Pomphorhynchus laevis

Taxobox


image_caption = "P. laevis" uses this barbed appendage to hook onto its hosts.
name = "Pomphorhynchus laevis"
regnum = Animalia
phylum = Acanthocephala
classis = Palaeacanthocephala
ordo = Echinorhynchida
familia = Pomphorhynchidae
genus = "Pomphorhynchus"
species = "Laevis"
binomial = "Pomphorhynchus laevis"
binomial_authority = Monticelli, 1905

Pomphorhynchus laevis is a parasitic Acanthocephalan worm that can influence the reaction of its intermediate host, the freshwater amphipod "Gammarus pulex", to the smell of potential predators like perch, "Perca fluviatilis". [cite journal|last=Kullmann|first=Harald|coauthors= Timo Thünken, Sebastian A Baldauf, Theo C M Bakker, Joachim G Frommen|title=Fish odour triggers conspecific attraction behaviour in an aquatic invertebrate|journal=Biol Lett.|publisher=University of Bonn, Institute for Evolutionary Biology and Ecology|location=An der Immenburg 1, 53121, Bonn, Germany|url=http://lib.bioinfo.pl/pmid:18593668] [cite news|url=http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,250898,00.html|title=Parasitic Worms Alter Hosts' Sense of Smell to Better Its Lot in Life|last=Choi|first=Charles Q.|date=Thursday, February 08, 2007|publisher=Fox News|language=English|accessdate=2008-07-03]

Life Cycle

"Pomphorhynchus laevis" facilitates its movement from its initial host. Research has demonstrated that organisms affected by the parasite exhibit a diminished or inverted avoidance response to the scent of predators when compared to uninfested specimens, supporting the notion that the parasite manipulates its host, with the goal of passing itself on to its definitive host, a freshwater fish. Affected specimens also demonstrate vibrant changes in color, making them more visible to predators. [cite journal|last=Baldauf|first=Sebastian A.|coauthors= Timo Thünken, Joachim G Frommen, Theo C M Bakker, Oliver Heupel, Harald Kullmann|title=Infection with an acanthocephalan manipulates an amphipod's reaction to a fish predator's odours|journal=International Journal of Parasitology|publisher=University of Bonn, Institute for Evolutionary Biology and Ecology|location=An der Immenburg 1, D-53121 Bonn, Germany|url=http://lib.bioinfo.pl/pmid:17049528] [cite journal|date=June, 1997|first=Theo C.M.|coauthors=Dominique Mazzi, Sarah Zala|title=Parasite Induced Changes in Behavior and Color Make "Gammarus pulex" More Prone to Fish Predation|journal=Ecology|publisher=Ecological Society of America|location=University of Bern, CH-3032 Hinterkappelen, Switzerland|volume=78|issue=5|pages=1098–1104|url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m2120/is_n4_v78/ai_19586610]

References