Order in ectoparasite communities of marine fish is explained by epidemiological processes

Parasitology ◽  
2002 ◽  
Vol 124 (7) ◽  
pp. 57-63 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. MORAND ◽  
K. ROHDE ◽  
C. HAYWARD
Keyword(s):  
Community Structure ◽  
Interspecific Competition ◽  
Marine Fish ◽  
Positive Relationship ◽  
Parasite Species ◽  
Holistic Approach ◽  
Bimodal Distribution ◽  
Parasite Communities ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Parasite Assemblages

Two kinds of community structure referred to, nestedness and bimodal distribution, have been observed or were searched for in parasite communities. We investigate here the relation between these two kinds of organisation, using marine fishes as a model, in order to show that parasite population dynamics may parsimoniously explain the patterns of ectoparasite species distribution and abundance. Thirty six assemblages of metazoan ectoparasites on the gills and heads of marine fish showed the following patterns: a positive relationship between abundance and the variance of abundance; a positive relationship between abundance and prevalence of infection; a bimodal pattern of the frequency distribution of prevalence of infection; nestedness as indicated by Atmar and Patterson's thermodynamic measure (a mean of 7.9°C); a unimodal distribution of prevalence in parasite assemblages with a temperature lower than the mean, and a bimodal distribution in assemblages with a temperature higher than the mean. We conclude that patterns are the result of characteristics of the parasite species themselves and that interspecific competition is not necessary to explain them. We emphasize that a holistic approach, taking all evidence jointly into account, is necessary to explain patterns of community structure. Ectoparasite assemblages of marine fish are among the animal groups that have been most thoroughly examined using many different methods, and all evidence supports the view that these animals live under non-equilibrium conditions, in largely non-saturated niche space in which interspecific competition occurs but is of little evolutionary importance.

How have fisheries affected parasite communities?

Parasitology ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 142 (1) ◽  
pp. 134-144 ◽  
Author(s):  
CHELSEA L. WOOD ◽  
KEVIN D. LAFFERTY
Keyword(s):  
Life History ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Parasite Species ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Complex Life Cycle ◽  
Parasite Diversity ◽  
Parasite Abundance ◽  
Parasite Communities ◽  
Or Groups ◽  
Parasite Assemblages

SUMMARYTo understand how fisheries affect parasites, we conducted a meta-analysis of studies that contrasted parasite assemblages in fished and unfished areas. Parasite diversity was lower in hosts from fished areas. Larger hosts had a greater abundance of parasites, suggesting that fishing might reduce the abundance of parasites by selectively removing the largest, most heavily parasitized individuals. After controlling for size, the effect of fishing on parasite abundance varied according to whether the host was fished and the parasite's life cycle. Parasites of unfished hosts were more likely to increase in abundance in response to fishing than were parasites of fished hosts, possibly due to compensatory increases in the abundance of unfished hosts. While complex life cycle parasites tended to decline in abundance in response to fishing, directly transmitted parasites tended to increase. Among complex life cycle parasites, those with fished hosts tended to decline in abundance in response to fishing, while those with unfished hosts tended to increase. However, among directly transmitted parasites, responses did not differ between parasites with and without fished hosts. This work suggests that parasite assemblages are likely to change substantially in composition in increasingly fished ecosystems, and that parasite life history and fishing status of the host are important in predicting the response of individual parasite species or groups to fishing.

Helminth communities of yellow perch (Perca flavescens (Mitchill)): determinants of pattern

2000 ◽  
Vol 78 (4) ◽  
pp. 538-555 ◽  
Author(s):  
J P Carney ◽  
T A Dick
Keyword(s):  
Community Structure ◽  
Yellow Perch ◽  
Trophic Status ◽  
Lake Michigan ◽  
Parasite Species ◽  
Local Level ◽  
Perca Flavescens ◽  
Parasite Community ◽  
Green Bay ◽  
Parasite Communities

Twenty-eight parasite species were recorded from 504 yellow perch (Perca flavescens) collected from Dauphin Lake and Beaufort Lake, Manitoba, and Lake Winnebago, Green Bay, and Lake Michigan, Wisconsin. Four parasite species, Diplostomum spp., Urocleidus adspectus, Proteocephalus pearsei, and Raphidascaris acus, occurred in perch from all localities. Infracommunities and component communities were low in richness. The Dauphin Lake and Beaufort Lake samples had the richest parasite communities, while those in the Green Bay and Lake Michigan samples were the least rich. The effect of host size and age on parasite community structure was equivocal. A positive association between P. pearsei and Bothriocephalus cuspidatus and more multispecies infracommunities than expected provide evidence of nonrandom associations in the Manitoba samples, while the Wisconsin infracommunities were random associations. Significant infracommunity nestedness in all samples indicated nonrandom community organization and structure. Parasite faunas were richer in samples with complex invertebrate communities than in samples with complex fish communities. The trophic status of the aquatic system indirectly affected the parasite communities by limiting the variety of potential intermediate hosts. Predictions regarding relationships between parasite community structure and lake trophic status were not supported. We show that predictable patterns at the fine-scale local level of the parasite infracommunity and component communities of perch are best explained by a rich invertebrate community upon which the host feeds.

