Abstract
Most of our knowledge on the processes structuring parasite communities in amphibians originate from temperate-zone taxa, whereas Afrotropical communities have been neglected so far. We found evidence that ecological fitting of the hosts and, probably, differential immune response may influence the variation in parasite species richness, prevalence, and infestation intensity of East African frogs Hyperolius kivuensis and H. viridiflavus. The most closely related host species share the same macrohabitat (that implies the same pool of potential parasites), but differ in microhabitat preference, so that a comparative analyses of syntopic and allopatric populations is expedient to reveal ecological fitting. We detected 11 parasite species (one annelid, four nematodes, five trematodes, one cestode) and two endocommensal species (protozoans). The component parasite communities included 4–5 helminth species in H. kivuensis and 6–8 in the more aquatic H. viridiflavus, supporting the hypothesis that trematode diversity increases with the amount of time spent in water. Five parasite species (Orneoascaris chrysanthemoides, Clinostomum chabaudi, an undetermined echinostomatid) and two protozoans (Nyctotheroides sp., and Protoopalina sp.) are shared among the syntopic amphibian populations. This finding indicates a similar susceptibility of these amphibians to infestation from the local parasite pool. Yet, the low prevalence of single- and multi-species infestations in H. kivuensis indicates that parasite clearing by its immune response is probably more effective and prominent than in H. viridiflavus. Therefore, H. viridiflavus suffered from significantly reduced short-term survival due to the infection. Thus, we conclude that the processes structuring component parasite communities in amphibians do not differ generally between temperate-zone and Afrotropical host species, but they do in the magnitude of ecological fitting.
Highlights
Processes shaping host–parasite communities are complex in many ways
They were euthanized by immersion into a 2% solution of tricaine methane-sulfonate (MS 222), except for 10 H. kivuensis individuals kept alive until 6 May 2017
Changing call position included frequently swimming in H. viridiflavus, whereas H. kivuensis usually leapt from branch to branch
Summary
Parasites can infect several alternative host species at a certain stage of their life cycle, and a host can be infected by many different parasite species [1,2]. Parasite impact on host fitness may vary from neutral to detrimental [3]. Populations of two congeneric and sympatric host species, infested by cercariae of the same trematode parasite, may differ considerably in parasite-induced mortality [4]. The specific responses of a host to infestation or the resulting loss of fitness is directly dependent on the parasite species [5,6]. Host–parasite and parasite–parasite interactions are often characterized by seasonal dynamics and distinct context-dependence [1]. Ecological fitting is a major environmental determinant that structures the susceptibility of hosts to their potential parasites [7]
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