Genetic diversity and population structure of parasite infrapopulations within and across hosts for two trophically transmitted trematode parasites.

ABSTRACT: Complex parasite life cycles frequently require trophic transfer of parasites from an intermediate host prey to a definitive host predator. This results in aggregated distributions of parasites in predator host populations, which are subsequently expected to host more genetically diverse parasite infrapopulations than lower trophic level hosts. Host dispersal and seasonal population dynamics, particularly in the case of first-intermediate hosts, are also expected to drive population genetic patterns within and across populations. To examine how parasite life history and host ecology influence parasite genetic patterns, we characterized the genetic diversity of within-host infrapopulations, as well as overall population genetic structure, of sympatric tongueworm (Halipegus occidualis

SUBMITTER: Goodnight SR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12045269 | biostudies-literature | 2025

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature