Dehydration does not drive host behavioural manipulation by hairworms.

ABSTRACT: Nematomorphs are parasitic worms of arthropods, which complete their life cycle via behavioural manipulation of their host so that they can enter water to find a mate. Although this behaviour is readily observed, the underlying mechanism is largely unknown; previously proposed hypotheses include an attraction to polarised light, increased erratic behaviour and dehydration-driven behaviour. Here, we investigated the 'Dehydration Hypothesis', which posits that nematomorphs either induce dehydration or mimic dehydration through biosynthetic changes to stimulate host water-seeking behaviour. House crickets, Acheta domesticus, were experimentally deprived of water and their behaviour compared to crickets infected with the nematomorph Paragordius varius. Both infected and dehydrated crickets wer

SUBMITTER: Coates LM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12456768 | biostudies-literature | 2025

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature