Assessing host competency between native and invasive snail species exposed to the native parasite Echinostoma revolutum

Invasive species have the ability to rapidly and extensively alter native ecosystems, and there is accumulating evidence to suggest that the introduction of invasive hosts can have influences on parasite transmission in native communities. In 2002, the aquatic snail Bithynia tentaculata was discovered in the Upper Mississippi River (UMR) where it now co-occurs with several native snails and their parasites. The goal of this study was to determine the competencies of a native snail (Physa gyrina) and an invasive snail (B. tentaculata) after controlled exposure to a native parasite species (Echinostoma revolutum). Results of our laboratory experiment indicated no difference in either the prevalence or intensity of infection between native and invasive snails, which was unexpected given past work on B. tentaculata. In addition, infection had no discernible influence on host life-history traits such as growth and survival. Together, these results may have a number of consequences for hosts and parasites within the UMR region. First, the presence of an additional competent host in the snail assemblage may reduce infection risk for native snail species through parasite dilution. Second, the occurrence of a competent invasive host may increase the transmission of E. revolutum to native definitive host species such as waterfowl and mammals. Ultimately, a better understanding of how native parasites cycle through the UMR snail assemblage could allow us to better predict: 1) transmission/invasion outcomes in the UMR and 2) the potential alterations that may occur in ecosystems at high risk of B. tentaculata invasion.