Richness patterns in the parasite communities of exotic poeciliid fishes

Parasitology ◽  
2000 ◽  
Vol 120 (6) ◽  
pp. 609-623 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. D. M. DOVE
Keyword(s):  
Native Species ◽  
Parasite Species ◽  
Parasite Community ◽  
Life Cycles ◽  
Theoretical Modelling ◽  
Sampling Effort ◽  
Parasite Communities ◽  
Parasite Richness ◽  
Host Sex ◽  
Native Fishes

Three species of poeciliids (Gambusia holbrooki, Xiphophorus helleri and X. maculatus) and 15 species of ecologically similar native freshwater fishes (mainly eleotrids, ambassids, melanotaeniids and retropinnids) were examined for parasite richness to investigate parasite flux, qualitative differences, quantitative differences and the structuring factors in parasite communities in the 2 fish types in Queensland, Australia. Theory suggests that poeciliids would harbour depauperate parasite communities. Results supported this hypothesis; poeciliids harboured more species-poor parasite infracommunities and regional faunas than natives (P < 0·0001), despite greater sampling effort for the former. Cluster analysis of presence/absence data for poeciliids and the 6 most-sampled native fishes revealed that parasite communities of the 2 fish groups are qualitatively distinct; the proportion of parasite species with complex life-cycles was lower in poeciliids than in native species, and Myxosporea, Microspora, Coccidia and parasitic Crustacea were all absent from poeciliids. Limited exchange of parasite species has occurred between natives and poeciliids. Logistic ordinal regression analysis revealed that fish origin (exotic or native), environmental disturbance and host sex were all significant determinants of parasite community richness (P < 0·05). Theoretical modelling suggests that poeciliids are at a competitive advantage over native fishes because of their lack of parasites.

Endoparasite communities of five fish species (Labridae: Cheilininae) from Lizard Island: how important is the ecology and phylogeny of the hosts?

Parasitology ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 132 (3) ◽  
pp. 363-374 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. MUÑOZ ◽  
A. S. GRUTTER ◽  
T. H. CRIBB
Keyword(s):  
Body Weight ◽  
Fish Species ◽  
Parasite Species ◽  
Parasite Community ◽  
Life Cycles ◽  
Parasite Communities ◽  
Host Diet ◽  
Host Phylogeny ◽  
Abundance And Diversity ◽  
Host Characteristics

The parasite community of animals is generally influenced by host physiology, ecology, and phylogeny. Therefore, sympatric and phylogenetically related hosts with similar ecologies should have similar parasite communities. To test this hypothesis we surveyed the endoparasites of 5 closely related cheilinine fishes (Labridae) from the Great Barrier Reef. They were Cheilinus chlorourus, C. trilobatus, C. fasciatus, Epibulus insidiator and Oxycheilinus diagramma. We examined the relationship between parasitological variables (richness, abundance and diversity) and host characteristics (body weight, diet and phylogeny). The 5 fishes had 31 parasite species with 9–18 parasite species per fish species. Cestode larvae (mostly Tetraphyllidea) were the most abundant and prevalent parasites followed by nematodes and digeneans. Parasites, body size and diet of hosts differed between fish species. In general, body weight, diet and host phylogeny each explained some of the variation in richness and composition of parasites among the fishes. The 2 most closely related species, Cheilinus chlorourus and C. trilobatus, had broadly similar parasites but the other fish species differed significantly in all variables. However, there was no all-encompassing pattern. This may be because different lineages of parasites may react differently to ecological variables. We also argue that adult parasites may respond principally to host diet. In contrast, larval parasite composition may respond both to host diet and predator-prey interactions because this is the path by which many parasites complete their life-cycles. Finally, variation in parasite phylogeny and parasite life-cycles among hosts likely increase the complexity of the system making it difficult to find all-encompassing patterns between host characteristics and parasites, particularly when all the species in rich parasite communities are considered.

scholarly journals Bovine tuberculosis disturbs parasite functional trait composition in African buffalo

2019 ◽  
Vol 116 (29) ◽  
pp. 14645-14650 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brianna R. Beechler ◽  
Kate S. Boersma ◽  
Peter E. Buss ◽  
Courtney A. C. Coon ◽  
Erin E. Gorsich ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Community Composition ◽  
Bovine Tuberculosis ◽  
Community Dynamics ◽  
Parasite Community ◽  
Functional Trait ◽  
Taxonomic Composition ◽  
African Buffalo ◽  
Emerging Infections ◽  
Parasite Communities ◽  
Parasite Richness