The structure of parasite component communities in brackish water fishes of the northeastern Baltic Sea

Parasitology ◽  
2001 ◽  
Vol 122 (4) ◽  
pp. 471-481 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. T. VALTONEN ◽  
K. PULKKINEN ◽  
R. POULIN ◽  
M. JULKUNEN
Keyword(s):  
Baltic Sea ◽  
Freshwater Fish ◽  
Marine Fish ◽  
Fish Species ◽  
Parasite Species ◽  
Marine Fish Species ◽  
Metazoan Parasites ◽  
Parasite Communities ◽  
Bothnian Bay ◽  
Marine Parasite

We used nestedness analysis to seek non-random patterns in the structure of component communities of metazoan parasites collected from 31 sympatric fish species from the northeastern Bothnian Bay, the most oligohaline area of the Baltic Sea. Only 8 marine parasite species were found among the 63 species recorded, although some marine fish species reproduce in the bay and others occasionally visit the area. Marine parasite species can utilize both freshwater and marine fish species as intermediate or final hosts, and marine fish can harbour freshwater parasite species. This exchange of parasite species between marine and freshwater fish has probably resulted from ecological factors acting over short time scales rather than from evolutionary processes acting over longer time; the key factor probably being the immediate presence of suitable intermediate and definitive hosts. Marine fish were expected to harbour species-poor parasite communities consisting mainly of generalists acquired from the sympatric freshwater fish species, which would result in a nested pattern among the different component communities. However, an anti-nested pattern was found in the component communities of metazoan parasites of fishes from the Bothnian Bay. A likely explanation for the observed pattern is that there are specialist parasite species, the majority of which are cestodes, in some of the freshwater fish species which otherwise have depauperate parasite communities.

scholarly journals Latitudinal gradient in the taxonomic composition of parasite communities

2010 ◽  
Vol 85 (3) ◽  
pp. 228-233 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Poulin ◽  
T.L.F Leung
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Parasite Species ◽  
Parasite Community ◽  
Taxonomic Composition ◽  
Latitudinal Gradients ◽  
Latitudinal Variation ◽  
Parasite Communities ◽  
Helminth Communities ◽  
Vertebrate Hosts ◽  
Parasite Assemblages

AbstractAlthough latitudinal gradients in diversity have been well studied, latitudinal variation in the taxonomic composition of communities has received less attention. Here, we use a large dataset including 950 surveys of helminth endoparasite communities in 650 species of vertebrate hosts to test for latitudinal changes in the relative contributions of trematodes, cestodes, nematodes and acanthocephalans to parasite assemblages. Although the species richness of helminth communities showed no consistent latitudinal variation, their taxonomic composition varied as a function of both host type and latitude. First, trematodes and acanthocephalans accounted for a higher proportion of species in helminth communities of fish, whereas nematodes achieved a higher proportion of the species in communities of bird and especially mammal hosts. Second, the proportion of trematodes in helminth communities of birds and mammals increased toward higher latitudes. Finally, the proportion of nematodes per community increased toward lower latitudes regardless of the type of host. We present tentative explanations for these patterns, and argue that new insights in parasite community ecology can be gained by searching for latitudinal gradients not only in parasite species richness, but also in the taxonomic composition of parasite assemblages.

scholarly journals Parasite community structure of cod from Bear Island (Barents Sea) and Pomeranian Bay (Baltic Sea)

2011 ◽  
Vol 32 (3) ◽  
pp. 253-262 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ewa Sobecka ◽  
Ewa Łuczak ◽  
Beata Więcaszek ◽  
Artur Antoszek
Keyword(s):  
Community Structure ◽  
Baltic Sea ◽  
Parasite Species ◽  
Barents Sea ◽  
Parasite Community ◽  
Mean Values ◽  
Parasite Communities ◽  
Higher Taxa ◽  
The Baltic ◽  
Pomeranian Bay

