Phenotypic Manipulation by the Cestode Parasite Schistocephalus solidus of Its Intermediate Host, Gasterosteus aculeatus, the Threespine Stickleback

1993 ◽  
Vol 142 (4) ◽  
pp. 725-735 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carl P. LoBue ◽  
Michael A. Bell
Keyword(s):  
Intermediate Host ◽  
Gasterosteus Aculeatus ◽  
Threespine Stickleback ◽  
Cestode Parasite ◽  
Schistocephalus Solidus ◽  
Phenotypic Manipulation

Host mortality and variability in epizootics of Schistocephalus solidus infecting the threespine stickleback, Gasterosteus aculeatus

Parasitology ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 137 (11) ◽  
pp. 1681-1686 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. C. HEINS ◽  
E. L. BIRDEN ◽  
J. A. BAKER
Keyword(s):  
Gasterosteus Aculeatus ◽  
Infected Fish ◽  
Threespine Stickleback ◽  
Intensity Of Infection ◽  
Host Fish ◽  
Schistocephalus Solidus ◽  
Second Intermediate Host ◽  
Host Mortality ◽  
Abiotic And Biotic Factors ◽  
Host Behaviour

SUMMARYAn analysis of the metrics of Schistocephalus solidus infection of the threespine stickleback, Gasterosteus aculeatus, in Walby Lake, Alaska, showed that an epizootic ended between 1996 and 1998 and another occurred between 1998 and 2003. The end of the first epizootic was associated with a crash in population size of the stickleback, which serves as the second intermediate host. The likely cause of the end of that epizootic is mass mortality of host fish over winter in 1996–1997. The deleterious impact of the parasite on host reproduction and increased host predation associated with parasitic manipulation of host behaviour and morphology to facilitate transmission might also have played a role, along with unknown environmental factors acting on heavily infected fish or fish in poor condition. The second epizootic was linked to relatively high levels of prevalence and mean intensity of infection, but parasite:host mass ratios were quite low at the peak and there were no apparent mass deaths of the host. A number of abiotic and biotic factors are likely to interact to contribute to the occurrence of epizootics in S. solidus, which appear to be unstable and variable. Epizootics appear to depend on particular and, at times, rare sets of circumstances.

The consequences of self-fertilization and outcrossing of the cestode Schistocephalus solidus in its second intermediate host

Parasitology ◽  
2003 ◽  
Vol 126 (4) ◽  
pp. 369-378 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. CHRISTEN ◽  
M. MILINSKI
Keyword(s):  
Intermediate Host ◽  
Gasterosteus Aculeatus ◽  
Life Stage ◽  
Life History Strategy ◽  
Body Cavity ◽  
Infected Fish ◽  
Mixed Mating ◽  
Schistocephalus Solidus ◽  
Self Fertilization ◽  
Second Intermediate Host

Many hermaphroditic parasites reproduce by both cross-fertilization and self-fertilization. To understand the maintenance of such mixed mating systems it is necessary to compare the fitness consequences of the two reproductive modes. This has, however, almost never been done in the context of host–parasite coevolution. Here we show the consequences of outcrossing and selfing in an advanced life-stage of the cestode Schistocephalus solidus, i.e. in its second intermediate host, the three-spined stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus). Each juvenile stickleback was simultaneously exposed to 2 experimentally infected copepods, one harbouring outcrossed the other selfed parasites. At 60 days p.i. parasites were removed from the fish's body cavity and, with microsatellite markers, assigned to either outcrossed or selfed origin. Prevalence was not significantly higher in outcrossed parasites. However, those fish that were infected contained significantly more outcrossed than selfed parasites. Thus the probability of a selfed parasite to progress in the life-cycle is reduced in the second intermediate host. Furthermore, we found that even the multiply infected fish increased in weight during the experiment. Nevertheless, total worm weight in multiply infected fish was significantly lower than in singly infected ones, which thus might be a parasite life-history strategy.

Estimating effective population size for a cestode parasite infecting three-spined sticklebacks

Parasitology ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 146 (07) ◽  
pp. 883-896
Author(s):  
Hannah M. Strobel ◽  
Sara J. Hays ◽  
Kristine N. Moody ◽  
Michael J. Blum ◽  
David C. Heins
Keyword(s):  
Population Size ◽  
Effective Population Size ◽  
Gasterosteus Aculeatus ◽  
Microsatellite Data ◽  
Effective Population ◽  
Cestode Parasite ◽  
Schistocephalus Solidus ◽  
Host Parasite Interactions ◽  
Parasite Evolution ◽  
Host Parasite

AbstractRemarkably few attempts have been made to estimate contemporary effective population size (Ne) for parasitic species, despite the valuable perspectives it can offer on the tempo and pace of parasite evolution as well as coevolutionary dynamics of host–parasite interactions. In this study, we utilized multi-locus microsatellite data to derive single-sample and temporal estimates of contemporaryNefor a cestode parasite (Schistocephalus solidus) as well as three-spined stickleback hosts (Gasterosteus aculeatus) in lakes across Alaska. Consistent with prior studies, both approaches recovered small and highly variable estimates of parasite and hostNe. We also found that estimates of hostNeand parasiteNewere sensitive to assumptions about population genetic structure and connectivity. And, while prior work on the stickleback–cestode system indicates that physiographic factors external to stickleback hosts largely govern genetic variation inS. solidus, our findings indicate that stickleback host attributes and factors internal to the host – namely body length, genetic diversity and infection – shape contemporaryNeof cestode parasites.

