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Filtering out parasites: sand crabs (Lepidopa benedicti) are infected by more parasites than sympatric mole crabs (Emerita benedicti).

ABSTRACT: Two digging decapod crustaceans, the sand crab species Lepidopa benedicti and the mole crab species Emerita benedicti, both live in the swash zone of fine sand beaches. They were examined for two parasites that infect decapod crustaceans in the region, an unidentified nematode previously shown to infect L. benedicti, and cestode tapeworm larvae, Polypocephalus sp., previously shown to infect shrimp (Litopenaeus setiferus). Lepidopa benedicti were almost always infected with both parasite species, while E. benedicti were rarely infected with either parasite species. This difference in infection pattern suggests that tapeworms are ingested during sediment feeding in L. benedicti, which E. benedicti avoid by filter feeding. Larger L. benedicti had more Polypocephalus sp. larvae. The thoracic ganglia, which make up the largest proportion of neural tissue, contained the largest numbers of Polypocephalus sp. larvae. Intensity of Polypocephalus sp. infection was not correlated with how long L. benedicti remained above sand in behavioural tests, suggesting that Polypocephalus sp. do not manipulate the sand crabs in a way that facilitates trophic transmission of the parasite. Litopenaeus setiferus may be a primary host for Polypocephalus sp., and L. benedict may be a secondary, auxiliary host.

SUBMITTER: Faulkes Z

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5611900 | biostudies-literature | 2017

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Filtering out parasites: sand crabs (Lepidopa benedicti) are infected by more parasites than sympatric mole crabs (Emerita benedicti).

Faulkes Zen Z

PeerJ 20170922

Two digging decapod crustaceans, the sand crab species Lepidopa benedicti and the mole crab species Emerita benedicti, both live in the swash zone of fine sand beaches. They were examined for two parasites that infect decapod crustaceans in the region, an unidentified nematode previously shown to infect L. benedicti, and cestode tapeworm larvae, Polypocephalus sp., previously shown to infect shrimp (Litopenaeus setiferus). Lepidopa benedicti were almost ...[more]

PMID: 28951818

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Project description:Sympatric speciation (SS), i.e., speciation within a freely breeding population or in contiguous populations, was first proposed by Darwin [Darwin C (1859) On the Origins of Species by Means of Natural Selection] and is still controversial despite theoretical support [Gavrilets S (2004) Fitness Landscapes and the Origin of Species (MPB-41)] and mounting empirical evidence. Speciation of subterranean mammals generally, including the genus Spalax, was considered hitherto allopatric, whereby new species arise primarily through geographic isolation. Here we show in Spalax a case of genome-wide divergence analysis in mammals, demonstrating that SS in continuous populations, with gene flow, encompasses multiple widespread genomic adaptive complexes, associated with the sharply divergent ecologies. The two abutting soil populations of S. galili in northern Israel habituate the ancestral Senonian chalk population and abutting derivative Plio-Pleistocene basalt population. Population divergence originated ∼0.2-0.4 Mya based on both nuclear and mitochondrial genome analyses. Population structure analysis displayed two distinctly divergent clusters of chalk and basalt populations. Natural selection has acted on 300+ genes across the genome, diverging Spalax chalk and basalt soil populations. Gene ontology enrichment analysis highlights strong but differential soil population adaptive complexes: in basalt, sensory perception, musculature, metabolism, and energetics, and in chalk, nutrition and neurogenetics are outstanding. Population differentiation of chemoreceptor genes suggests intersoil population's mate and habitat choice substantiating SS. Importantly, distinctions in protein degradation may also contribute to SS. Natural selection and natural genetic engineering [Shapiro JA (2011) Evolution: A View From the 21st Century] overrule gene flow, evolving divergent ecological adaptive complexes. Sharp ecological divergences abound in nature; therefore, SS appears to be an important mode of speciation as first envisaged by Darwin [Darwin C (1859) On the Origins of Species by Means of Natural Selection].

Dataset Information

Filtering out parasites: sand crabs (Lepidopa benedicti) are infected by more parasites than sympatric mole crabs (Emerita benedicti).

Publications

Filtering out parasites: sand crabs (<i>Lepidopa benedicti</i>) are infected by more parasites than sympatric mole crabs (<i>Emerita benedicti</i>).

Similar Datasets

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