Parasite manipulation of host behaviour: acanthocephalans and shrimps in the laboratory

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Abstract
Many parasites, dependent on more than one host to complete their life cycle, can manipulate the appearance and/or behaviour of their intermediate host to facilitate transmission to the definitive host. The acanthocephalan parasite Pomphorhynchus laevis renders its intermediate host, the shrimp Gammarus pulex, more vulnerable to predation by fish. We describe three experiments designed to illustrate this. Experiments 1 and 2 look at the effects of light and habitat on the behaviour of infected and uninfected gammarids. Experiment 3 examines the effectiveness of altered host behaviour and appearance in facilitating predation by the parasite's definitive hosts. Together, the experiments provide undergraduates with an opportunity to study a fascinating and currently popular area of biology embracing both parasitology and ethology.