BIOL 4600 B01 Undergraduate Seminar: Behavior Spring 2006
Altered Behavior of Parasitized Hosts
Instructor: Dr. Stan Schneider
288-A Woodward; 704-687-8527
Office hours: 9-10 MW or by appointment
TEXT: Assigned Papers
OBJECTIVES: Senior Seminar is designed as a capstone course to provide Biology majors experience with reading, interpreting and presenting primary literature in areas of biology. The student will become familiar with the structure of research reports in biology and gain experience in critical reading and the preparation of a clear and focused written and oral report.
GRADING: Your grade is based on four main components:
PRESENTATIONS: Each student will give two presentations on the same article from the primary biological literature. The first presentation will be given in the format of a "symposium paper"; the second in the format of a "regular paper". Both presentations must be given in PowerPoint.
1. Symposium Presentation: 20 min., followed by 5 min. for questions. See attached evaluation forms for guidelines of how to structure this talk.
-- although your talk will focus on one paper, you should incorporate background information from two other articles. Thus, your symposium presentation will incorporate the information from at least three articles. You can select your additional articles from the "supplemental articles" listed on the attached sheet or you can use others that you find through library and internet searches. Extra credit is given for each additional relevant article that you incorporate beyond the required three.
-- Please print out your Power Point presentation and make copies for the entire class in case of equipment problems.
2. Regular Presentation: 10 min with 5 min for questions. This will be a concise, focused presentation of the same article and will follow the more abbreviated format typically used at scientific meetings. See attached evaluation sheets for guidelines for structuring your talk. Please print out your Power Point presentation and make copies for the entire class in case of equipment problems.
WRITTEN ABSTRACT: Due two weeks following the symposium presentation. You must submit a structured abstract (3-4 pages max.; typed and double spaced), using the following format:
-- Background: What were the questions that lead to this study? How does it fit into the overall literature?
-- Hypothesis: What is the specific biological hypothesis that was tested in the study?
-- Experimental design: What was the experimental strategy that was used to test the hypothesis?
Do not just list the procedures. Why did they use these procedures and how did they allow the
investigators to specifically test the proposed hypothesis?
-- Statistical analysis: How were the data analyzed? Why were these tests chosen and are they
appropriate?
-- Results: Summarize the findings succinctly.
-- Interpretation and conclusions: How did the authors interpret the results? What conclusions
were drawn relevant to the original hypothesis? Do you agree that the conclusions were valid?
-- Writing style and clarity: Did you find the paper clearly and concisely written? Did it have an
obvious organization and flow?
You must also include at least 3 additional references from the scientific literature. These should be other primary literature articles that either follow up on the article that you present or provide information critical to the topic. You can get these articles from the “Supplemental Articles” list attached, or through a library search.
CLASS PARTICIPATION: Attendance and class participation are mandatory. Participation will be evaluated based on two criteria:
1. Participation in question and answer period. You are expected to have read the primary article being present for each talk. Come prepared! Each seminar will be followed by approximately 5 min of discussion, during which each student is expected to participate.
2. Participation in peer evaluation of presentations. For each student’s presentation, you will fill out an evaluation sheet for the presenter. You must critically evaluate the presentation and sign the form. Your evaluation will not be given to the presenter and your comments will be confidential. Critically analyzing the performance of your peers is an important first step toward critically analyzing your own performance.
PACAT EXAM: All undergraduate seniors are required to take an exit exam that critically evaluates their knowledge in their chosen area of study. Biology majors at UNC Charlotte are required to take the PACAT exam, which is a standardized test that evaluates your general knowledge of biology. The PACAT exam will be administered during Senior Seminar and you must take the exam to receive credit for the course. Your performance on this exam will affect your grade for the seminar course in two ways:
v If you score at or above the 50th percentile, your seminar grade is based entirely upon the quality of your presentations and class participation.
v if you score below the 50th percentile, you cannot receive a grade higher than a "B" for the seminar course, regardless of the quality of your performance in the class.
