Judging Category
Basic or Experimental Research
Student Rank
Senior
College
Sciences and Mathematics
Faculty Sponsor
Kyle Gustafson kgustafson@astate.edu
Description
Coccidia are obligate, intracellular parasites that infect the digestive tracts of many animals and cause coccidosis, which can result in vomiting, diarrhea, and in severe cases, death. At broader scales, the disease contributes to substantial economic losses in agriculture. Our study examined the distribution of Pfeifferinella ellipsoides, a coccidian parasite in freshwater snails. Based on previous research, we hypothesized that (1) there will be statistically significant spatial clustering in northern Arkansas and (2) the parasite will be found exclusively in two snail genera, Physa and Planorbella. We sampled 17 snail species and surveyed feces for oocysts from 1,920 snails and six terrestrial ecoregions. Spatial analysis tests were conducted using geographic information systems framework. Pfeifferinella ellipsoides was detected in 25 of the 137 sites and clustered in the northeastern and northwestern parts of the state. The parasite species was found in two genera, Physa and Lymnaea. These findings support our first hypothesis of northern spatial clustering. The second hypothesis was partially supported, as the parasite occurred in only two snail taxa, but not in Planorbella as predicted. Overall, the parasite exhibits northern clustering with a broader yet still limited spatial and host range than expected.
Disciplines
Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
Pye, Julia R.; Fiedor, Taylor M.; Post, Jason M.; and Gustafson, Kyle D., "The Spatial Distribution of Coccidia in Arkansas Freshwater Snails" (2026). Create@State. 46.
https://arch.astate.edu/evn-createstate/2026/posters/46
Included in
The Spatial Distribution of Coccidia in Arkansas Freshwater Snails
Coccidia are obligate, intracellular parasites that infect the digestive tracts of many animals and cause coccidosis, which can result in vomiting, diarrhea, and in severe cases, death. At broader scales, the disease contributes to substantial economic losses in agriculture. Our study examined the distribution of Pfeifferinella ellipsoides, a coccidian parasite in freshwater snails. Based on previous research, we hypothesized that (1) there will be statistically significant spatial clustering in northern Arkansas and (2) the parasite will be found exclusively in two snail genera, Physa and Planorbella. We sampled 17 snail species and surveyed feces for oocysts from 1,920 snails and six terrestrial ecoregions. Spatial analysis tests were conducted using geographic information systems framework. Pfeifferinella ellipsoides was detected in 25 of the 137 sites and clustered in the northeastern and northwestern parts of the state. The parasite species was found in two genera, Physa and Lymnaea. These findings support our first hypothesis of northern spatial clustering. The second hypothesis was partially supported, as the parasite occurred in only two snail taxa, but not in Planorbella as predicted. Overall, the parasite exhibits northern clustering with a broader yet still limited spatial and host range than expected.
