Abstract
Epibionts often colonize the exoskeleton of crustaceans, which sometimes results in the development of a long-term relationship between them. Our present work confirmed that a specific epibiont is closely associated with the pelagic calanoid copepod Eurytemora lacustris, regardless of the region, which suggests a preserved interaction between these species. Molecular analyses revealed that the epibiont belongs to the genus Tokophrya. We also found that the level of basibiont colonization is related to its size and identified that the most intensely inhabited body parts are those located near the center of the copepod body. We hypothesize that the relationship between Eurytemora (basibiont) and Tokophrya (epibiont) was established during the Quaternary period, following which these two populations were fragmented into lakes where they survived in close interaction. In addition, we suppose that the close relationship between the two species indicates the coevolution of stenotherms. Further studies on the interactions between Eurytemora lacustris and Tokophrya are required in order to gain insight into the long-term relationship between the copepods and the epibionts.
Highlights
Epibionts often colonize the exoskeleton of crustaceans, which sometimes results in the development of a long-term relationship between them
One example of such populations is Eurytemora lacustris (Poppe, 1887), a stenothermic copepod species that inhabits deep and clearwater lakes[16,17,18,19] and is occasionally observed in estuarine waters connected with large freshwater lakes[20,21]
We found that the suctorian epibionts of E. lacustris were widely distributed in the Baltic basin
Summary
Epibionts often colonize the exoskeleton of crustaceans, which sometimes results in the development of a long-term relationship between them. We hypothesize that the relationship between Eurytemora (basibiont) and Tokophrya (epibiont) was established during the Quaternary period, following which these two populations were fragmented into lakes where they survived in close interaction. At the end of the Quaternary period, changes in seawater levels caused by climate change resulted in the closure of isolated populations of Eurytemora in deep lakes One example of such populations is Eurytemora lacustris (Poppe, 1887), a stenothermic copepod species that inhabits deep and clearwater lakes[16,17,18,19] and is occasionally observed in estuarine waters connected with large freshwater lakes[20,21]. We aimed to: (i) perform a genetic analysis of the epibiont and its phylogenetic affinity, (ii) compare its prevalence between different geographical regions, and (iii) determine the infection parameters of the basibiont and (iv) the patterns of body colonization
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