Two species of feminizing microsporidian parasite coexist in populations of Gammarus duebeni

The amphipod crustacean Gammarus duebeni hosts two species of vertically transmitted microsporidian parasites, Nosema granulosis and Microsporidium sp. A. Here it is demonstrated that these co‐occurring parasite species both cause infected females to produce female‐biased broods. A survey of Europea...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of evolutionary biology 2003-05, Vol.16 (3), p.467-473
Main Authors: Ironside, J. E., Smith, J. E., Hatcher, M. J., Sharpe, R. G., Rollinson, D., Dunn, A. M.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Amphipoda - parasitology
Animals
coexistence
feminization
Gammarus duebeni
Host-Parasite Interactions - physiology
Microsporida - physiology
microsporidia
Microsporidiosis - physiopathology
Microsporidiosis - transmission
Microsporidium
Models, Biological
Nosema granulosis
Population Dynamics
Scotland
Sex Ratio
transmission
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Summary:The amphipod crustacean Gammarus duebeni hosts two species of vertically transmitted microsporidian parasites, Nosema granulosis and Microsporidium sp. A. Here it is demonstrated that these co‐occurring parasite species both cause infected females to produce female‐biased broods. A survey of European G. duebeni populations demonstrates that these two parasites co‐occur in six of 10 populations. These findings contrast with the theoretical prediction that two vertically transmitted feminizing parasites should not coexist in a panmictic population of susceptible hosts at equilibrium. Possible explanations for the co‐occurrence of the two feminizing microsporidia in G. duebeni include the recent invasion of a new parasite, horizontal transmission of one or both parasites and the spread of alleles for resistance to the dominant parasite in host populations.
ISSN:1010-061X
1420-9101
DOI:10.1046/j.1420-9101.2003.00539.x