Life history and virulence are linked in the ectoparasitic salmon louse Lepeophtheirus salmonis
Abstract Models of virulence evolution for horizontally transmitted parasites often assume that transmission rate (the probability that an infected host infects a susceptible host) and virulence (the increase in host mortality due to infection) are positively correlated, because higher rates of prod...
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croxfordunivpr:10.1111/j.1420-9101.2012.02474.x 2024-09-15T17:56:30+00:00 Life history and virulence are linked in the ectoparasitic salmon louse Lepeophtheirus salmonis MENNERAT, A. HAMRE, L. EBERT, D. NILSEN, F. DÁVIDOVÁ, M. SKORPING, A. 2012 http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1420-9101.2012.02474.x https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1111%2Fj.1420-9101.2012.02474.x https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/j.1420-9101.2012.02474.x en eng Oxford University Press (OUP) http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/termsAndConditions#vor Journal of Evolutionary Biology volume 25, issue 5, page 856-861 ISSN 1010-061X 1420-9101 journal-article 2012 croxfordunivpr https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1420-9101.2012.02474.x 2024-08-05T04:32:40Z Abstract Models of virulence evolution for horizontally transmitted parasites often assume that transmission rate (the probability that an infected host infects a susceptible host) and virulence (the increase in host mortality due to infection) are positively correlated, because higher rates of production of propagules may cause more damages to the host. However, empirical support for this assumption is scant and limited to microparasites. To fill this gap, we explored the relationships between parasite life history and virulence in the salmon louse, Lepeophtheirus salmonis , a horizontally transmitted copepod ectoparasite on Atlantic salmon Salmo salar . In the laboratory, we infected juvenile salmon hosts with equal doses of infective L. salmonis larvae and monitored parasite age at first reproduction, parasite fecundity, area of damage caused on the skin of the host, and host weight and length gain. We found that earlier onset of parasite reproduction was associated with higher parasite fecundity. Moreover, higher parasite fecundity (a proxy for transmission rate, as infection probability increases with higher numbers of parasite larvae released to the water) was associated with lower host weight gain (correlated with lower survival in juvenile salmon), supporting the presence of a virulence–transmission trade‐off. Our results are relevant in the context of increasing intensive farming, where frequent anti‐parasite drug use and increased host density may have selected for faster production of parasite transmission stages, via earlier reproduction and increased early fecundity. Our study highlights that salmon lice, therefore, are a good model for studying how human activity may affect the evolution of parasite virulence. Article in Journal/Newspaper Atlantic salmon Salmo salar Oxford University Press Journal of Evolutionary Biology 25 5 856 861 |
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Oxford University Press |
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croxfordunivpr |
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English |
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Abstract Models of virulence evolution for horizontally transmitted parasites often assume that transmission rate (the probability that an infected host infects a susceptible host) and virulence (the increase in host mortality due to infection) are positively correlated, because higher rates of production of propagules may cause more damages to the host. However, empirical support for this assumption is scant and limited to microparasites. To fill this gap, we explored the relationships between parasite life history and virulence in the salmon louse, Lepeophtheirus salmonis , a horizontally transmitted copepod ectoparasite on Atlantic salmon Salmo salar . In the laboratory, we infected juvenile salmon hosts with equal doses of infective L. salmonis larvae and monitored parasite age at first reproduction, parasite fecundity, area of damage caused on the skin of the host, and host weight and length gain. We found that earlier onset of parasite reproduction was associated with higher parasite fecundity. Moreover, higher parasite fecundity (a proxy for transmission rate, as infection probability increases with higher numbers of parasite larvae released to the water) was associated with lower host weight gain (correlated with lower survival in juvenile salmon), supporting the presence of a virulence–transmission trade‐off. Our results are relevant in the context of increasing intensive farming, where frequent anti‐parasite drug use and increased host density may have selected for faster production of parasite transmission stages, via earlier reproduction and increased early fecundity. Our study highlights that salmon lice, therefore, are a good model for studying how human activity may affect the evolution of parasite virulence. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
MENNERAT, A. HAMRE, L. EBERT, D. NILSEN, F. DÁVIDOVÁ, M. SKORPING, A. |
spellingShingle |
MENNERAT, A. HAMRE, L. EBERT, D. NILSEN, F. DÁVIDOVÁ, M. SKORPING, A. Life history and virulence are linked in the ectoparasitic salmon louse Lepeophtheirus salmonis |
author_facet |
MENNERAT, A. HAMRE, L. EBERT, D. NILSEN, F. DÁVIDOVÁ, M. SKORPING, A. |
author_sort |
MENNERAT, A. |
title |
Life history and virulence are linked in the ectoparasitic salmon louse Lepeophtheirus salmonis |
title_short |
Life history and virulence are linked in the ectoparasitic salmon louse Lepeophtheirus salmonis |
title_full |
Life history and virulence are linked in the ectoparasitic salmon louse Lepeophtheirus salmonis |
title_fullStr |
Life history and virulence are linked in the ectoparasitic salmon louse Lepeophtheirus salmonis |
title_full_unstemmed |
Life history and virulence are linked in the ectoparasitic salmon louse Lepeophtheirus salmonis |
title_sort |
life history and virulence are linked in the ectoparasitic salmon louse lepeophtheirus salmonis |
publisher |
Oxford University Press (OUP) |
publishDate |
2012 |
url |
http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1420-9101.2012.02474.x https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1111%2Fj.1420-9101.2012.02474.x https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/j.1420-9101.2012.02474.x |
genre |
Atlantic salmon Salmo salar |
genre_facet |
Atlantic salmon Salmo salar |
op_source |
Journal of Evolutionary Biology volume 25, issue 5, page 856-861 ISSN 1010-061X 1420-9101 |
op_rights |
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/termsAndConditions#vor |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1420-9101.2012.02474.x |
container_title |
Journal of Evolutionary Biology |
container_volume |
25 |
container_issue |
5 |
container_start_page |
856 |
op_container_end_page |
861 |
_version_ |
1810432706557771776 |