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Lungworm infection modifies cardiac response to exercise in cane toads
Author(s) -
Pizzatto L.,
Shine R.
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
journal of zoology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.915
H-Index - 96
eISSN - 1469-7998
pISSN - 0952-8369
DOI - 10.1111/j.1469-7998.2012.00898.x
Subject(s) - biology , lungworm , biological dispersal , heartbeat , ecology , zoology , oxygen saturation , heart rate , range (aeronautics) , oxygen , larva , endocrinology , population , chemistry , materials science , demography , computer security , organic chemistry , sociology , computer science , composite material , blood pressure
Parasites can affect the locomotor performance of their hosts via a range of mechanisms. Cane toads ( R hinella marina ) in A ustralia often contain native‐range lung nematodes ( R habdias pseudosphaerocephala ), and the parasite reduces endurance (and thus, dispersal rate) of this invasive anuran. The mechanism of impact plausibly involves reduced oxygen supply from infected lungs; if so, we expect to see that exercise will increase heartbeat rates more in infected toads than in uninfected conspecifics. Our data on 103 field‐collected toads (53 of which contained lungworms) support this prediction. Exercise induced a greater increase in heartbeat rate in infected toads than in uninfected conspecifics, but no shift in oxygen saturation of the haemoglobin.