Local adaptation of a parasite to solar radiation impacts disease transmission potential, spore yield, and host fecundity

Environmentally transmitted parasites spend time in the abiotic environment, where they are subjected to a variety of stressors. Learning how they face this challenge is essential if we are to understand how host–parasite interactions may vary across environmental gradients. We used a zooplankton–ba...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Evolution 2020-08, Vol.74 (8), p.1856-1864
Main Authors: Rogalski, Mary Alta, Duffy, Meghan A.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adaptation
Adaptation, Biological
Animals
Availability
Biological Evolution
BRIEF COMMUNICATION
Daphnia - microbiology
Daphnia dentifera
disease
Disease control
Disease transmission
Environmental gradient
Epidemics
Exposure
Fecundity
Fertility
fitness trade‐off
Genetic Fitness
Herbivores
Host-parasite interactions
Host-Pathogen Interactions - genetics
Host-Pathogen Interactions - radiation effects
Lakes
local adaptation
Parasites
Pasteuria - physiology
Pasteuria - radiation effects
Pasteuria ramosa
Population dynamics
Solar radiation
Spores
Spores, Bacterial - growth & development
Strains (organisms)
Sunlight
Zooplankton
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Summary:Environmentally transmitted parasites spend time in the abiotic environment, where they are subjected to a variety of stressors. Learning how they face this challenge is essential if we are to understand how host–parasite interactions may vary across environmental gradients. We used a zooplankton–bacteria host–parasite system where availability of sunlight (solar radiation) influences disease dynamics to look for evidence of parasite local adaptation to sunlight exposure. We also examined how variation in sunlight tolerance among parasite strains impacted host reproduction. Parasite strains collected from clearer lakes (with greater sunlight penetration) were most tolerant of the negative impacts of sunlight exposure, suggesting local adaptation to sunlight conditions. This adaptation came with both a cost and a benefit for parasites: parasite strains from clearer lakes produced relatively fewer transmission stages (spores) but these strains were more infective. After experimental sunlight exposure, the most sunlighttolerant parasite strains reduced host fecundity just as much as spores that were never exposed to sunlight. Sunlight availability varies greatly among lakes around the world. Our results suggest that the selective pressure sunlight exposure exerts on parasites may impact both parasite and host fitness, potentially driving variation in disease epidemics and host population dynamics across sunlight availability gradients.
ISSN:0014-3820
1558-5646
DOI:10.1111/evo.13940