Journal
ECOLOGY LETTERS
Volume 24, Issue 9, Pages 1955-1965Publisher
WILEY
DOI: 10.1111/ele.13832
Keywords
Anuran; cane toad; coevolution; helminth; host-parasite interactions; skin secretions
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Funding
- Australian Research Council [20190336774]
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The skin secretions of amphibians play a crucial role in host-parasite interactions, with different effects on parasite larvae depending on the geographical area. These variations are due to differential responses of the larvae and differential effects of the skin secretions, indicating rapid spatial variation in critical features of the interaction between hosts and parasites.
Amphibian skin secretions (substances produced by the amphibian plus microbiota) plausibly act as a first line of defense against parasite/pathogen attack, but may also provide chemical cues for pathogens. To clarify the role of skin secretions in host-parasite interactions, we conducted experiments using cane toads (Rhinella marina) and their lungworms (Rhabdias pseudosphaerocephala) from the range-core and invasion-front of the introduced anurans' range in Australia. Depending on the geographical area, toad skin secretions can reduce the longevity and infection success of parasite larvae, or attract lungworm larvae and enhance their infection success. These striking differences between the two regions were due both to differential responses of the larvae, and differential effects of the skin secretions. Our data suggest that skin secretions play an important role in host-parasite interactions in anurans, and that the arms race between a host and parasite can rapidly generate spatial variation in critical features of that interaction.
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