Abstract
Effects of parasites on individual hosts can eventually translate to impacts on host communities. In particular, parasitism can differentially affect host fitness among sympatric and interacting host species. We examined whether the impact of shared parasites varied among host species within the same community. Specifically, we looked at the impacts of the acanthocephalan Acanthocephalus galaxii, the trematodes Coitocaecum parvum and Maritrema poulini, and the nematode Hedruris spinigera, on three host species: the amphipods, Paracalliope fluviatilis and Paracorophium excavatum, and the isopod, Austridotea annectens. We assessed parasite infection levels in the three host species and tested for effects on host survival, behavior, probability of pairing, and fecundity. Maritrema poulini and C. parvum were most abundant in P. excavatum but had no effect on its survival, whereas they negatively affected the survival of P. fluviatilis, the other amphipod. Female amphipods carrying young had higher M. poulini and C. parvum abundance than those without, yet the number of young carried was not linked to parasite abundance. Behavior of the isopod A. annectens was affected by M. poulini infection; more heavily infected individuals were more active. Paracorophium excavatum moved longer distances when abundance of C. parvum was lower, yet no relationship existed with respect to infection by both M. poulini and C. parvum. The differential effects of parasites on amphipods and isopods may lead to community‐wide effects. Understanding the consequences of parasitic infection and differences among host species is key to gaining greater insight into the role of parasite mediation in ecosystem dynamics.
Highlights
Community structure and dynamics are affected by the direct interactions of competition and predation, as well as indirect interactions, such as trophic cascades, keystone predation, and parasite mediation (Hatcher & Dunn, 2011; Holt & Pickering, 1985; Park, 1948; Price et al, 1986)
The relationship between either survival or behavioral measures, and parasite abundance of C. parvum, M. poulini, A. galaxii, and H. spinigera, as well as multispecies combinations, was analyzed separately for each host species using a negative binomial regression, with host size being included as an additional explanatory variable and their interactions when significant
We found a higher abundance of M. poulini and C. parvum (χ2 = 4.2, p = .04) in female P. fluviatilis with young (Figure 2)
Summary
Community structure and dynamics are affected by the direct interactions of competition and predation, as well as indirect interactions, such as trophic cascades, keystone predation, and parasite mediation (Hatcher & Dunn, 2011; Holt & Pickering, 1985; Park, 1948; Price et al, 1986). Our specific objectives were to (i) determine whether parasite effects varied among hosts within the same community and (ii) test whether multispecies infections had synergistic or antagonistic effects compared to the presence of single parasite infection (Alizon et al, 2013; Lagrue & Poulin, 2008a; Lange et al, 2014). As these hosts are all competing for resources and share a variety of parasites, a better understanding of the impacts of parasitism on each host is necessary to understand how parasites affect population dynamics in this community
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