Incomplete feminisation by the microsporidian sex ratio distorter, Nosema granulosis, and reduced transmission and feminisation efficiency at low temperatures

Abstract

We investigated the effects of temperature on transovarial transmission and feminisation by Nosema granulosis, a microsporidian sex ratio distorter of the brackish water amphipod Gammarus duebeni. There was no difference in parasite transmission efficiency to the F1 eggs of infected females maintained under two temperature conditions, 5 and 10°C (89 and 86%, respectively). When F1 individuals were screened as adults, the proportion infected was also similar at both temperatures (74 and 75%, respectively). However, transmission to the eggs of the F2 generation was significantly reduced at low temperatures (61% at 5°C and 91% at 10°C). In addition, feminisation efficiency was reduced substantially at low temperatures; at 10°C, a calculated 85% of infected males were feminised, but at 5°C only 49% were feminised. This is the first evidence for incomplete feminisation and temperature-dependent transmission and feminisation by this sex ratio distorter. We examine the consequences for parasite spread and maintenance in natural populations using a model to predict parasite prevalence in large populations. Reduced feminisation at low temperatures impedes the spread of the parasite so that it attains a substantially lower frequency, or may even be excluded, from host populations.