Virulence of the cestode Schistocephalus solidus and reproduction in infected threespine stickleback, Gasterosteus aculeatus

1999 ◽  
Vol 77 (12) ◽  
pp. 1967-1974 ◽  
Author(s):  
David C Heins ◽  
Scarlet S Singer ◽  
John A Baker
Keyword(s):  
Gasterosteus Aculeatus ◽  
Parasitic Infection ◽  
Population Level ◽  
Reproductive Period ◽  
Threespine Stickleback ◽  
South Central ◽  
Schistocephalus Solidus ◽  
Chi Squared ◽  
Parasite Relationship ◽  
Host Parasite

We investigated the relationship between reproduction in the threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) and parasitism by plerocercoids of the cestode Schistocephalus solidus in Walby Lake, Alaska, by quantifying stickleback reproduction and parasite infection using 1655 fish from four samples collected in 1990-1996. Stickleback in Walby Lake largely spawned during May and June as 2-year-olds in the second spring-summer after hatching, as was the case with other stickleback populations we studied in south-central Alaska. Contrary to an earlier hypothesis that S. solidus has been selected to delay its deleterious effects on threespine stickleback, i.e., limit its infection levels, until after the stickleback have reproduced, substantial levels of parasitic infection co-occurred with the stickleback reproductive period. Chi-squared analyses of individual samples suggested that in May, infected females were as capable of producing clutches of eggs as uninfected females but in June, S. solidus inhibited clutch production. An overall analysis, however, failed to support the hypothesis that the effect of S. solidus on clutch production differed between early and late periods of the spawning season. We concluded that S. solidus inhibits the ability of female stickleback in Walby Lake to produce a clutch, and that there was no differential effect on clutch production with season. Nonetheless, 77% of all infected females produced clutches. These results contrast with those of one study in which it was found only 9% of infected females became gravid (ripe) and another report that 23% of infected females were able to mature. We offer hypotheses for the co-occurrence of stickleback reproduction and substantial parasitism at the population level and for the ability of a large proportion of infected females to produce clutches. Our results suggest that the host-parasite relationship is more complex than was previously realized.

Some effects of the cestode (Schistocephalus solidus) on reproduction in the threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus): evolutionary aspects of a host–parasite interaction

1983 ◽  
Vol 61 (4) ◽  
pp. 901-908 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. D. McPhail ◽  
S. D. Peacock
Keyword(s):  
Adverse Effects ◽  
Breeding Season ◽  
Gasterosteus Aculeatus ◽  
Threespine Stickleback ◽  
Schistocephalus Solidus ◽  
Egg Number ◽  
Gravid Females ◽  
Host Parasite ◽  
Evolutionary Aspects ◽  
Sexually Mature

Monthly samples of threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) were collected from May through September 1975 from Fuller Lake, Vancouver Island. A total of 2175 adult sticklebacks were collected from 10 trap sites located at depths ranging from 0.25 to 5 m. These samples were assayed for length, weight, sex, state of maturity, and egg number (when applicable). In addition, we recorded the number and weight of the plerocercoids of a cestode tapeworm (Schistocephalus solidus) often found in the abdominal cavities of sticklebacks. The purpose of the study was to document the effects of Schistocephalus on reproduction in Gasterosteus. Stickleback spawning reached a peak in June and declined sharply through July and August. Over the entire breeding season, less than 5% of the gravid females were infected with Schistocephalus, whereas over 40% of the sexually mature but nongravid females were infected. There was no difference between breeding and nonbreeding males in the prevalence of Schistocephalus. In both sexes, the prevalence and severity of Schistocephalus infection were low in May, June, and July but increased sharply through August and September. Since the majority of Fuller Lake sticklebacks live for 1 year, the major adverse effects of Schistocephalus were confined to postreproductive adults. We hypothesize that Schistocephalus plerocercoids have been selected to delay adverse effects on their host until after the host has reproduced.

