Fitness consequences of selfing and outcrossing in the cestode Schistocephalus solidus

The three-spined stickleback - Schistocephalus solidus system:

Occurrence of Schistocephalus solidus in anadromous threespine stickleback.

Plerocercoids of the cestode Schistocephalus solidus are reported for the first time from the body cavity of anadromous threespine stickleback inhabiting Mud Lake, Alaska. Most infected stickleback harbored a single large plerocerciod (mean weight  =  0.447 g, range  =  0.228-0.716 g). The overall prevalence of plerocercoids across genders and 2 yr of samples was 1.4%, but prevalence was signif...

Evolution of Mating Systems: Outcrossing versus Selfing

Mating systems vary enormously among groups of organisms. This has led to diverse definitions and approaches for investigating their evolution and maintenance. Animal mating systems are characterized by different patterns of parental investment in offspring and variation in the extent to which sexual selection shapes male and female traits (see chapter VII.4). A primary focus of most studies is...

Studies on Tapeworm Physiology I. the Cultivation of Schistocephalus Solidus in Vitro

Studies on Tapeworm Physiology Vi. Effect of Temperature on the Maturation in Vitro of Schistocephalus Solidus

INTRODUCTION It has been shown that the pleroceroid larvae of the bird cestode Schistocephalus solidus matures rapidly when cultured aseptically in suitable media at 40 C. provided pH and oxygen tension are controlled (Smyth, 1946, 1950). This temperature of 40° C. represents the average body temperature of birds, in the gut of which pleroceroids normally develop (Hopkins & Smyth, 1952). It is ...