scholarly journals Environment, rather than Hematodinium parasitization, determines collateral disease contraction in a crustacean host

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charlotte E Davies ◽  
Jessica E Thomas ◽  
Sophie H Malkin ◽  
Frederico M Batista ◽  
Andrew F Rowley ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Population Genetics ◽  
Immune Suppression ◽  
Carcinus Maenas ◽  
Open Water ◽  
Immune Reactivity ◽  
Disease Outcomes ◽  
Shore Crabs ◽  
Key Driver ◽  
Crustacean Host ◽  
Immune Suppressor

Host, pathogen, and environment are determinants of the disease triangle, the latter being a key driver of disease outcomes and persistence within a community. The dinoflagellate genus Hematodinium is detrimental to crustaceans globally – considered to suppress the innate defences of hosts, making them more susceptible to co-infections. Evidence supporting immune-suppression is largely anecdotal and sourced from diffuse accounts of compromised decapods. We used a population of shore crabs (Carcinus maenas), where Hematodinium sp. is endemic, to determine the extent of collateral infections across two distinct environments (open water, semi-closed dock). Using a multi-resource approach (PCR, histology, haematology, population genetics, eDNA), we identified 162 Hematodinium- positive crabs and size/sex-matched these to 162 Hematodinium-free crabs out of 1,191 analysed. Crabs were interrogated for additional disease-causing agents; haplosporidians, microsporidians, mikrocytids, Vibrio spp., fungi, Sacculina, trematodes, and haemolymph bacterial loads. We found no significant differences in occurrence, severity or composition of collateral infections between Hematodinium-positive and Hematodinium-free crabs at either site, but crucially, we recorded site-restricted blends of pathogens. We found no gross signs of host cell immune reactivity toward Hematodinium in the presence or absence of other pathogens. We contend Hematodinium sp. is an immune-evader rather than immune-suppressor, which suggests an evolutionary drive toward latency in this environmentally plastic host.

scholarly journals Influence of temperature on intraspecific, unbalanced dyadic contests between crabs

PeerJ ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. e7845
Author(s):  
Allan T. Souza ◽  
Felipe O. Ribas ◽  
João F. Moura ◽  
Claudia Moreira ◽  
Joana Campos ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Carapace Width ◽  
Carcinus Maenas ◽  
Individual Characteristics ◽  
The Body ◽  
Shore Crab ◽  
Temperature Conditions ◽  
Red Color ◽  
Shore Crabs ◽  
Influence Of Temperature On ◽  
Globally Distributed

Intraspecific agonistic interactions are widespread across the animal kingdom, with many individual morphological and physiological characteristics playing important roles in the fate of disputes. Additionally, changes to environmental conditions can influence the outcomes of animal contests. The shore crab (Carcinus maenas) is a globally distributed species, present in numerous coastal and estuarine temperate systems around the world. Although shore crabs are highly tolerant to changes in temperature, this parameter has important physiological effects on the species’ ecology, while its effects on behavior are not fully understood. Our study aims to investigate how different individual characteristics (such as sex, color morphotype, carapace and chela morphology) and temperature conditions affect the dyadic interactions between shore crabs when disputing food resources. In general, the differences in carapace width between opponents, their sexes, color morphotypes and the temperature conditions interacted and were important predictors of the contest fate. We found that the body size and color morphotype of C. maenas determined the fate of dyadic disputes. However, the higher temperatures disrupted the well-established dominance of the larger red color morphotype individuals. Overall, the agonistic contest results suggest higher plasticity than previously acknowledged.

scholarly journals Genomic and developmental characterisation of a novel bunyavirus infecting the crustacean Carcinus maenas

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jamie Bojko ◽  
Kuttichantran Subramaniam ◽  
Thomas B. Waltzek ◽  
Grant D. Stentiford ◽  
Donald C. Behringer
Keyword(s):  
Invasive Species ◽  
Carcinus Maenas ◽  
Virus Genome ◽  
Faroe Islands ◽  
Zinc Finger Domain ◽  
Native Range ◽  
Structural Protein ◽  
Rna Dependent Rna Polymerase ◽  
Negative Sense ◽  
Crustacean Host

Abstract Carcinus maenas is in the top 100 globally invasive species and harbours a wide diversity of pathogens, including viruses. We provide a detailed description for a novel bunyavirus (Carcinus maenas Portunibunyavirus 1) infecting C. maenas from its native range in the Faroe Islands. The virus genome is tripartite, including large (L) (6766 bp), medium (M) (3244 bp) and small (S) (1608 bp) negative sense, single-stranded RNA segments. Individual genomic segments are flanked by 4 bp regions of similarity (CCUG). The segments encode an RNA-dependent RNA-polymerase, glycoprotein, non-structural protein with a Zinc-Finger domain and a nucleoprotein. Most show highest identity to the ‘Wenling Crustacean Virus 9’ from an unidentified crustacean host. Phylogenomics of crustacean-infecting bunyaviruses place them across multiple bunyavirus families. We discuss the diversity of crustacean bunyaviruses and provide an overview of how these viruses may affect the health and survival of crustacean hosts, including those inhabiting niches outside of their native range.

scholarly journals Mycosis Is a Disease State Encountered Rarely in Shore Crabs, Carcinus maenas

Pathogens ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (6) ◽  
pp. 462
Author(s):  
Charlotte E. Davies ◽  
Sophie H. Malkin ◽  
Jessica E. Thomas ◽  
Frederico M. Batista ◽  
Andrew F. Rowley ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Immune Cell ◽  
Fungal Infections ◽  
Novel Species ◽  
Carcinus Maenas ◽  
Shore Crab ◽  
Marine Animals ◽  
Cell Reactivity ◽  
Shore Crabs ◽  
Swansea Bay ◽  
Disease Signatures

There is a paucity of knowledge regarding the diversity and impact(s) of disease-causing fungi in marine animals, especially shellfish. In efforts to address this knowledge gap for the shore crab Carcinus maenas, a year-long disease screen was carried out across two sites in Swansea Bay (Wales, UK) with a view to characterising putative fungal infections. Crabs were sampled between November 2017 and October 2018, and screened systematically for disease signatures using haemolymph (blood) preparations, targeted PCR and tissue histopathology. Strikingly, mycosis was confirmed in ~0.4% of total crabs tested (n = 1191) and restricted to one location only (Mumbles Pier). Clinical infections were observed in four out of four infected crabs. In these animals, the gills and hepatopancreas were congested with fungal morphotypes. In addition, some evidence indicates haemocyte (immune cell) reactivity toward the fungi. Phylogenetic placement of the partial internal transcribed spacer (ITS1) gene regions amplified from three mycotic crabs revealed the causative agent to be related to hypocrealean fungi, thereby representing a novel species.

Weapon strength and competitive success in the fights of shore crabs (Carcinus maenas)

2000 ◽  
Vol 250 (3) ◽  
pp. 397-403 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. U. Sneddon ◽  
F. A. Huntingford ◽  
A. C. Taylor ◽  
J. F. Orr
Keyword(s):  
Carcinus Maenas ◽  
Shore Crabs ◽  
Competitive Success

scholarly journals Hypoxia increases the risk of egg predation in a nest-guarding fish

2016 ◽  
Vol 3 (8) ◽  
pp. 160326 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karin H. Olsson ◽  
Charlotta Kvarnemo ◽  
Maria Norevik Andrén ◽  
Therése Larsson
Keyword(s):  
Carcinus Maenas ◽  
High Oxygen ◽  
Filial Cannibalism ◽  
Defensive Behaviour ◽  
Low Oxygen ◽  
Pomatoschistus Minutus ◽  
Oxygen Treatment ◽  
Large Nest ◽  
Shore Crabs ◽  
Egg Guarding

For fish with parental care, a nest should meet both the oxygenation needs of the eggs and help protect them against predators. While a small nest opening facilitates the latter, it impedes the former and vice versa. We investigated how the presence of potential egg predators in the form of shore crabs Carcinus maenas affects nest building, egg fanning, defensive displays and filial cannibalism of egg-guarding male sand gobies Pomatoschistus minutus under two levels of dissolved oxygen. In the high oxygen treatment, males retained their nest opening size in the presence of crabs, while males in low oxygen built large nest openings both in the absence and presence of crabs, despite the fact that crabs were more likely to successfully intrude into nests with large entrances. Males in low oxygen also fanned more. In the presence of crabs males increased their defensive displays, but while males in high oxygen reduced fanning, males in low oxygen did not. Filial cannibalism was unaffected by treatment. Sand gobies thus prioritize egg ventilation over the protection afforded by small nest openings under hypoxia and adopt defensive behaviour to avert predator attention, even though this does not fully offset the threat from the egg predators.

Carbonic anhydrase in branchial tissues of osmoregulating shore crabs,Carcinus maenas

1990 ◽  
Vol 255 (3) ◽  
pp. 251-261 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. Böttcher ◽  
D. Siebers ◽  
W. Becker
Keyword(s):  
Carbonic Anhydrase ◽  
Carcinus Maenas ◽  
Shore Crabs
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