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. 2014 Jul;54(2):101-7.
doi: 10.1093/icb/icu064. Epub 2014 Jun 10.

Nematodes infect, but do not manipulate digging by, sand crabs, Lepidopa benedicti

Meera Joseph  1 , Zen Faulkes  2
Affiliations

Nematodes infect, but do not manipulate digging by, sand crabs, Lepidopa benedicti

Meera Joseph et al. Integr Comp Biol. 2014 Jul.

Abstract

We examined sand crabs (Lepidopa benedicti) for endoparasites, and found the only parasite consistently infecting the studied population were small nematodes. Because many nematodes have complex life cycles involving multiple hosts, often strongly manipulating their hosts, we hypothesized that nematodes alter the behavior of their sand crab hosts. We predicted that more heavily infected crabs would spend more time above sand than less heavily infected crabs. Our data indicate infection by nematodes was not correlated with duration of time crabs spent above sand. We also suggest that organisms living in sandy beaches may benefit from relatively low parasite loads due to the low diversity of species in the habitat.

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Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Nematode worms infecting Lepidopa benedicti. (A) Entire body and (B) Head. Images have been contrast-enhanced.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Variation of infection in different regions of the body of Lepidopa benedicti. (A) Untransformed data. (B) Transformed data used for statistical analysis. Boxes sharing a letter above them are not significantly different. Dot = mean; line dividing box = median; box = 50% of data; whiskers = 95% of data; asterisks = minimum and maximum.
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Number of nematodes is correlated with size of the host, Lepidopa benedicti.
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Number of nematodes is not related to the sex of the host, Lepidopa benedicti. Dot = mean; line dividing box = median; box = 50% of data; whiskers = 95% of data; asterisks = minimum and maximum.
Fig. 5
Fig. 5
Number of nematodes is not related to color of the host, Lepidopa benedicti. Dot = mean; line dividing box = median; box = 50% of data; whiskers = 95% of data; asterisks = minimum and maximum.
Fig. 6
Fig. 6
Number of nematodes is not correlated with the digging behavior of Lepidopa benedicti digging. (A) Swimming above sand by rowing legs and tailflipping. (B) Sitting on sand. (C) Digging into sand. (D) Total submergence time (i.e., total of A, B, and C).
Fig. 7
Fig. 7
Length of carapace is not correlated with duration of digging into sand by Lepidopa benedicti.
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