Premium
The effect of food on microparasite transmission in the waterflea Daphnia magna
Author(s) -
Fels Daniel
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
oikos
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.672
H-Index - 179
eISSN - 1600-0706
pISSN - 0030-1299
DOI - 10.1111/j.0030-1299.2005.13812.x
Subject(s) - biology , transmission (telecommunications) , daphnia magna , spore , trophic level , predation , daphnia , zoology , ecology , microbiology and biotechnology , toxicity , medicine , engineering , crustacean , electrical engineering
Studies on dynamics of trophic transmission usually refer to the predation of animals that contain parasites. Here, in contrast, I study the transmission of external stages of parasites namely of spores of the microsporidian gut parasites Glugoides intestinalis and Micro1. These spores are filter fed by the waterflea Daphnia magna and I was particularly interested in the effect of food on transmission success. It was hypothesized that food has a double impact on transmission success because of increased spore uptake on the one hand and increased spore defecation of infected waterfleas on the other. I tested for these assumed food effects in exposure experiments where transmission could occur naturally from infected to uninfected waterfleas in the presence or absence of food. The major assumptions were confirmed. In one system transmission success was increased fourfold in the presence of food and feeding infected hosts had lower spore loads. The other system showed evidence for these effects. Feeding activity correlated positively with food in both systems and spore loads in infected waterfleas partially determined spore loads in exposed waterfleas. I discuss the impact of food on infected and uninfected waterfleas in particular and on transmission success and epidemiology in general.