Effects of parasites on host behavior

Abstract

Parasites and their hosts have co-existed for many years in the evolutionary process and have developed various defence mechanisms against each other. Behaviour changes may occur in the host depending on where the parasite settles. Behaviour changes make it easier for the parasite to complete its life cycle, increasing the chance of infection and adaptation to the host. This causes many changes in the host, such as behaviour, colour, morphology, and physiology. It also affects aggression, mating and reproduction, and parental behaviour. Physiological systems such as neural, endocrine, neuromodulator, and immunomodulatory systems play a significant role in these changes. Behavioural manipulations are generally observed in parasites with indirect life cycles, and the most important of these parasites are Dicrocoelium dendriticum and Toxoplasma gondii. In recent years, behavioural changes in parasite-infected animals have become very interesting in the scientific world, and many studies have been conducted on this subject. In this review, the studies on the subject are brought together, and the mechanisms of parasites causing these behavioural changes are tried to be explained with examples.

Keywords

• Adaptation;
• Host behavior
• Parasite
• Parasite manipulation

Parazitlerin konak davranışlarına etkileri

Öz

Parazitler ve konakları evrimsel süreçte uzun yıllardır birlikte var olmuş ve birbirlerine karşı çeşitli savunma mekanizmaları geliştirmişlerdir. Parazitin yerleştiği yere göre konakta davranış değişikliği meydana gelebilmektedir. Davranış değişiklikleri, parazitin yaşam döngüsünü tamamlamasını kolaylaştırarak enfeksiyon oluşma şansını ve konağa adaptasyonunu artırır. Bu durum konaklarda davranış, renk, morfoloji ve fizyoloji gibi pek çok değişikliğe sebep olur. Ayrıca saldırganlık, çiftleşme ve üreme, ebeveyn davranışı üzerine etkileri olmaktadır. Bu değişikliklerde nöral, endokrin, nöromodülatör, immunomodülatör gibi fizyolojik sistemlerin rolü büyüktür. Davranış manipülasyonları, genellikle indirekt yaşam döngüsüne sahip parazitlerde gözlenmektedir ve bu parazitlerin en önemlileri arasında Dicrocoelium dendriticum ve Toxoplasma gondii örnek olarak gösterilebilir. Son yıllarda parazitle enfekte hayvanlardaki davranış değişiklikleri, bilim dünyasınında da oldukça ilgi çekici bir hal almış ve bu konuda birçok çalışma yapılmıştır. Bu derlemede, konuyla ilişkin yapılan çalışmalar bir araya getirilmiş ve örnekler ile parazitlerin bu davranış değişikliklerine sebep olma mekanizmaları açıklanmaya çalışılmıştır.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Adaptasyon
• Konak davranışı
• Parazit
• Paraziter manipülasyon

Kaynakça

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