evidence for Male Control with Size-Based Preferences

2011 ◽  
Vol 2011 ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amanda E. Nelson ◽  
Maurine Neiman
Keyword(s):  
Mating Behavior ◽  
Freshwater Snail ◽  
Potamopyrgus Antipodarum ◽  
Male Mating ◽  
Female Size ◽  
Female Behavior ◽  
Physical Role ◽  
Male Mating Behavior ◽  
Primary Determinant ◽  
Post Hoc

Transitions from sexual to asexual reproduction provide a useful context for investigating the evolutionary loss of nonfunctional traits. It is often assumed that useless behaviors or structures will degrade, but this process is poorly understood. Potamopyrgus antipodarum is an ancestrally sexual New Zealand freshwater snail characterized by numerous independent transitions to asexual all-female lineages. The availability of multiple independently-derived asexual lineages of various time since derivation from sexual ancestors means that the P. antipodarum system is well-suited for the study of trait loss related to mating behavior and copulation. Here, we asked whether mating behavior in asexual female P. antipodarum degrades with increasing asexual lineage age. While copulation frequency did not differ in females from old versus young asexual lineages, post hoc analyses indicated that it was instead positively associated with mean lineage female size. We observed that female P. antipodarum take a passive physical role in copulatory interactions, indicating that female behavior may not be a useful variable for detection of sex-related vestigialization in this system. Instead, males seem to be in proximate control of copulation frequencies, meaning that male mating behavior may be a primary determinant of the expression of mating behavior in asexual female P. antipodarum.

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