Letter

Nematomorph parasites indirectly alter the food web and ecosystem function of streams through behavioural manipulation of their cricket hosts

  1. Takuya Sato1,*,
  2. Tomohiro Egusa2,
  3. Keitaro Fukushima3,
  4. Tomoki Oda2,
  5. Nobuhito Ohte2,
  6. Naoko Tokuchi3,
  7. Katsutoshi Watanabe4,
  8. Minoru Kanaiwa5,
  9. Isaya Murakami6,
  10. Kevin D. Lafferty7

Article first published online: 15 MAY 2012

DOI: 10.1111/j.1461-0248.2012.01798.x

Issue

Ecology Letters

Ecology Letters

Volume 15, Issue 8, pages 786–793, August 2012

Additional Information

How to Cite

Sato, T., Egusa, T., Fukushima, K., Oda, T., Ohte, N., Tokuchi, N., Watanabe, K., Kanaiwa, M., Murakami, I., Lafferty, K. D. (2012), Nematomorph parasites indirectly alter the food web and ecosystem function of streams through behavioural manipulation of their cricket hosts. Ecology Letters, 15: 786–793. doi: 10.1111/j.1461-0248.2012.01798.x

Author Information

  1. 1

    The Hakubi Center for Advanced Research, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan

  2. 2

    Department of Forest Science, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan

  3. 3

    Field Science Education and Research Center, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan

  4. 4

    Department of Zoology, Division of Biological Science, Graduate School of Science, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan

  5. 5

    Faculty of Bio-Industry, Tokyo University of Agriculture, Abashiri-city, Hokkaido, Japan

  6. 6

    Regional Environmental Planning Inc., Takatsuki-city, Osaka, Japan

  7. 7

    U.S. Geological Survey, Western Ecological Research Center, c/o Marine Science Institute, University of California, Santa Barbara

*Correspondence: E-mail: takuya@species.jp

Publication History

  1. Issue published online: 2 JUL 2012
  2. Article first published online: 15 MAY 2012
  3. Manuscript Accepted: 16 APR 2012
  4. Manuscript Revised: 28 MAR 2012
  5. Manuscript Revised: 3 FEB 2012
  6. Manuscript Received: 11 JAN 2012

Funded by

  • Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists. Grant Number: 21770023
  • Grant-in-Aid for JSPS Fellows. Grant Number: 10J02194

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Keywords:

  • Ecosystem function;
  • decomposition;
  • manipulative parasite;
  • nematomorph;
  • resource subsidy;
  • riparian;
  • stream salmonid

Abstract

Nematomorph parasites manipulate crickets to enter streams where the parasites reproduce. These manipulated crickets become a substantial food subsidy for stream fishes. We used a field experiment to investigate how this subsidy affects the stream community and ecosystem function. When crickets were available, predatory fish ate fewer benthic invertebrates. The resulting release of the benthic invertebrate community from fish predation indirectly decreased the biomass of benthic algae and slightly increased leaf break-down rate. This is the first experimental demonstration that host manipulation by a parasite can reorganise a community and alter ecosystem function. Nematomorphs are common, and many other parasites have dramatic effects on host phenotypes, suggesting that similar effects of parasites on ecosystems might be widespread.

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