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Virulence, cultivating conditions, and phylogenetic analyses of oomycete parasites in Daphnia

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 November 2008

J. WOLINSKA*
Affiliation:
Indiana University, Department of Biology, 1001 East 3rd Street, Bloomington, Indiana 47405, USA Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, Department Biologie II, Evolutionsökologie, Großhaderner Strasse 2, D-82152 Planegg-Martinsried, Germany
K. C. KING
Affiliation:
Indiana University, Department of Biology, 1001 East 3rd Street, Bloomington, Indiana 47405, USA
F. VIGNEUX
Affiliation:
Indiana University, Department of Biology, 1001 East 3rd Street, Bloomington, Indiana 47405, USA
C. M. LIVELY
Affiliation:
Indiana University, Department of Biology, 1001 East 3rd Street, Bloomington, Indiana 47405, USA
*
*Corresponding author: Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, Department Biologie II, Evolutionsökologie, Großhaderner Strasse 2, D-82152 Planegg-Martinsried, Germany. Tel: +49 (0) 89 2180 74 202. Fax: +49 (0) 89 2180 204. E-mail: wolinska@bio.lmu.de

Summary

We describe the infectivity, virulence, cultivating conditions, and phylogenetic positions of naturally occurring oomycete parasites of Daphnia, invertebrates which play a major role in aquatic food webs. Daphnia pulex individuals were found dead and covered by oomycete mycelia when exposed to pond sediments. We were able to extract 4 oomycete isolates from dead Daphnia and successfully cultivate them. Using the ITS and LSU rDNA sequences, we further showed these isolates to be distinct species. The isolates were experimentally demonstrated to be parasitic and not saprobic. After exposure to the parasites, Daphnia mortality was much higher than that reported for Daphnia infected with other known parasite species. Therefore, it is likely that oomycete parasites are important selective pressures in natural Daphnia populations. Moreover, their close phylogenetic relationship to parasites of fish and algae suggests that the stability of aquatic food webs (i.e. fish–Daphnia–algae) might be influenced by the shared parasite communities.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © 2008 Cambridge University Press

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