TY - JOUR
T1 - Superparasitism & population regulation of the mosquito-parasitic mermithid nematodes romanomermis iyengari & strelkovimermis spiculatus
AU - Sanad, Manar
AU - Sun, Jennifer S.
AU - Shamseldean, Muhammad S.M.
AU - Wang, Yi
AU - Gaugler, Randy
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
©The Society of Nematologists 2017.
PY - 2017/9
Y1 - 2017/9
N2 - Superparasitism is a common phenomenon in mosquito-parasitic mermithid nematodes. Multiple nematodes are needed in a single host to produce males. Host selection behavior and intraspecific competition among Romanomermis iyengari and Strelkovimermis spiculatus were investigated against their host, Culex pipiens pipiens in laboratory experiments. In a choice assay between previously infected and uninfected host larvae, infectious preparasites of both nematode species could distinguish not only between infected and uninfected hosts, but even between different parasite loads in showing a strong preference for uninfected hosts or hosts with a low parasite load. Host heart rate declined briefly immediately after parasitism. Superparasitism resulted in increased parasite mortality. Scramble competition within mosquito larvae for limited host nutrients, coupled with a skewed sex ratio favoring males, is assumed to lead to parasite population decline and subsequently toward host-parasite population equilibrium. The ability of mermithid preparasites to accurately assess parasite load likely plays an important role in host population dynamics and regulation.
AB - Superparasitism is a common phenomenon in mosquito-parasitic mermithid nematodes. Multiple nematodes are needed in a single host to produce males. Host selection behavior and intraspecific competition among Romanomermis iyengari and Strelkovimermis spiculatus were investigated against their host, Culex pipiens pipiens in laboratory experiments. In a choice assay between previously infected and uninfected host larvae, infectious preparasites of both nematode species could distinguish not only between infected and uninfected hosts, but even between different parasite loads in showing a strong preference for uninfected hosts or hosts with a low parasite load. Host heart rate declined briefly immediately after parasitism. Superparasitism resulted in increased parasite mortality. Scramble competition within mosquito larvae for limited host nutrients, coupled with a skewed sex ratio favoring males, is assumed to lead to parasite population decline and subsequently toward host-parasite population equilibrium. The ability of mermithid preparasites to accurately assess parasite load likely plays an important role in host population dynamics and regulation.
KW - Heart rate
KW - Host selection
KW - Population regulation
KW - Romanomermis iyengari
KW - Strelkovimermis spiculatus
KW - Superparasitism
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U2 - 10.21307/jofnem-2017-078
DO - 10.21307/jofnem-2017-078
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85032174571
SN - 0022-300X
VL - 49
SP - 316
EP - 320
JO - Journal of Nematology
JF - Journal of Nematology
IS - 3
ER -