Parasite host-switching from the invasive American red-eared slider, Trachemys scripta elegans, to the native Mediterranean pond turtle, Mauremys leprosa, in natural environments

Leon Meyer (1, 2) , Louis Du Preez (1) , Elodie Bonneau (2) , Laurent Héritier (2) , Marc Franch Quintana (3) , Aitor Valdeón (4) , Amel Sadaoui (5) , Nadia Kechemir-Issad (5) , Carmen Palacios (2) , Olivier Verneau (1, 2)

1 Unit for Environmental Sciences and Management
2 CEFREM - Centre de Formation et de Recherche sur les Environnements Méditérranéens
3 Institute for Research on Biodiversity (IRBio) - Department of Animal Biology
4 Department of Geography and Regional Planning
5 Laboratoire de Biodiversité et Environnement : Interaction- Génomes

The red-eared slider turtle, Trachemys scripta elegans, is among the most over-exploited animals and is still exported annually from the USA all over the world. Once introduced into its new environment, feral populations may arise and pose threats to local biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. In France, it is in fact considered as a risk for the Mediterranean pond turtle, Mauremys leprosa, and the European pond turtle, Emys orbicularis, as they may compete for resources and habitat. Freshwater turtles are also host to a variety of parasites including protozoans and helminths. When introduced turtles escape, parasites may spread to native species. The objective of this study was to document the extent of platyhelminth invasions from T. s. elegans to natural M. leprosa populations in northern Spain and southern France and to evaluate the risks that parasite host-switching may pose on indigenous freshwater turtle species. From DNA barcoding analysis based on the sequencing of the Cytochrome c Oxidase I gene, the Bayesian tree and p-distance comparisons of closely related haplotypes revealed a greater polystome richness within M. leprosa than expected, suggesting that host switching may take place in natural environments. Because these parasites most typically infest American turtles like Chrysemys picta marginata and Graptemys pseudogeographica in their natural home range and because parasites were also found within T. s. elegans feral populations, it is suggested that the red-eared slider would serve as a carrier for a variety of not strictly host-specific polystomes that are transmitted to M. leprosa throughout the south of France. The global trade in freshwater turtles thus provides opportunity for parasites to be transported to new destinations which could impact the physiology, behavior and survival of native turtle species.

Mots clés: Platyhelminthes; host switching; parasite invasion; turtle trade; Monogenea

Domaines: Sciences du Vivant [q-bio]

Leon Meyer, Louis Du Preez, Elodie Bonneau, Laurent Héritier, Marc Franch Quintana, et al.. Parasite host-switching from the invasive American red-eared slider, Trachemys scripta elegans, to the native Mediterranean pond turtle, Mauremys leprosa, in natural environments. Aquatic Invasions, 2015, 10 (1), pp.79-91. ⟨10.3391/ai.2015.10.1.08⟩. ⟨hal-01135099⟩