Helminth Parasites of the Wood Frog, Lithobates sylvaticus, in Prairie Pothole Wetlands of the Northern Great Plains

Abstract

Parasites are ubiquitous members of biotic communities. Because their persistence and abundance is closely tied to other taxa and numerous environmental factors, information about parasite diversity may provide unique insights into ecosystem health. Parasites may also impact host health and population dynamics. Because they are relatively inconspicuous, however, little is known about parasite diversity and prevalence in specific host species in most geographic regions. We sampled parasites from wood frogs in the ecologically unique Prairie Pothole Region of North Dakota, USA. Most frogs were infected with helminths. We found a minimum of 7 species of trematodes, 3 of nematodes, and 1 cestode. Two species had prevalence >50%: the lung nematode Rhabdias bakeri and the trematode Echinoparyphium rubrum. Helminth species richness ranged from 0 to 6 taxa per host, with a median of 2. Total helminth abundance within infected frogs ranged from 1 to 503 worms. Males caught during the spring breeding season were infected with more taxa of helminths than either recent metamorphs or frogs captured later in the summer. The total abundance of helminths was also greater in breeding frogs. These data provide the foundation for further analyses of the ecology of amphibian-parasite interactions on the Northern Plains.

Alaria mesocercariae in the tails of red-sided garter snakes: evidence for parasite-mediated caudectomy

“…(3 sequenced metacercariae). Our 28S sequences of A. mustelae from the garter snakes were identical to the 28S sequences of this species published by Pulis et al (2011) as well as to our new sequences of adult specimens from the spotted skunk, American badger, long-tailed weasel, and to mesocercariae from the wood frog, all from North Dakota. Likewise, cox1 sequences of A. mustelae matched the sequences of adults from the same species of definitive hosts collected in North Dakota as well as sequences of A. mustelae from Canada published by Locke et al (2011).…”

Parasite richness and abundance within aquatic macroinvertebrates: testing the roles of host‐ and habitat‐level factors

“…It is worth noting, however, that even the odonates supported fewer parasite taxa than detected in other vertebrate and invertebrate hosts surveyed from these and other similar pond ecosystems. For instance, studies with amphibian, fish, and snail hosts from pond communities have detected anywhere from 12 to 23 macroparasite taxa, compared to the five taxa from odonates in the current study (Muzzall et al 2001, Pulis et al 2011, Johnson et al 2016, McCaffrey and Johnson 2017, Calhoun et al 2018;).…”

Size and sex matter: infection dynamics of an invading parasite (the pentastome Raillietiella frenatus) in an invading host (the cane toad Rhinella marina)

“…Reproductively active male anurans are more likely to be found at pond margins (Davies and Halliday, 1979). Male Couch's spadefoot toads ( Scaphiopus couchii ) infected with adult monogenean parasites ( Pseudodiplorchis americanus ) consistently had larger testes (Tinsley, 1995), and parasite species richness was greatest during the breeding season in pond-dwelling male wood frogs ( Lithobates sylvaticus ; Pulis et al 2011). These correlations also are consistent with the immunocompetence-handicap hypothesis, whereby elevated testosterone associated with increased sexual investment in males leads to reduced immunocompetence (Folstad and Karter, 1992).…”