Taxa-specific activity loss and mortality patterns in freshwater trematode cercariae under subarctic conditions

• Main Author: Soldanova, M (via Mendeley Data)
• Language: unknown
• Published: 2021
• Subjects: Interdisciplinary sciences; Subarctic
• Online Access: http://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:nl:ui:13-fw-t5pv; https://easy.dans.knaw.nl/ui/datasets/id/easy-dataset:227277

A series of laboratory experiments simulating natural subarctic conditions in warmer and colder months (two temperature scenarios, 6 and 13 °C) were conducted to characterise cercarial activity and survival of three trematode genera, represented by four taxa (Diplostomum spp., Apatemon spp., small- and large-sized Plagiorchis spp. that differ in terms of morphology, life history and transmission strategy) parasitizing a freshwater snail species, the lymnaeid Radix balthica. A statistical approach, where activity loss and mortality of cercariae are analyzed as a proxy for activity and survival, was used. The aims of this study were 1) to quantify the effect of the two temperature scenarios on cercarial activity loss and mortality in the different trematode taxa, and 2) to compare cercarial activity loss and mortality among the four trematode taxa and to relate them to specific morphology and behaviour of the cercariae. A strong temperature-dependent response was identified in both activity loss and mortality in all taxa, with Diplostomum spp. cercariae showing the most gradual changes compared to other taxa. Furthermore, whilst activity loss and mortality dynamics could not be divided into “fish- vs invertebrate-infecting cercariae” groups, the detected taxa-specific responses in relation to life-history traits likely indicate the swimming behaviour of cercariae and energy allocation among larvae individuals as the main drivers. THIS DATASET IS ARCHIVED AT DANS/EASY, BUT NOT ACCESSIBLE HERE. TO VIEW A LIST OF FILES AND ACCESS THE FILES IN THIS DATASET CLICK ON THE DOI-LINK ABOVE