Symbiont Reintroduction Alters Tumor Progression and Life‐History Traits in the Tumor‐Bearing Freshwater Cnidarian <scp> <i>Hydra oligactis</i> </scp>
tumors. While ciliate infection did not alter tumor incidence, it slightly accelerated tumor onset, increased the likelihood of supernumerary tentacle formation, and reduced asexual reproduction (particularly at high symbiont densities) across tumor contexts. Spontaneous tumors appeared later than transmissible tumors, were less often associated with supernumerary tentacles, and induced an earlier reproductive burst. Our findings show that symbiont reintroduction and tumor context shape tumor dynamics and life-history traits in tumor-bearing hosts, emphasizing the potential role of symbiotic history and tumor evolutionary context when assessing the outcomes of such pressures in vulnerable host populations.
Authors
- Antoine Marie Dujon (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1579-9156)
- Jácint Tökölyi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6908-6493)
- Aurora M. Nedelcu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7517-2419)
- Beáta Újvári (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2391-2988)
- Jordan Meliani (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0008-8517-8727)
- Nikita Stepanskyy (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0005-7081-977X)
- Frédéric Thomas
Institutions
- University of New Brunswick (CA)
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (FR)
- University of Debrecen (HU)
- Deakin University (AU)
- Maladies Infectieuses et Vecteurs: Écologie, Génétique, Évolution et Contrôle (FR)
- Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (FR)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Ecology and Evolution
- Published
- 2026-04-01
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.73458
- Primary Topic
- Marine Invertebrate Physiology and Ecology
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- Agence Nationale de la Recherche
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique