Abstract
The red-eared slider turtle, Trachemys scripta elegans, is among the most over-exploited animals and is still exported annually from the USA all over the world. Once introduced into its new environment, feral populations may arise and pose threats to local biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. In France, it is in fact considered as a risk for the Mediterranean pond turtle, Mauremys leprosa, and the European pond turtle, Emys orbicularis, as they may compete for resources and habitat. Freshwater turtles are also host to a variety of parasites including protozoans and helminths. When introduced turtles escape, parasites may spread to native species. The objective of this study was to document the extent of platyhelminth invasions from T. s. elegans to natural M. leprosa populations in northern Spain and southern France and to evaluate the risks that parasite host-switching may pose on indigenous freshwater turtle species. From DNA barcoding analysis based on the sequencing of the Cytochrome c Oxidase I gene, the Bayesian tree and p-distance comparisons of closely related haplotypes revealed a greater polystome richness within M. leprosa than expected, suggesting that host switching may take place in natural environments. Because these parasites most typically infest American turtles like Chrysemys picta marginata and Graptemys pseudogeographica in their natural home range and because parasites were also found within T. s. elegans feral populations, it is suggested that the red-eared slider would serve as a carrier for a variety of not strictly host-specific polystomes that are transmitted to M. leprosa throughout the south of France. The global trade in freshwater turtles thus provides opportunity for parasites to be transported to new destinations which could impact the physiology, behavior and survival of native turtle species.
Highlights
With the increase in maritime and air traffic, more goods, including animals are being traded between countries and the introduction of non-native species into new biogeographic areas has been considerably accelerated over the past decades (Vitousek et al 1997; Lowe et al 2000; Arena et al 2012)
In France, it is considered as a risk for the Mediterranean pond turtle, Mauremys leprosa, and the European pond turtle, Emys orbicularis, as they may compete for resources and habitat
The objective of this study was to document the extent of platyhelminth invasions from T. s. elegans to natural M. leprosa populations in northern Spain and southern France and to evaluate the risks that parasite host-switching may pose on indigenous freshwater turtle species
Summary
With the increase in maritime and air traffic, more goods, including animals are being traded between countries and the introduction of non-native species into new biogeographic areas has been considerably accelerated over the past decades (Vitousek et al 1997; Lowe et al 2000; Arena et al 2012). The organization and the functioning of local communities through assorted processes such as predation, competitive exclusion, parasite loss or parasite transfer may be altered (Lodge 1993; Williamson 1996; Vitousek et al 1996; Hudson and Greenman 1998; Holway and Suarez 1999; Tompkins et al 2002; Clay 2003; MacNeil et al 2003; Torchin et al 2003; Torchin and Mitchell 2004; Smith et al 2006; Crowl et al 2008) In turn this may cause drastic and irreversible changes in ecosystems (Williamson 1996; Vitousek et al 1997; Chapin III et al 2000; McNeely 2001; Mooney and Cleland 2001; Daszak et al 2000; Ehrenfeld 2010). Feral populations established in various natural freshwater ecosystems and the red-eared slider has become the most widely invasive reptile species in the world (Kraus 2009)
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