Evolution and host specificity: dichotomous invasion success of Psithyrus citrinus (Hymenoptera: Apidae), a bumblebee social parasite in colonies of its two hosts

1985 ◽  
Vol 63 (4) ◽  
pp. 977-981 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard M. Fisher
Keyword(s):  
Host Specificity ◽  
Relative Abundance ◽  
Host Species ◽  
Ecological Factors ◽  
Invasion Success ◽  
Social Parasite ◽  
Suitable Host ◽  
Nest Initiation

Psithyrus citrinus is an obligate bumblebee social parasite. It has two hosts. Based upon the attraction of P. citrinus females to nests of Bombus vagans, it appears that B. impatiens is a nonpreferred or secondary host. A total of 29 female P. citrinus were introduced into host colonies reared in the laboratory, containing from 0 to 90 workers. Workers and queens of B. impatiens attacked P. citrinus females, and very few parasites survived. In contrast, workers and queens of B. vagans did not defend their nests, and parasites invaded colonies of this species successfully. Specialization appears to facilitate the success of P. citrinus females in invading host colonies. Parasite females were successful in rearing offspring in nests of both host species, although reproduction was limited by the extent to which parasites were assisted by host bees in rearing brood. In the absence of suitable host colonies, ecological factors, including periods of nest initiation by host queens and the relative abundance of nests, may act to maintain secondary host affiliations.

Evolution and host specificity: a study of the invasion success of a specialized bumblebee social parasite

1984 ◽  
Vol 62 (8) ◽  
pp. 1641-1644 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard M. Fisher
Keyword(s):  
Host Specificity ◽  
Invasion Success ◽  
Host Specialization ◽  
Social Parasite ◽  
Host Defenses ◽  
Social Parasites ◽  
Laboratory Colonies ◽  
Nest Usurpation ◽  
Bombus Affinis ◽  
Host Parasite

Species of Psithyrus (Hymenoptera: Apidae) are obligate social parasites of bumblebees. They range from monospecificity to species which have many Bombus hosts. Much of the reported variation in host–parasite behaviour which occurs during attempted nest usurpations may be explained in the context of host specificity. Psithyrus ashtoni is a relatively specialized bumblebee social parasite. The ability of P. ashtoni females to successfully enter laboratory colonies of Bombus affinis and Bombus terricola was tested. Female Psithyrus were introduced into more than 100 host colonies containing 0–58 workers. Parasites and host queens never fought, but in both hosts, invasion success decreased with increasing worker numbers. The passive nest usurpation behaviour of P. ashtoni differs from that of other, nonspecialized species of Psithyrus, which may kill or displace the host queen, and from that of completely specialized parasites, which may cohabit with both host queens and host workers. Host specialization may allow Psithyrus females to evolve behavioural and physiological features which minimize host defenses. Thus, while the number of available host species is limited, there is an increased probability of successful usurpation in nests of the appropriate host.

scholarly journals Higher mortality of the less suitable brown trout host compared to the principal Atlantic salmon host when infested with freshwater pearl mussel (Margaritifera margaritifera) glochidia

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Janhavi Marwaha ◽  
Per Johan Jakobsen ◽  
Sten Karlsson ◽  
Bjørn Mejdell Larsen ◽  
Sebastian Wacker
Keyword(s):  
Atlantic Salmon ◽  
Brown Trout ◽  
Host Species ◽  
Salmo Trutta ◽  
The Other ◽  
Margaritifera Margaritifera ◽  
Pearl Mussel ◽  
Suitable Host ◽  
Freshwater Pearl Mussel ◽  
Host Interaction

AbstractThe freshwater pearl mussel (Margaritifera margaritifera) is a highly host-specific parasite, with an obligate parasitic stage on salmonid fish. Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) and brown trout (Salmo trutta f. trutta and Salmo trutta f. fario) are the only hosts in their European distribution. Some M. margaritifera populations exclusively infest either Atlantic salmon or brown trout, while others infest both hosts with one salmonid species typically being the principal host and the other a less suitable host. Glochidial abundance, prevalence and growth are often used as parameters to measure host suitability, with the most suitable host species displaying the highest parameters. However, it is not known if the degree of host specialisation will negatively influence host fitness (virulence) among different host species. In this study we examined the hypothesis that glochidial infestation would result in differential virulence in two salmonid host species and that lower virulence would be observed on the most suitable host. Atlantic salmon and brown trout were infested with glochidia from two M. margaritifera populations that use Atlantic salmon as their principal host, and the difference in host mortality among infested and control (sham infested) fish was examined. Higher mortality was observed in infested brown trout (the less suitable host) groups, compared to the other test groups. Genetic assignment was used to identify offspring from individual mother mussels. We found that glochidia from individual mothers can infest both the salmonid hosts; however, some mothers displayed a bias towards either salmon or trout. We believe that the differences in host-dependent virulence and the host bias displayed by individual mothers were a result of genotype × genotype interactions between the glochidia and their hosts, indicating that there is an underlying genetic component for this parasite-host interaction.

scholarly journals Co-extinct and critically co-endangered species of parasitic lice, and conservation-induced extinction: should lice be reintroduced to their hosts?

Oryx ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 49 (1) ◽  
pp. 107-110 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lajos Rózsa ◽  
Zoltán Vas
Keyword(s):  
Endangered Species ◽  
Host Specificity ◽  
Host Species ◽  
Conservation Status ◽  
Iucn Red List ◽  
Red List ◽  
Published Data ◽  
Common Phenomenon ◽  
Global Extinction

AbstractThe co-extinction of parasitic taxa and their host species is considered a common phenomenon in the current global extinction crisis. However, information about the conservation status of parasitic taxa is scarce. We present a global list of co-extinct and critically co-endangered parasitic lice (Phthiraptera), based on published data on their host-specificity and their hosts’ conservation status according to the IUCN Red List. We list six co-extinct and 40 (possibly 41) critically co-endangered species. Additionally, we recognize 2–4 species that went extinct as a result of conservation efforts to save their hosts. Conservationists should consider preserving host-specific lice as part of their efforts to save species.

Host specificity in the host-seeking larva of the dipteran parasitoidMallophora ruficaudaand the influence of age on parasitism decisions

2014 ◽  
Vol 104 (3) ◽  
pp. 295-306 ◽  
Author(s):  
M.E. Barrantes ◽  
M.K. Castelo
Keyword(s):  
Host Specificity ◽  
Host Species ◽  
Instar Larva ◽  
Distribution Area ◽  
Host Acceptance ◽  
Chemical Stimulus ◽  
Chemical Cue ◽  
Behavioural Flexibility ◽  
White Grubs ◽  
Host Seeking

AbstractLarvae of the robber flyMallophora ruficaudaare ectoparasitoids of white grubs and adults are an important apiculture pest in Argentina. Females oviposit on tall grasses and the second instar larva actively searches and locates hosts. There are nine potential hosts in the distribution area of this parasitoid andCyclocephala signaticollis(Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) is the most parasitized in the field. However,M. ruficaudahas a certain degree of behavioural flexibility towards different host species, and not being a strict specialist. The conditions under which the parasitoid orientates and accepts different hosts’ species are unknown. We studied the host specificity ofM. ruficaudatowards three species ofCyclocephalagenus and we determined whether this specificity depends on larval age. We also evaluated whether larva orientation towardsCyclocephalaspecies changes with chemical cue concentration. We assessed host specificity measuring the orientation and acceptance behaviours towards kairomones extracts and live individuals ofCyclocephalaspecies usingM. ruficaudalarvae of low and high life expectancy (i.e., young and aged second instar larvae). We observed that young larvae orientated only towardsC. signaticollischemical stimulus, whereas aged larvae orientated also towardsC. modesta, and the same was observed with increasing stimuli's concentration. Both young and agedM. ruficaudalarvae orientate towards liveC. signaticollisandC. putridaspecies and rejectedC. modesta. Also, we found that larvae accepted allCyclocephalahosts. In conclusion, our results indicate that specificity in the laboratory, observed through host orientation and host acceptance behaviours, depends not only on the availability of host species, but also on the nature of the host's stimuli combined with parasitoid age.

scholarly journals Impact of a social parasite on ant host populations depends on host species, habitat and year

2011 ◽  
Vol 103 (3) ◽  
pp. 559-570 ◽  
Author(s):  
INON SCHARF ◽  
SABINE BAUER ◽  
BIRGIT FISCHER-BLASS ◽  
SUSANNE FOITZIK
Keyword(s):  
Host Species ◽  
Social Parasite

The occurrence of species flocks in the nematode genus Cloacina (Strongyloidea : Cloacininae), parasitic in the stomachs of kangaroos and wallabies

2002 ◽  
Vol 50 (6) ◽  
pp. 597 ◽  
Author(s):  
I. Beveridge ◽  
N. B. Chilton ◽  
D. M. Spratt
Keyword(s):  
Host Specificity ◽  
Host Species ◽  
Nematode Species ◽  
Morphological Data ◽  
Species Flock ◽  
Sampling Effort ◽  
Nematode Genus ◽  
Single Host ◽  
Species Flocks ◽  
Occurrence Of Species

The occurrence of species flocks within the nematode genus Cloacina was examined using the criteria of host specificity, co-occurrence and monophyly. Species of Cloacina generally exhibited a high degree of host specificity, with most species occurring either in a single host species or in two closely related host species. The frequency distribution of numbers of component species of Cloacina per host species indicated that most host species harboured 2–4 species of nematodes, with an approximately exponential decline in the number of species of parasites to a maximum of 20 species of nematode per host species. Host species harbouring eight or more species of Cloacina were found within a single recent macropodid clade, but there was no correlation between evolutionary age of the host and the number of parasite species harboured. Sampling effort was significantly correlated with the number of nematode species found and, in partial regression analysis, subsumed the effects of host body size and geographic range, which were found to be significant correlates with the number of nematode species present in preliminary analyses. Analysis of co-occurrences of nematode species indicated significant variation between host species, with some hosts (e.g. Macropus agilis) most commonly harbouring a single species of Cloacina, while closely related host species (e.g. M. dorsalis) most commonly harboured numerous species. Parsimony analysis of species of Cloacina based on morphological data suggested that while small series of related nematode species could be identified within a single host species, the species flock in each host species is polyphyletic in origin. Species flocks contributed significantly to community richness in some host species.

scholarly journals Host specificity and phylogenetic relationships among Atlantic Ovulidae (Mollusca: Gastropoda)

2010 ◽  
Vol 79 (2) ◽  
pp. 69-78 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bastian T. Reijnen ◽  
Bert W. Hoeksema ◽  
Edmund Gittenberger
Keyword(s):  
Host Specificity ◽  
Dna Markers ◽  
Host Species ◽  
Phylogenetic Relationships ◽  
Molecular Data ◽  
Comparable Data ◽  
Netherlands Antilles ◽  
East Pacific ◽  
Cyphoma Gibbosum ◽  
Pacific Species

Ovulid gastropods and their octocoral hosts were collected along the leeward coast of Curaçao, Netherlands Antilles. New molecular data of Caribbean and a single Atlantic species were combined with comparable data of Indo-Pacific Ovulidae and a single East-Pacific species from GenBank. Based on two DNA markers, viz. CO-I and 16S, the phylogenetic relationships among all ovulid species of which these data are available are reconstructed. The provisional results suggest a dichotomy between the Atlantic and the Indo-Pacific taxa. Fully grown Simnialena uniplicata closely resembles juvenile Cyphoma gibbosum conchologically. Cymbovula acicularis and C. bahamaensis might be synonyms. The assignments of Caribbean host species for Cyphoma gibbosum, C. signatum, Cymbovula acicularis and Simnialena uniplicata are revised.

Host specificity and morphometric variation of Haemoproteus meleagridis Levine, 1961 (Protozoa: Haemosporina) in gallinaceous birds

1986 ◽  
Vol 64 (11) ◽  
pp. 2634-2638 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carter T. Atkinson
Keyword(s):  
Red Blood Cells ◽  
Host Specificity ◽  
Host Species ◽  
Blood Cells ◽  
Phasianus Colchicus ◽  
Morphometric Variation ◽  
Susceptible Host ◽  
Northern Bobwhites ◽  
Numida Meleagris ◽  
Intraperitoneal Inoculation

Haemoproteus meleagridis was transmitted to a ring-necked pheasant, Phasianus colchicus L., to a chuckar partridge, Alectoris chuckar (Gray), and to domestic turkeys by the intraperitoneal inoculation of sporozoites from pools of infected Culicoides edeni Wirth and Blanton, 1947, and Culicoides hinmani Khalaf, 1952. Guineafowl, Numida meleagris (L.), northern bobwhites, Colinus virginianus (L.), and chickens, Gallus gallus (L.), were not susceptible. Parasitemias in the infected chuckar and the infected pheasant were lower and more transient than parasitemias in domestic turkeys infected with the same number of sporozoites. Mature gametocytes of Haemoproteus meleagridis were morphologically similar in each susceptible host species. Infected red blood cells in each host species underwent increases in total area and decreases in nuclear size and area. The current taxonomy of Haemoproteus meleagridis is discussed in relation to recent revisions in the taxonomy of the avian hosts.

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