Effects of Infection with Brainworm Parasite (Parelaphostrongylus tenuis) on the Climbing Behaviour in a Host Gastropod Species (Deroceras laeve)
| dc.contributor.author | Dalling, Ness | |
| dc.contributor.examiningcommittee | Van Nest, Byron (Biological Sciences) | |
| dc.contributor.examiningcommittee | Markham, John (Biological Sciences) | |
| dc.contributor.supervisor | Detwiler, Jillian | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2025-05-12T16:23:07Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2025-05-12T16:23:07Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2025-04 | |
| dc.date.submitted | 2025-05-12T16:23:06Z | en_US |
| dc.degree.discipline | Biological Sciences | |
| dc.degree.level | Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) | |
| dc.description.abstract | Brainworm parasite (Parelaphostrongylus tenuis) is a nematode parasite which typically infects white-tailed deer (WTD – Odocoileus virginianus) as a definitive host, where it often causes no severe harm. It develops through larval stages in terrestrial gastropods and is eventually ingested by the WTD to complete its life cycle. Brainworm can infect other ungulates accidentally, most commonly moose (Alces alces), where it causes serious neurological disease and often death. Here, I investigate the potential role of parasite-modified behaviour in influencing the ingestion of the gastropod hosts by the ungulate host. I hypothesize that when infected with P. tenuis larvae, a gastropod host, the meadow slug (Deroceras laeve) will display altered vertical climbing behaviour, predicting an increase in vertical climbing activity. Vertical climbing behaviour was assessed amongst 15 infected and 45 uninfected slug hosts at four different times throughout the day, on two separate days. I found a significant effect of the interaction between the weight of slugs, their infection status, and the time of day on vertical climbing behaviour. This is novel evidence to support the parasite-modified behaviour hypothesis in P. tenuis and suggests that climbing behaviours may play a role in the transmission of brainworm. Further research would be beneficial, as replicates in this study were low, and the presence of coinfection with a secondary parasite in some samples may have provided a confounding effect. | |
| dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/1993/39074 | |
| dc.language.iso | eng | |
| dc.subject | brainworm parasite | |
| dc.subject | Parelaphostrongylus tenuis | |
| dc.subject | White-tailed deer | |
| dc.subject | Odocoileus virginianus | |
| dc.subject | parasite-modified behaviour | |
| dc.subject | parasite-modified behavior | |
| dc.title | Effects of Infection with Brainworm Parasite (Parelaphostrongylus tenuis) on the Climbing Behaviour in a Host Gastropod Species (Deroceras laeve) | |
| local.author.affiliation | Faculty of Science::Department of Biological Sciences |