Parasite community structure of cod from Bear Island (Barents Sea) and Pomeranian Bay (Baltic Sea) A total of 142 cods: 60 from the South-East Ground of Bear Island and 82 from the Pomeranian Bay (Baltic Sea) were examined for their ecto- and endoparasites. Twenty different parasite species, comprising one Myxosporea, three Cestoda, four Digenea, seven Nematoda, three Acanthocephala and two Crustacea were found. The parasite component communities comprised 1446 individuals (17 species, six higher taxa) from the Bear Island and 6588 individuals (nine species, three higher taxa) from Pomeranian Bay. The observed parasite host specificity was low, and the intensity in a single fish ranged from one to 279 specimens. The eudominant parasite species were Echinorhynchus gadi, Hemiurus levinseni and Contracaecum osculatum. The dominant parasite communities from the Bear Island were nematodes, but acanthocephalans dominated in cod from the Baltic Sea. It appears that one group of parasites, better adapted for the specific conditions of the macrohabitat, has replaced another. The most prevalent parasites were E. gadi, Anisakis simplex, C. osculatum and Hysterothylacium aduncum, and the mean values of crowding were the highest for E. gadi and Pomphorhynchus laevis. The nematode Camallanus lacustris was noted in this host species for the first time. Only six species of parasites were common to cod from both fishing grounds.

Disentangling the beta-diversity in anuran parasite communities

Parasitology ◽  
2020 ◽  
pp. 1-6
Author(s):  
Elvira D'Bastiani ◽  
Karla M. Campião
Keyword(s):  
Beta Diversity ◽  
Parasite Species ◽  
Random Pattern ◽  
Phylogenetic Species ◽  
Parasite Communities ◽  
Anuran Species ◽  
Great Heterogeneity ◽  
Main Component ◽  
Scientific Quest ◽  
Parasite Assemblages

Abstract There is great heterogeneity in parasite communities among hosts, understanding the nature and drivers of such variations is still a great scientific quest. Here, we analyse the variation in parasite communities by addressing the following questions: (i) What is the beta-diversity component (nestedness or turnover) that most contributes to beta diversity in parasite communities among anuran species? (ii) Does the beta diversity of parasite communities follow a non-random pattern? (iii) Is the dissimilarity in composition of parasite communities related to the phylogenetic or functional dissimilarity among hosts? We found that turnover in parasite assemblages was the main component of beta diversity, but the variation observed both in the total beta diversity and in its components did not differ from the respective null models. The dissimilarity among parasite communities was not related to the phylogenetic species variability or functional dissimilarity among anuran species for most localities. In short, our findings may indicate a process of resource tracking by the parasite species, in which the resource may not necessarily be conserved phylogenetically in their hosts.

Parasite assemblages of crucian carp (Carassius carassius) – is depauperate composition explained by lack of parasite exchange, extreme environmental conditions or host unsuitability?

Parasitology ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 131 (2) ◽  
pp. 273-278 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. KARVONEN ◽  
A. M. BAGGE ◽  
E. T. VALTONEN
Keyword(s):  
Fish Species ◽  
Environmental Conditions ◽  
Host Species ◽  
Crucian Carp ◽  
Parasite Species ◽  
Carassius Carassius ◽  
Parasite Communities ◽  
Parasite Infections ◽  
Set Up ◽  
Parasite Assemblages

Recent studies on parasite communities have considered the factors which contribute to variability in parasite infections among populations of one host species. This paper examined parasite assemblages of crucian carp (Carassius carassius) in a natural set-up of two distinctive environments inhabited by the same host species and differing in respect to composition of other fish species: ponds, where extreme conditions prevent other fish species from occurring and lakes, where crucian carp coexist with other fish species. Our aim was to evaluate the significance of parasite exchange, environmental conditions and host suitability for the depauperate parasite assemblages observed in pond crucian carp. As predicted, crucian carp had more diverse parasite species composition in lakes, which supports the hypotheses of increased opportunities for parasite exchange with other fish species and better environmental conditions for the parasites. However, for instance, diplostomids were found only from few fish individuals in very low numbers. Experimental exposure trials with the eye fluke Diplostomum spathaceum in the laboratory indicated that crucian carp were totally resistant to infection, which is exceptional and suggests that the low number of these parasites in crucian carp was due to physiological unsuitability of the host. To obtain a better understanding on the mechanisms underlying the formation of parasite assemblages in these fish, further studies on the relationships between the unique physiology of crucian carp and infection success by other parasite species are needed.

