Behaviour-changing parasite

From Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A snail, with a parasitic worm inside. Seen near Eberswalde, in Germany.

Behaviour-changing parasites are parasites with two or more hosts. They cause changes in the behaviour of one of their hosts. This has the effect of improving their chances of reproduction.

They make the first host more likely to be eaten by a predator.[1][2] Then the parasite reproduces sexually in the predator.[3][4] Examples can be found in bacteria, protozoa, viruses, and animals.

Parasites may also change the host behaviour to increase the protection to the parasites or their offspring. The term bodyguard manipulation may be used for such mechanisms.[5]

Example: a parasitic worm is eaten by an amphipod. The worm changes the behaviour of the host amphipod. The changes make it more likely that the amphipod is eaten by fish, where it reproduces. The induced behavioral change in the host thus leads to the parasite's increased success in completing its life cycle.[6]

References[change | change source]

  1. Seppala, O.; Valtonen, E.; Benesh, D. (2008). "Host manipulation by parasites in the world of dead-end predators: adaptation to enhance transmission?". Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. 275 (1643): 1611–1615. doi:10.1098/rspb.2008.0152. PMC 2602814. PMID 18430644.
  2. Luong, L.; Grear, D.; Hudson, P. (2014). "Manipulation of host-resource dynamics impacts transmission of trophic parasites". International Journal for Parasitology. 44 (10): 737–742. doi:10.1016/j.ijpara.2014.05.004. PMID 24929136.
  3. Mouritsen, K.; Poulin, R. (2003). "Parasite-induced trophic facilitation exploited by a non-host predator: a manipulator's nightmare" (PDF). International Journal for Parasitology. 33 (10): 1043–1050. doi:10.1016/s0020-7519(03)00178-4. PMID 13129526.
  4. Lafferty, K.D. (1999). "The evolution of trophic transmission". Parasitology Today. 15 (3): 111–115. doi:10.1016/s0169-4758(99)01397-6. PMID 10322324.
  5. Maure, Fanny; Brodeur, Jacques; Droit, Anaïs; Doyon, Josée; Thomas, Frédéric (2013). "Bodyguard manipulation in a multipredator context: Different processes, same effect". Behavioural Processes. 99: 81–86. doi:10.1016/j.beproc.2013.06.003. PMID 23791577. S2CID 13154407.
  6. Lagrue, Clément; Kaldonski, Nicolas; Perrot-Minnot, Marie J.; Motreuil, Sébastien; Bollache, Loïc (Nov 2007). "Modification of hosts' behavior by a parasite: field evidence for adaptive manipulation". Ecology. 88 (11): 2839–2847. doi:10.1890/06-2105.1. PMID 18051653.

Other sources[change | change source]

  • Price P.W. 1980. Evolutionary biology of parasites. Princeton University Press. ISBN 0-691-08257-X. Chapter 7: Parasite impact on the evolutionary biology of hosts.
  • Moore J. 2002. Parasites and the behaviour of animals. Oxford: Oxford University Press.