Host Diversity Affects Parasite Diversity: A Case Study Involving Unionicola spp. Inhabiting Freshwater Mussels.

Water mites of the genus Unionicola are common parasites of freshwater mussels, living on the gills or mantle of their hosts and using these tissues as sites of oviposition. Although surveys of this mite fauna among North American unionid mussels indicate that these mites represent highly diverse assemblages, we know very little regarding the determinants of Unionicola species diversity among their molluscan hosts. The present study addresses the relationship between host diversity and mite diversity for Unionicola assemblages associated with unionid mussels of North America. The results of this study found a significantly positive relationship between host species richness and mite species richness, adding to a growing body of evidence that host diversity is an important determinant of parasite diversity. In recent years, molecular sequence data have discovered cryptic biodiversity among unionid mussels, yielding revisions in the nomenclature and systematic taxonomy of the group. DNA sequence variation has also revealed cryptic species complexes among Unionicola mites. Collectively, these findings suggest that the results of the present study may be underestimating species richness among mites and their host mussels. Unfortunately, human perturbations are known to have caused high recent rates of extinction in the mussel and mite faunas of North America and could play a major role in influencing patterns of species richness for this host-parasite system moving forward.

Patterns of species richness among assemblages of Unionicola spp. (Acari: Unionicolidae) inhabiting freshwater mussels (Bivalvia: Unionoida) of North America.

Water mites of Unionicola species are common symbionts of freshwater mussels, living on the gills or mantle and foot of their hosts and using these tissues as sites of oviposition. Although surveys of the mite fauna among North American mussels suggest that these mites represent highly diverse assemblages, there are currently no quantitative data characterizing Unionicola species diversity among their molluscan hosts. The present study addresses patterns of species richness of Unionicola assemblages from freshwater mussels, including the relationship between richness and host specificity among these mites. Results from this study indicate that mite species richness increased significantly with an increase in the number of host individuals sampled. When corrected for sampling effort, there was a positive relationship between host size and mite species richness. Results from this study also reveal a significant relationship between mite species richness and the geographical distribution of host mussels. Overall, the patterns of species richness observed for this study are consistent with those examining the richness of parasitic helminth communities. Because the phylogenetic history of host taxa can have a significant influence on patterns of parasite species richness, studies that correct for the phylogenetic history among host mussels will be required to better understand the role that evolutionary processes have in determining Unionicola species richness. The present study did not indicate a significant relationship between species richness and host specificity and, in not doing so, suggests that the dispersal ability of mites may also play a role in influencing Unionicola species richness. The host recognition behavior and swimming abilities for a larger sample of mites will be required to substantiate this hypothesis.

Host specificity among Unionicola spp. (Acari: Unionicolidae) parasitizing freshwater mussels.

Water mites of Unionicola spp. are common parasites of freshwater mussels as adults, living on the gills, or mantle and foot of their hosts and using these tissues as sites of oviposition. The present study addresses specialization among North American Unionicola mussel-mites using 2 measures of host specificity: (1) the number of host species used by a species of mite; and (2) a measure that considers the taxonomic distinctness of the hosts utilized by mites, weighted for their prevalence in the different hosts. Results of this study indicate the Unionicola spp. mussel-mites are highly host specific, with most species occurring in association with 1 or 2 species of hosts. If 2 or more host species are utilized, they are typically members of the same genus. These data are consistent with studies examining the dispersal abilities and host recognition behavior for members of the group. When the average values of host specificity for Unionicola subgenera were mapped on a phylogenetic tree for these taxa, a clade comprised of gill mites appeared to be more host specific than a clade consisting of mantle mites. There were, however, no apparent patterns of host specificity within each of the clades. Differences in specificity between the 2 lineages may reflect either a long evolutionary history that gill mites have had with host mussels or the intense competition among gill mites for oviposition sites within unionid mussels, leading to increased host specialization.