Recruitment rate of gymnophallid metacercariae in the New Zealand cockle 'Austrovenus stutchburyi': an experimental test of the hitch-hiking hypothesis

Title
Recruitment rate of gymnophallid metacercariae in the New Zealand cockle 'Austrovenus stutchburyi': an experimental test of the hitch-hiking hypothesis
Publication Date
2007
Author(s)
Leung, Tommy
Poulin, Robert
Type of document
Journal Article
Language
en
Entity Type
Publication
Publisher
Springer
Place of publication
Germany
DOI
10.1007/s00436-007-0479-x
UNE publication id
une:9064
Abstract
The rate at which host organisms accumulate parasites is affected by a number of intrinsic and extrinsic factors. The New Zealand cockle 'Austrovenus stutchburyi' is frequently parasitised by trematodes comprising of two species of echinostomes and a species of gymnophallid that use it as a second intermediate host for trophic transmission to avian definitive hosts. The echinostomes are capable of manipulating the burrowing behaviour of the cockle to enhance their transmission success, whereas the gymnophallid is not capable of host manipulation. Previous studies have found patterns of positive associations between the echinostomes and the gymnophallid. Thus, it is possible that the latter is a "hitch-hiking" parasite that preferentially infects cockles already heavily infected by echinostome metacercariae to enhance its own transmission rate. A field experiment involving cockles forced to remain either above or below the sediment surface to simulate manipulated and non-manipulated cockles was conducted to test the hitch-hiking hypothesis. The gymnophallid was not found to display any preference for either surfaced or buried cockles; therefore, it cannot be considered as a hitch-hiking parasite. Possible alternative reasons for the pattern of positive association between the gymnophallid and the echinostomes are proposed.
Link
Citation
Parasitology Research, 101(2), p. 281-287
ISSN
1432-1955
0932-0113
Start page
281
End page
287

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