Journal article
Transmission of parasitic mites (Ricardoella oudemansi) between limacid slug hosts: the role of parasite and host behaviour
- Abstract:
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Transmission between hosts is crucial to the growth, development and reproduction of many parasites. As a consequence, parasites are under selection to maximise transmission success and exhibit many behavioural and morphological adaptations that allow detection of, and movement between, hosts. However, transmission success is not determined by parasites alone, but is also shaped by host behaviours. Often, host behaviours function to minimise the risk of exposure to parasites; in some cases, however, host behaviours may be manipulated by parasites to increase transmission success. In this study, we investigated transmission of the parasitic mite Riccardoella oudemansi between slug (Limacus maculatus) hosts, considering the role of both host and parasite behaviour in determining transmission success. Host-host transmission occurred when slugs were in physical contact, but mites were also capable of moving across the substrate to locate new hosts, a process facilitated by mucus trails. We found no strong evidence that slugs avoid parasitised conspecifics, or that mites manipulate slug behaviour to increase transmission. Finally, mites showed a preference for the mucus of parasitised slugs, but did not discriminate between mucus from their own host and another parasitised slug. A general preference for mucus from parasitised slugs is likely to be important in encouraging mites to remain in close contact with their host and may also facilitate host-switching and outbreeding. We encourage further study of parasitism by Riccardoella in limacid slugs, where cross-species variation in host social behaviour may drive differences in the rate and success of parasite transmission across slug species.
- Publication status:
- Published
- Peer review status:
- Peer reviewed
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- Files:
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(Preview, Version of record, pdf, 1.7MB, Terms of use)
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- Publisher copy:
- 10.1007/s13199-023-00909-9
Authors
- Publisher:
- Springer
- Journal:
- Symbiosis More from this journal
- Volume:
- 89
- Pages:
- 319-328
- Publication date:
- 2023-03-14
- Acceptance date:
- 2023-02-13
- DOI:
- EISSN:
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1878-7665
- ISSN:
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0334-5114
- Language:
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English
- Keywords:
- Pubs id:
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1329747
- Local pid:
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pubs:1329747
- Deposit date:
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2023-02-23
- ARK identifier:
Terms of use
- Copyright holder:
- Roper et al.
- Copyright date:
- 2023
- Rights statement:
- Copyright © 2023, The Author(s). This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.
- Licence:
- CC Attribution (CC BY)
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