Environmental parasitology: stressor effects on aquatic parasites

Sures, Bernd; Nachev, Milen; Schwelm, Jessica; Grabner, Daniel; Selbach, Christian

doi:10.1016/j.pt.2023.03.005

Cited by 24 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 105 publications

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“…When parasitized test organisms are exposed to additional stressors such as pollutants, they are subjected to multiple stressors (Sures et al, 2023). The effects of the combined stressors might be different compared with what can be expected from each single stressor.…”

Section: Parasites and Pollutants As Multiple Stressorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In general, some acanthocephalan species are presumably beneficial for their host because there are several studies showing the accumulation potential of acanthocephalans for metals. Tissue concentrations of metals in the parasite can highly exceed those of the host and metal concentrations can even be reduced in tissues of infected compared with uninfected hosts (Sures, 2006;Sures et al, 2023).…”

Section: Putative Antagonistic Effectsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In fact, it is estimated today that the number of parasite species ranges from one third to over one half of the earth's total biodiversity (Poulin, 2014;Poulin & Morand, 2004), therefore parasites are common in most field-collected test organisms used to study toxicant effects. Because parasites often act as an additional stressor, they will likely affect the outcome of ecotoxicological studies (Marcogliese & Pietrock, 2011;Sures et al, 2023;. Adverse effects of parasites on the health of their hosts can usually be expected given the fact that they have long been recognized as important pathogens of different organisms, among them humans and livestock (Sures, Nachev, Pahl, et al, 2017).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Besides the consumption of host resources, parasites can modulate various host body functions such as the immune and hormone system, metabolism and energy storage, the general stress response (e.g., heat shock protein 70 [hsp70], cortisol), oxidative stress, and other biomarkers (Ford & Fernandes, 2005;Marcogliese & Pietrock, 2011;Minguez et al, 2009;Morley, 2006;Poulin, 1992;Sures, 2006Sures, , 2008aSures, , 2008bTekmedash et al, 2016). In addition, several parasites can accumulate toxicants and can reduce the tissue concentrations in the host, which might, as a consequence, lead to a different stress response in infected versus uninfected hosts (Nachev & Sures, 2016;Sures & Nachev, 2022;Sures et al, 2023). Before going into details with respect to possible parasite-pollutant interactions and their combined effects on hosts and ecotoxicologically relevant parameters, we will give a brief overview of the most important groups of parasites occurring regularly in selected ecotoxicological target species belonging to crustaceans, molluscs, and fish.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Parasites and Pollutants: Effects of Multiple Stressors on Aquatic Organisms

Grabner

Rothe

Sures

2023

Enviro Toxic and Chemistry

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Parasites can affect their hosts in various ways, and this implies that parasites may act as additional biotic stressors in a multiple‐stressor scenario, resembling conditions often found in the field if, for example, pollutants and parasites occur simultaneously. Therefore, parasites represent important modulators of host reactions in ecotoxicological studies when measuring the response of organisms to stressors such as pollutants. In the present study, we introduce the most important groups of parasites occurring in organisms commonly used in ecotoxicological studies ranging from laboratory to field investigations. After briefly explaining their life cycles, we focus on parasite stages affecting selected ecotoxicologically relevant target species belonging to crustaceans, molluscs, and fish. We included ecotoxicological studies that consider the combination of effects of parasites and pollutants on the respective model organism with respect to aquatic host–parasite systems. We show that parasites from different taxonomic groups (e.g., Microsporidia, Monogenea, Trematoda, Cestoda, Acanthocephala, and Nematoda) clearly modulate the response to stressors in their hosts. The combined effects of environmental stressors and parasites can range from additive, antagonistic to synergistic. Our study points to potential drawbacks of ecotoxicological tests if parasite infections of test organisms, especially from the field, remain undetected and unaddressed. If these parasites are not detected and quantified, their physiological effects on the host cannot be separated from the ecotoxicological effects. This may render this type of ecotoxicological test erroneous. In laboratory tests, for example to determine effect or lethal concentrations, the presence of a parasite can also have a direct effect on the concentrations to be determined and thus on the subsequently determined security levels, such as predicted no‐effect concentrations. Environ Toxicol Chem 2023;00:1–14. © 2023 The Authors. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of SETAC.

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Section: Parasites and Pollutants As Multiple Stressorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Putative Antagonistic Effectsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Parasites and Pollutants: Effects of Multiple Stressors on Aquatic Organisms

Grabner

Rothe

Sures

2023

Enviro Toxic and Chemistry

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“…Most previous studies investigating global warming effects limited their scope to test the direct effects of temperature on single species (Connell and Russell 2010; Kroeker and Sanford 2022). Nevertheless, current evidence suggests that the effects of global warming on species depend not only on direct physiological responses but also on indirect effects mediated by interspecific interactions, such as consumption and competition (Hawkins et al 2008; Kordas et al 2011), and parasitism (Altizer et al 2013; Sures et al 2023). These interactions can be enhanced or reduced by warming, and they can also moderate the response to warming.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Warming and parasitism impair the performance of Baltic native and invasive macroalgae and their associated fauna

Bommarito,

Díaz‐Morales,

Guy‐Haim

et al. 2023

Limnology & Oceanography

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Global warming, bioinvasions, and parasitism affect single‐species performances and species interactions, substantially impacting the structure and stability of marine ecosystems. In light of accelerated global change, the information derived from studies focusing on single species and single drivers is insufficient, calling for a multi‐stressor approach under near‐natural conditions. We investigated the effects of warming (+3°C) on the performance of a benthic community composed of native and invasive macroalgae, consumers and a trematode parasite in a mesocosm setting. We also assessed the effects of warming and parasitism on the survival and growth of gastropods and mussels and the thermal dependency of trematode performance. Our findings show that warming and grazing by infected gastropods had a large detrimental effect on the invasive macroalga growth. Furthermore, the single and interactive effects of parasitism and warming were detrimental to intermediate host survival and growth, especially to large mussels. Finally, cercarial emergence positively correlated to the natural peaks of summer temperatures, while infection intensity in mussels was higher in larger individuals. Our findings suggest that grazing and warming will be detrimental to the invasive macroalga, favoring the native alga. Moreover, parasitism will enhance grazing, especially in summer, when higher temperatures trigger parasite development. However, parasite‐enhanced grazing may be buffered by higher mortality or a shift in the size of infected intermediate hosts under warming. Our findings demonstrate how complex effects of ocean warming can be on food webs and how they can be mediated by parasitism and, as a result, influence native and invasive macroalgae differently.

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