Seminar Schedule
Spring 2006
Date Topic
Jan 10 Introduction to course
Scheduling for the PACAT exam
Background lecture
Jan 17 Student selection of papers
"Sample" 20 min presentation by Dr. Schneider
Jan 24 NO CLASS
Jan 31 NO CLASS
Feb 7 Kym Showers; Johanna Yearty
Feb 14 Tiffany Lawrence; Sarah Morrison
Feb 21 Ana Islas; Stephanie Wighton; “Sample” 10 min presentation by Dr. Schneider
Feb 28 NO CLASS
Mar 7 SPRING BREAK
Mar 14 Amy Graham; Courtney Ecklund
Mar 21 Whitney Gray; Chris Kincaid
Mar 28 Kym Showers; Stephanie Wighton, Amy Graham
Apr 4 Ana Islas; Johanna Yearty; Courtney Ecklund
Apr 11 Sarah Morrison; Chris Kincaid, Whitney Gray
Apr 18 three 10-min presentations
Apr 25
May 2
SAMPLE PRESENTATIONS
REFERENCES
NOTE: You must choose one article from the “Presentation Articles” listed below for your primary paper. “Supplemental articles” are to be used as additional references for your 20 min presentation. You may also supplement your presentations with relevant references you find through library and internet searches. You are also encouraged to incorporate into your PowerPoint presentations relevant photographs and diagrams from websites.
I. Acanthocephalan-host interactions
Presentation articles
ANA ISLAS: Bakker, T. C. M., D. Mazzi & S. Zala. 1997. Parasite-induced
changes in behavior and color make Gammarus pulex more prone to fish predation.
Ecology 78: 1098-1104.
Helluy, S. & J. C. Holmes. 1990. Serotonin, octopamine, and the clinging behavior induced by the
parasite Polymorphus paradoxus (Acanthocephala) in Gammarus lacustris (Crustacea).
Can. J. Zool. 68: 1214-1220
Supplemental articles
Bethel, W. M. & J. C. Holmes. 1973. Altered evasive behavior and responses to light in
amphipods harboring acanthocephalan cystacanths. J. Parasit. 59: 945-956
Bethel, W. M. & J. C. Holmes. 1977. Increased vulnerability of amphipods to predation owing to
altered behavior induced by larval acanthocephalans. Can. J. Zool. 55: 110-115.
Camp, J. W. & H. W. Huizinga. 1979. Altered color, behavior and predation susceptibility of the
iospod Asellus intermedius infected with Acanthocephalus dirus. J. Parasit. 65: 669-671.
Moore, J. 1983. Altered behavior in cockroaches (Periplaneta americana) infected with an
Archiacanthocephalan, Moniliformis moniliformis. J. Parasit. 69: 1174-1176.
Moore, J. 1983. Responses of an avian predator and its isopod prey to an acanthocephalan parasite.
Ecology 64: 1000-1015
Moore, J. 1984. Altered behavioral responses in intermediate hosts -- an acanthocephalan
parasite strategy. Amer. Nat. 123: 572-577.
Gotelli, N. J. & J. Moore. 1992. Altered host behaviour in a
cockroach-acanthocephalan association. Anim. Behav. 43: 949-959.
II. Trematode-host interactions
Presentation articles
AMY GRAHAM: Seppälä, O., A. Karvonen and E. Tellervo Valtonen. 2005. Manipulation of fish host by eye flukes
in relation to cataract formation and parasite infectivity. Anim. Behav. 70: 889-894
STEPHANIE WIGHTON: Seppälä, O., A. Karvonen and E. Tellervo Valtonen. 2005. Impaired crypsis of fish infected with a
trophically transmitted parasite. Anim. Behav. 70: 895-900.
Edelaar, P., J. Drent & P. de Goeij. 2003. A double test of the parasite
manipulation hypothesis in a burrowing bivalve. Oecologia 134: 66-71.
TIFFANY LAWRENCE: McCarthy, H. O., S. Fitzpatrick & S. W. B. Irwin. 2000. A
transmissible trematode affects the direction and rhythm of movement in a marine
gastropod. Anim. Behav. 59: 1161-1166.
Supplemental articles
Crowden, A. E. & D. M. Broom. 1980. Effects of the eyefluke, Diplostomum spathaceum, on the
behaviour of dace (Leuciscus leuciscus). Anim. Behav. 28: 287-294.
Curtis, L. A. 1987. Vertical distribution of an estuarine snail altered by a parasite. Science 235:
1509-1511.
Krause, J. & J.-G. J. Godin. 1994. Influence of parasitism on the shoaling behaviour of banded
killifish, Fundulus diaphanus. Can. J. Zool. 72: 1775-1779.
Lafferty, K. D. & A. K. Morris. 1996. Altered behavior of parasitized killifish increases susceptibility to
predation by bird final hosts. Ecology 77: 1390-1397.
III. Cestode-host interactions
Presentation articles
COURTNEY ECKLUND: Robb, T. & M. L. Reid. 1996. Parasite-induced changes in the behaviour
of cestode-infected beetles: adaptation or simple pathology? Can. J. Zool. 74: 1268-1274.
WHITNEY GRAY: Poulin, R., M. A. Curtis & M. E. Rau. 1992. Effects of Eubothrium salvelini (Cestoda) on the
behaviour of Cyclops vernalis (Copepoda) and its susceptibility to fish predators.
Parasitology 105: 265-271.
Supplemental articles
Hurd, H. & S. Fogo. 1991. Changes induced by Hymenolepis diminuta (Cestoda) in the
behaviour of the intermeidate host Tenebrio molitor (Coleoptera). Can. J. Zool.
69: 2291-2294.
Giles N. 1983. Behavioural effects of the parasite Schistocephalus solidus (Cestoda) on an
intermediate host, the three-spined stickleback, Gasterosteus aculeatus L. Anim. Behav.
31: 1192-1194.
IV. Parasitoid-host and mite-host interactions
Presentation articles
SARAH MORRISON: Hughes, D.P., J. Kathirithamby, S. Turillazzi & L. Beani. 2004. Social wasps desert the colony
and aggregate outside if parasitized: parasite manipulation? Behav. Ecol. 15: 1037-1043.
JOHANNA YEARTY: McLachlan, A. 1999. Parasites promote mating success: the
case of a midge and a mite. Anim. Behav. 57: 1199-1205.
Brodeur, J. & J. N. McNeil. 1992. Host behaviour modification
by the endoparasitoid Aphidius nigripes: a strategy to reduce hyperparasitism.
Ecol. Entomol. 17: 97-104.
DR. SCHNEIDER: Müller, C. B. 1994. Parasitoid induced digging behaviour in bumblebee workers. Anim. Behav.
48: 961-966.
McAllister, M. K., B. D. Roitberg & K. L. Weldon. 1990. Adaptive suicide in pea aphids: decisions
are cost sensitive. Anim. Behav. 40: 167-175.
Supplemental articles
Stamp, N. E. 1981. Behavior of parasitized aposematic caterpillars: advantageous to the
parasitoid or the host? Amer. Nat. 118: 715-725.
McAllister, M. K. & B. D. Roitberg. 1987. Adpative suicidal behaviour in pea aphids.
Nature 328: 797-799.
Brodeur, J. & J. N. McNeil. 1989. Seasonal microhabitat selection by an endoparasitoid
through adaptive modification of host behavior. Science 244: 226-228.
Poulin, R. 1992. Altered behaviour in parasitized bumblebees: parasite manipulation or
adaptive suicide? Anim. Behav. 44: 174-176.
Müller, C. B. & R. Schmid-Hempel. 1992. To die for host or parasite? Anim. Behav. 44:
177-179.
V. Protozoan-host interactions
Presentation articles
KYM SHOWERS: Berdoy, M., J. P. Webster & D. W. MacDonald. 2000. Fatal attraction in rats infected with
Toxoplasma gondii. Proceed. Royal Soc. London B. 267: 1591-1594.
CHRIS KINCAID: Webster, J.P., C.F.A. Brunton & D.W. MacDonald. 1994. Effect of
Toxoplasma gondii upon neophobic behaviour in wild brown rats, Rattus norvegicus.
Parasitology 109: 37-43.
Supplemental articles
Klein, S.L. 2003. Parasite manipulation of the proximate mechanisms that mediate social behavior in
vertebrates. Physiol and Behav. 79: 441-449.
(This is a good review article that applies to the general topic of parasite manipulation of host
behavior.)
Zimmer, C. 2000. Parasites make scaredy-rats foolhardy. Science 289: 525-527.
Hoogenboom, I. & D. Dijkstra. 1987. Sarcocystis cernae: A parasite increasing the risk of
predation of its intermediate host, Microtus arvalis. Oecologia 74: 86-92.
V. Fungus-host interactions
Presentation articles
Møller, A.P. 1993. A fungus infecting domestic flies manipulates
sexual behaviour of its host. Behav. Ecol. Sociobiol. 33: 403-407.