Metazoan Parasites and Health State of European Eel, Anguilla Anguilla (Anguilliformes, Anguillidae), From Tonga Lake and El Mellah Lagoon in the Northeast of Algeria

2018 ◽  
Vol 52 (4) ◽  
pp. 279-288 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. Bakaria ◽  
S. Belhaoues ◽  
N. Djebbari ◽  
M. Tahri ◽  
I. Ladjama ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Brackish Water ◽  
Parasite Species ◽  
Anguilla Anguilla ◽  
European Eel ◽  
Health State ◽  
Component Community ◽  
Metazoan Parasites ◽  
Parasite Communities ◽  
High Dominance ◽  
Argulus Foliaceus

Abstract The aim of the study was to examine metazoans parasite communities of European eels (Anguilla anguilla) in freshwater (Tonga Lake) and brackish water (El Mellah lagoon) in the northeast of Algeria. Six parasite taxa were collected: one monogenean, Pseudodactylogyrus sp.; two crustaceans, Ergasilus sp. and Argulus foliaceus; two nematodes, Cucullanus sp. and Anguillicola crassus; one cestode, Bothriocephalus claviceps. Th e most prevalent parasite taxa in freshwater were Pseudodactylogyrus sp., A. crassus and Bothriocephalus claviceps; whereas in the brackish water, eels were infected mainly with A. crassus. Th e characteristics of the parasite component community structure revealed low parasite species diversity and high dominance values in eels from the two localities. Both communities were dominated by a single parasite species: Tonga eels by the monogenean Pseudodactylogyrus sp. and El Mellah lagoon eels by the nematode A. crassus, verified by high Berger-Parker dominance values of 0.76 and 0.87 respectively.

Helminth Parasite Communities of the Water-rat, Hydromys chrysogaster, from Queensland

1997 ◽  
Vol 24 (4) ◽  
pp. 445 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. R. Smales ◽  
T. H. Cribb
Keyword(s):  
Bimodal Distribution ◽  
Helminth Fauna ◽  
Helminth Community ◽  
Parasite Communities ◽  
Far North ◽  
Core Species ◽  
Helminth Communities ◽  
Eastern Australia ◽  
Hydromys Chrysogaster ◽  
High Diversity

The helminth fauna from 124 water-rats, Hydromys chrysogaster, collected from 33 localities in Queensland was analysed. A total of 45 species of helminths was found, comprising 2 acanthocephalans, 2 cestodes, 13 nematodes and 28 trematodes. The helminth community of the water-rats in the region north of latitude 18˚ (far north) was different from that of water-rats south of 18˚ (central); Sorensen’s Index 45·8% similarity, whereas Holmes and Podesta’s Index gave 32·1% similarity. Comparisons with data from water-rats from southern and Tasmanian regions showed that they were different from each other and from both Queensland regions. The helminth communities were characterised by high diversity, dominated by trematodes in the central and Tasmanian regions, but with nematodes becoming more prominent in the far northern and southern regions. No core or secondary species were found in the Queensland helminth communities, the southern community was suggestive of a bimodal distribution and the Tasmanian had two core species. A checklist of helminth species occurring in water-rats from eastern Australia is provided.

Geographic and ontogenetic variations in parasite communities of intertidal fish species from the south-eastern Pacific coast

2020 ◽  
Vol 94 ◽  
Author(s):  
N.V. Leiva ◽  
G. Muñoz ◽  
M.T. González
Keyword(s):  
Fish Species ◽  
Parasite Species ◽  
Fish Larvae ◽  
Geographical Area ◽  
Central Area ◽  
Geographic Ranges ◽  
Northern Area ◽  
Parasite Communities ◽  
Intertidal Fish ◽  
Mature Fish

Abstract Parasite composition can be affected by physiological and ecological changes during host ontogeny. Intertidal fish do not travel long distances and live in the same area throughout their lifetimes, meaning that parasite communities can differ across geographic ranges. The objective of this study was to analyse the parasite communities of three fish species (Hypsoblennius sordidus, Helcogrammoides cunninghami and Scartichthys viridis) collected from the Chilean coast. The composition of parasite species was compared among host ontogenetic stages (larvae, juveniles and mature fish) and geographic areas. A total of 184 larval, 252 juveniles and 217 mature individuals were collected in the northern area (c. 24°S), and 186 larval, 192 juveniles and 112 mature individuals from the central area (c. 33°S). Ectoparasites were most prevalent in fish from the central area, whereas endoparasites were most prevalent in the northern area. The parasite species richness varied significantly between geographical areas for H. sordidus and H. cunninghami, but the parasite composition varied significantly between geographical areas for all fish species analysed. Therefore, the geographical area was the most important factor determining the parasite composition of intertidal fish species. The absence of endoparasites in fish larvae and the increased infestation in juvenile and mature fish may be explained by the shift in habitat from the water column to intertidal pools where prey abundance and availability are higher. On the other hand, hydrographic barriers affecting prey distributions may also offer an explanation as to the differences in parasite composition.

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