Biology ETDs

Publication Date

Summer 7-29-2025

Abstract

Research on Physella acuta, an invasive freshwater snail, reveals insights into its parasitology, fitness, and molecular biology. Morphological and molecular analyses revealed two distinct mitogenomic lineages, local (B) and invasive (A) strains of native P. acuta, both having comparable trematode infection rates, suggesting that the low infection rates observed from A in invaded regions result from "enemy release" rather than immune incompatibility. Fitness assessments showed that while lineages A and B performed similarly under laboratory conditions, rewilding experiments revealed significantly higher fitness in lineage A. Transcriptomic profiling supported these differences, with A snails showing greater immune-related gene expression and interindividual diversity, while B emphasized stress responses. Absent mitochondrial gene expression differences, this fitness divergence is likely driven by nuclear (immune-)genes. This ecoimmunological study highlights lineage-specific differences in fitness and molecular adaptations that drive the success of P. acuta as an invasive species.

Keywords

Life history, mitogenome, stress, invasiveness, ecoimmunology, aranetoxin

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Biology

Level of Degree

Doctoral

Department Name

UNM Biology Department

First Committee Member (Chair)

Coenraad M. Adema

Second Committee Member

Eric Denkers

Third Committee Member

Ellen Martinson

Fourth Committee Member

Otto Seppälä

Download

Share

COinS