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An acanthocephalan parasite increases the salinity tolerance of the freshwater amphipod Gammarus roeseli (Crustacea: Gammaridae)

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Abstract

Studies of the influence of parasites on host fitness generally conclude that parasites have a strong negative effect on their hosts. In this study, we have investigated experimentally the role of Polymorphus minutus, an acanthocephalan parasite, on the salinity tolerance of the freshwater amphipod Gammarus roeseli, one of its intermediate hosts. Unexpectedly, P. minutus-infected gammarids were more tolerant to salinity stress than uninfected ones. The mean lethal salt concentrations for 50% mortality of hosts tested were 17.3 (infected) and 9.7 g/L (uninfected). The parasitic load (one or two parasites per host) did not affect the result. The size of hosts had no significant influence on the salinity tolerance of either infected or uninfected gammarids. The mobility of all types of gammarid decreased when the salinity exceeded 9.0 g/L, but there was no significant difference between infected and uninfected gammarids. We discuss the higher salinity tolerance of infected amphipods in relation to O2 consumption and osmoregulation. Finally, we demonstrate that the salinity tolerance is enhanced in the parasitized amphipod but without a significant change in behavior or an osmoregulatory adjustment.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Vincent Médoc (Université de Metz) for his help in gammarid sampling, Loïc Bollache (Université de Bourgogne) for the acanthocephalan parasite identification, and Philippe Rousselle (Université de Metz) for the computer software used in the behavioral study of gammarids. We thank three anonymous referees and the managing editor for their helpful comments. This study was supported by the French Ministry of Ecology and Sustainable Development as part of the 2003–2005 Biological Invasions program. We also declare that our experiments are in conformity with French laws.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique—Unité Mixte de Recherche (UMR 6553), Ecosystème Biodiversité et Evolution, Université de Rennes 1—Campus Beaulieu, 263 Avenue du Général Leclerc, 35042,, Rennes Cedex, France

    Christophe Piscart

  2. Université de Rennes1—Campus Beaulieu, 263 Avenue du Général Leclerc, 35042,, Rennes Cedex, France

    Dennis Webb

  3. Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Laboratoire des Interactions Ecotoxicologie Biodiversité et Evolution (UMR 7146), Université Paul Verlaine-Metz, Campus Bridoux, Av. du Général Delestraint, 57070,, Metz, France

    Jean Nicolas Beisel

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  1. Christophe Piscart
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  3. Jean Nicolas Beisel
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Correspondence to Christophe Piscart.

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Piscart, C., Webb, D. & Beisel, J.N. An acanthocephalan parasite increases the salinity tolerance of the freshwater amphipod Gammarus roeseli (Crustacea: Gammaridae). Naturwissenschaften 94, 741–747 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00114-007-0252-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00114-007-0252-0

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