Strength in numbers: high parasite burdens increase transmission of a protozoan parasite of monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus)
Strength in numbers: high parasite burdens increase transmission of a protozoan parasite of monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus)
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DOI：
10.1007/s00442-009-1361-6
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发表时间：
2009-08-01
期刊：
影响因子：
2.7
通讯作者：
Altizer, Sonia
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
de Roode, Jacobus C.;Chi, Jean;Altizer, Sonia
寄生虫经常在宿主体内产生大量的后代。高寄生虫负荷被认为是重要的寄生虫传播，但也可以降低宿主的健身。我们研究了原生动物Ophryocystis elektroscirrha，一种常见的寄生虫的帝王蝶（Danaus plexippus），以量化高寄生虫负担的寄生虫传播的好处。这种寄生虫是垂直传播时，女性分散孢子到鸡蛋和寄主植物的叶子产卵;孢子也可以在交配的成年人之间传播。帝王幼虫进行实验感染和新兴的成年女性交配和监测个人户外领域的笼子里。我们每天为雌性提供新鲜的寄主植物材料，并量化它们的寿命和一生的繁殖力。通过计数转移到卵和宿主植物叶片的寄生虫孢子的数量来测量寄生虫传播。我们还量化了从受感染的雌性转移到其交配伴侣的孢子。受感染的帝王蝶比未受感染的帝王蝶寿命更短，一生的繁殖力更低。在受感染的女性，那些具有较高的寄生虫负载传输更多的寄生虫孢子，他们的鸡蛋和寄主植物叶片。也有一种趋势，女性与更大的寄生虫负荷，以传播更多的孢子给他们的交配伙伴。这些结果表明，高寄生虫负载受感染的蝴蝶赋予强大的健身优势，寄生虫通过增加主机之间的传输。
Parasites often produce large numbers of offspring within their hosts. High parasite burdens are thought to be important for parasite transmission, but can also lower host fitness. We studied the protozoan Ophryocystis elektroscirrha, a common parasite of monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus), to quantify the benefits of high parasite burdens for parasite transmission. This parasite is transmitted vertically when females scatter spores onto eggs and host plant leaves during oviposition; spores can also be transmitted between mating adults. Monarch larvae were experimentally infected and emerging adult females were mated and monitored in individual outdoor field cages. We provided females with fresh host plant material daily and quantified their lifespan and lifetime fecundity. Parasite transmission was measured by counting the numbers of parasite spores transferred to eggs and host plant leaves. We also quantified spores transferred from infected females to their mating partners. Infected monarchs had shorter lifespans and lower lifetime fecundity than uninfected monarchs. Among infected females, those with higher parasite loads transmitted more parasite spores to their eggs and to host plant leaves. There was also a trend for females with greater parasite loads to transmit more spores to their mating partners. These results demonstrate that high parasite loads on infected butterflies confer a strong fitness advantage to the parasite by increasing between-host transmission.