Local adaptation and host specificity to copepod intermediate hosts by the Schistocephalus solidus tapeworm

Abstract

We investigated if there was local adaptation and host specify in the tapeworm Schistocephalus solidus to its copepod first intermediate hosts. The tapeworm is locally adapted and host specific to its threespine stickleback second intermediate host. We exposed copepods from five lakes in Vancouver Island (BC, Canada) to local (i.e. same lake) and foreign tapeworms in a reciprocal exposure experiment. Results indicate that the tapeworm is not locally adapted to the copepods, but there was host specificity as a copepod genus was more parasitized than another genus.