Environmental influences on egg production by the monogenean Protopolystoma xenopodis

Abstract

SUMMARYA continuous succession of egg capsules is formed in the ootype of Protopolystoma xenopodis and released into the urinary bladder of the host, Xenopus laevis. Since egg capsules are passed out with the aquatic toad's urine several times a day, the rate of parasite egg production can be recorded accurately by direct counts. Temperature has a marked influence on the rate of egg output which doubles in response to a rise from 17 to 25 °C. Under constant temperature conditions regular egg collections from isolated toads infested with single Protopolystoma revealed that rates of production remain stable for periods of several weeks. The overall mean rate of egg production was 8·9 eggs/worm/day (e.w.d.) at 20·0±0·5 °C (based on 5 consecutive egg collections from 58 individual parasites). Significant differences were observed, however, between the mean rates of output from different hosts, ranging from 2·1 e.w.d. (s.d. = 0·6) to 17·7 e.w.d. (S.D. = 3·2). Neither differences in worm age nor host-factors could explain the observed range in output. Worms transferred to new hosts resumed egg production at pre-transfer rates, suggesting inherent differences in the capacity for egg production by individual parasites. Total production increased with increasing worm burden, but output per parasite was significantly reduced in groups of 2, 3 or 4. Whilst competition for some finite resource provides one interpretation, this observation could equally reflect a statistical phenomenon associated with the reduced chance of encountering groups of individuals which are heterogeneous for egg production as worm burden increases and sample size decreases.