Hairworm anti-predator strategy: a study of causes and consequences
2006
Ponton, Fleur | Lebarbenchon, Camille | Lefèvre, Thierry | Thomas, Frédéric | Duneau, David | Marché, Laurent | Renault, Lionel | Hughes, David, P | Biron, David | Génétique et évolution des maladies infectieuses (GEMI) ; Université Montpellier 1 (UM1)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD [Occitanie]) | Station Biologique de la Tour du Valat | Biologie des organismes et des populations appliquées à la protection des plantes (BIO3P) ; Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA)-Université de Rennes (UR)-AGROCAMPUS OUEST | Department of Biology [Copenhagen] ; Faculty of Science [Copenhagen] ; University of Copenhagen = Københavns Universitet (UCPH)-University of Copenhagen = Københavns Universitet (UCPH)
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Show more [+] Less [-]English. One of the most fascinating anti-predator responses displayed by parasites is that of hairworms (Nematomorpha). Following the ingestion of the insect host by fish or frogs, the parasitic worm is able to actively exit both its host and the gut of the predator. Using as a model the hairworm, Paragordius tricuspidatus, (parasitizing the cricket Nemobius sylvestris) and the fish predator Micropterus salmoides, we explored, with proteomics tools, the physiological basis of this anti-predator response. By examining the proteome of the parasitic worm, we detected a differential expression of 27 protein spots in those worms able to escape the predator. Peptide Mass Fingerprints of candidate protein spots suggest the existence of an intense muscular activity in escaping worms, which functions in parallel with their distinctive biology. In a second step, we attempted to determine whether the energy expended by worms to escape the predator is traded off against its reproductive potential. Remarkably, the number of offspring produced by worms having escaped a predator was not reduced compared with controls
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