Influence of the pseudophyllidean cestode Schistocephalus solidus on oocyte development in the threespine stickleback Gasterosteus aculeatus

Parasitology ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 137 (7) ◽  
pp. 1151-1158 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. C. HEINS ◽  
N. J. BROWN-PETERSON
Keyword(s):  
Gasterosteus Aculeatus ◽  
Secondary Growth ◽  
Infected Fish ◽  
Threespine Stickleback ◽  
Spawning Season ◽  
Oocyte Development ◽  
Schistocephalus Solidus ◽  
Primary Growth ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Ovulatory Follicles

SUMMARYThe objective of this study was to investigate the means by which Schistocephalus solidus might reduce annual fecundity in female threespine stickleback fish (Gasterosteus aculeatus) through processes of oocyte development. Histological examinations of specimens from one lake in Alaska in 2000 and 2001 were used to analyse the effects of S. solidus on recruitment of primary growth oocytes into vitellogenesis, atresia of vitellogenic oocytes, and the interspawning interval. The ratio of primary growth to late secondary growth (late vitellogenic) oocytes was significantly greater (P<0·01) among infected fish than uninfected ones in early-season samples from 2000 and 2001, revealing a decrease in recruitment of oocytes from primary growth into vitellogenic oocytes among infected females. The difference was marginally non-significant (P=0·087) in a mid-season sample from 2001 due to reductions in the entire pool of vitellogenic (early and late secondary growth) oocytes recruited prior to the spawning season in this determinate-fecundity species. Atresia among all vitellogenic oocytes was low and did not differ between infected and uninfected females. Histological estimations of the interspawning interval using post-ovulatory follicles showed no significant differences between infected and uninfected fish, suggesting that the number of spawnings in stickleback females each spawning season is unaffected by S. solidus infection. Thus, annual fecundity appears to be reduced only through recruitment of oocytes into vitellogenesis.

scholarly journals Major host transitions are modulated through transcriptome-wide reprograming events in Schistocephalus solidus, a threespine stickleback parasite

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
François Olivier Hébert ◽  
Stephan Grambauer ◽  
Iain Barber ◽  
Christian R Landry ◽  
Nadia Aubin-Horth
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Intermediate Host ◽  
Final Host ◽  
Life Cycles ◽  
Threespine Stickleback ◽  
Complex Life Cycle ◽  
Ecological Niches ◽  
Avian Host ◽  
Complex Life Cycles ◽  
Schistocephalus Solidus

ABSTRACTParasites with complex life cycles have developed numerous phenotypic strategies, closely associated with developmental events, to enable the exploitation of different ecological niches and facilitate transmission between hosts. How these environmental shifts are regulated from a metabolic and physiological standpoint, however, still remain to be fully elucidated. We examined the transcriptomic response of Schistocephalus solidus, a trophically-transmitted parasite with a complex life cycle, over the course of its development in an intermediate host, the threespine stickleback, and the final avian host. Results from our differential gene expression analysis show major reprogramming events among developmental stages. The final host stage is characterized by a strong activation of reproductive pathways and redox homeostasis. The attainment of infectivity in the fish intermediate host – which precedes sexual maturation in the final host and is associated with host behaviour changes – is marked by transcription of genes involved in neural pathways and sensory perception. Our results suggest that un-annotated and S. solidus-specific genes could play a determinant role in host-parasite molecular interactions required to complete the parasite’s life cycle. Our results permit future comparative analyses to help disentangle species-specific patterns of infection from conserved mechanisms, ultimately leading to a better understanding of the molecular control and evolution of complex life cycles.

Solo Schistocephalus solidus tapeworms are nasty

Parasitology ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 143 (10) ◽  
pp. 1301-1309 ◽  
Author(s):  
JARLE TRYTI NORDEIDE ◽  
FELIPE MATOS
Keyword(s):  
Intermediate Host ◽  
Body Condition ◽  
Gasterosteus Aculeatus ◽  
Multiple Infections ◽  
High Latitudes ◽  
Trade Off ◽  
Host Condition ◽  
Schistocephalus Solidus ◽  
Dead End ◽  
Individual Host

SUMMARYTrophically transmitted parasites must trade-off own growth on one hand and energy drain from the intermediate host on the other hand, since killing the host before transmission to the next host is a dead end for both parasites and hosts. This challenge becomes especially intriguing when multiple parasites find themselves within the same individual host. The tapeworm Schistocephalus solidus may gain more than 98% of its final body mass within few months infecting its three-spined stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) intermediate host. During these months the tapeworms may achieve a mass even larger than its host. We studied virulence of single and multiple infections of S. solidus, by comparing body condition of wild stickleback hosts in two perennial stickleback populations located at high latitudes, and each population was studied in two different years. Our results demonstrated multiple compared with single infections to be a highly significant predictor of the condition of stickleback hosts, with multiple-infected hosts having relatively higher body condition. However, this applied only after adjusting for parasite mass, which was another significant predictor for host condition. Thus, our results suggested that, at a given parasite mass, S. solidus was more harmful towards their host's body condition in single compared with multiple infections.

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