Long-term prevalence data reveals spillover dynamics in a multi-host (Artemia), multi-parasite (Microsporidia) community
2019
Abstract In the study of multi-host
parasites, it is often found that host species contribute asymmetrically to
parasitetransmission. Yet in natural populations, identifying which hosts contribute to
parasitetransmission and maintenance is a recurring challenge. Here, we approach this issue by taking advantage of natural variation in the composition of a host community. We studied the
brine shrimpsArtemia franciscana and
Artemia parthenogeneticaand their microsporidian
parasitesAnostracospora rigaudi and Enterocytospora artemiae . Previous laboratory experiments had shown that each host can transmit both
parasites, but could not predict their actual contributions to the
parasites’ maintenance in the field. To resolve this, we gathered long-term prevalence data from a
metacommunityof these species.
Metacommunitypatches could contain either or both of the Artemia host species, so that the presence of the hosts could be linked directly to the persistence of the
parasites. First, we show that the microsporidian A. rigaudi is a spillover
parasite: it was unable to persist in the absence of its maintenance host A. parthenogenetica . This result was particularly striking, as A. rigaudi displayed both high prevalence (in the field) and high infectivity (when tested in the laboratory) in both hosts. Moreover, the seasonal presence of A. parthenogenetica imposed seasonality on the rate of spillover, causing cyclical pseudo-endemics in the spillover host A. franciscana . Second, while our prevalence data was sufficient to identify E. artemiae as either a spillover or a facultative multi-host
parasite, we could not distinguish between the two possibilities. This study supports the importance of studying the community context of multi-host
parasites, and demonstrates that in appropriate multi-host systems, sampling across a range of conditions and host communities can lead to clear conclusions about the drivers of
parasitepersistence.
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