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Parasite infection induces size-dependent host dispersal: consequences for parasite persistence

Akira Terui, Keita Ooue, Hirokazu Urabe, Futoshi Nakamura
Published 1 November 2017.DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2017.1491
Akira Terui
Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, University of Minnesota, 1479 Gortner Avenue, St Paul, MN 55108, USADepartment of Forest Science, Graduate School of Agriculture, Hokkaido University, Kita 9, Nishi 9, Kita-ku, Sapporo 060-8589, Japan
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  • For correspondence: hanabi0111@gmail.com
Keita Ooue
Department of Forest Science, Graduate School of Agriculture, Hokkaido University, Kita 9, Nishi 9, Kita-ku, Sapporo 060-8589, Japan
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Hirokazu Urabe
Salmon and Freshwater Fisheries Research Institute, Hokkaido Research Organization, 3-373 Kitakashiwagi, Eniwa 061-1433, Japan
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Futoshi Nakamura
Department of Forest Science, Graduate School of Agriculture, Hokkaido University, Kita 9, Nishi 9, Kita-ku, Sapporo 060-8589, Japan
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Abstract

Host dispersal is now recognized as a key predictor of the landscape-level persistence and expansion of parasites. However, current theories treat post-infection dispersal propensities as a fixed trait, and the plastic nature of host's responses to parasite infection has long been underappreciated. Here, we present a mark–recapture experiment in a single host–parasite system (larval parasites of the freshwater mussel Margaritifera laevis and its salmonid fish host Oncorhynchus masou masou) and provide, to our knowledge, the first empirical evidence that parasite infection induces size-dependent host dispersal in the field. In response to parasite infection, large fish become more dispersive, whereas small fish tend to stay at the home patch. The observed plasticity in dispersal is interpretable from the viewpoint of host fitness: expected benefits (release from further infection) may exceed dispersal-associated costs for individuals with high dispersal ability (i.e. large fish) but are marginal for individuals with limited dispersal ability (i.e. small fish). Indeed, our growth analysis revealed that only small fish hosts incurred dispersal costs (reduced growth). Strikingly, our simulation study revealed that this plastic dispersal response of infected hosts substantially enhanced parasite persistence and occupancy in a spatially structured system. These results suggest that dispersal plasticity in host species is critical for understanding how parasites emerge, spatially spread, and persist in nature. Our findings provide a novel starting point for building a reliable, predictive model for parasite/disease management.

Footnotes

  • Electronic supplementary material is available online at https://dx.doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.c.3904957.

  • Received July 3, 2017.
  • Accepted October 2, 2017.
  • © 2017 The Author(s)
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15 November 2017
Volume 284, issue 1866
Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences: 284 (1866)
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Keywords

dispersal
plasticity
Bayesian statistics
freshwater mussel
salmon
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Parasite infection induces size-dependent host dispersal: consequences for parasite persistence
Akira Terui, Keita Ooue, Hirokazu Urabe, Futoshi Nakamura
Proc. R. Soc. B 2017 284 20171491; DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2017.1491. Published 1 November 2017
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Research article:

Parasite infection induces size-dependent host dispersal: consequences for parasite persistence

Akira Terui, Keita Ooue, Hirokazu Urabe, Futoshi Nakamura
Proc. R. Soc. B 2017 284 20171491; DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2017.1491. Published 1 November 2017

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