Novel parasites can have wide-ranging impacts, not only on host populations, but also on the resident parasite community. Historically, impacts of novel parasites have been assessed by examining pairwise interactions between parasite species. However, parasite communities are complex networks of interacting species. Here we used multivariate taxonomic and trait-based approaches to determine how parasite community composition changed when African buffalo (Syncerus caffer) acquired an emerging disease, bovine tuberculosis (BTB). Both taxonomic and functional parasite richness increased significantly in animals that acquired BTB than in those that did not. Thus, the presence of BTB seems to catalyze extraordinary shifts in community composition. There were no differences in overall parasite taxonomic composition between infected and uninfected individuals, however. The trait-based analysis revealed an increase in direct-transmitted, quickly replicating parasites following BTB infection. This study demonstrates that trait-based approaches provide insight into parasite community dynamics in the context of emerging infections.

scholarly journals Interannual variation in the metazoan parasite communities of bigeye trevally Caranx sexfasciatus (Pisces, Carangidae)

Parasite ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 27 ◽  
pp. 6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juan Violante-González ◽  
Scott Monks ◽  
Yesenia Gallegos-Navarro ◽  
Nataly G. Santos-Bustos ◽  
Princessa J. Villalba-Vasquez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Species Composition ◽  
Parasite Species ◽  
Single Species ◽  
Parasite Community ◽  
Component Community ◽  
Metazoan Parasites ◽  
Parasite Communities ◽  
Local Fluctuations ◽  
Low Diversity ◽  
Abiotic Environmental Factors

Parasite communities in Caranx sexfasciatus were characterized and analyzed to determine any interannual variations in structure and/or species composition. In total, 422 C. sexfasciatus were collected from Acapulco Bay, Mexico, between May 2016 and March 2019. Thirty-two taxa of metazoan parasites were identified: five Monogenea, thirteen Digenea, one Acanthocephala, one Cestoda, three Nematoda, seven Copepoda, and two Isopoda. Monogeneans were the most frequent and abundant parasite species in all sampling years. Parasite species richness at the component community level varied significantly from 8 (May 2016) to 25 (March 2019) and was similar to previous reports for other species of Carangidae. The component communities and infracommunities in C. sexfasciatus were characterized by low parasite species numbers, low diversity, and dominance of a single species (the monogenean Neomicrocotyle pacifica). Parasite community structure and species composition varied between sampling years and climatic seasons. Seasonal or local fluctuations in some biotic and abiotic environmental factors probably explain these variations.

Intestinal helminth parasites in flounderPlatichthys flesusfrom the River Thames: an infracommunity analysis

2004 ◽  
Vol 78 (4) ◽  
pp. 297-303 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Guillen-Hernandez ◽  
P.J. Whitfield
Keyword(s):  
Parasite Species ◽  
Parasite Community ◽  
Intestinal Helminth ◽  
Helminth Parasites ◽  
Intermediate Hosts ◽  
Component Community ◽  
Parasite Communities ◽  
High Prevalence ◽  
Marine Influence ◽  
River Thames

AbstractAn analysis was undertaken of intestinal helminth communities in flounderPlatichthys flesusfrom two sites on the River Thames. A comparison was made between helminth community richness and diversity from these sites at the component and infracommunity levels. At the component community level, a richer and more diverse parasite community was found in flounder from the Tilbury location (marine influence) than that from the Lots Road location (freshwater influence). At the infracommunity level, more parasite species and parasite individuals per host were found at Lots Road and the percentage of similarity values were low at both locations. Helminth species with high prevalence values in the parasite communities of the flounder are the dominant species in any individual fish, harbouring multi-specific infections. The presence of more invertebrate species, which are intermediate hosts in the helminth life cycle in the Thames, fish vagility and the high prevalence and abundance values ofPomphorhynchus laevisin the flounder, may explain the differences between the two locations.

scholarly journals Community structure analysis of endoparasitic helminths of Anabas testudineus from unpolluted and polluted sites of a freshwater body of Dhaka

2014 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 27-38
Author(s):  
Md Osman Ghani ◽  
Aminul Islam Bhuiyan ◽  
Jannatul Bushra
Keyword(s):  
Community Structure ◽  
Parasite Species ◽  
Parasite Community ◽  
Community Diversity ◽  
Polluted Water ◽  
Component Community ◽  
Anabas Testudineus ◽  
Host Sex ◽  
Host Habitat ◽  
Insignificant Difference

Community structure of metazoan endoparasites of Anabas testudineus collected from an unpolluted and a polluted water body was determined. Out of 100 A. testudineus observed, 78% was parasitized by at least one species of endohelminth parasite. Eight metazoan endoparasites were recorded. Nematode showed higher prevalence than trematode. One species was accounted as satellite species and others as secondary. Larger hosts were more abundantly infected than the smaller ones as positive correlation was observed between the standard length of the hosts and the abundance/ prevalence of all parasites. Maximum parasite species followed a typical overdispersed type of distribution pattern. Parasite species richness was lower in fish from polluted (4) than unpolluted water (6). Per cent similarity of infestation between the sample hosts was high (55.73%). Three common parasite species from both sample hosts showed insignificant difference in intensity of infestation in relation to host habitat. Host sex had influenced infestation at infra?community but not at component community level. Interspecies association between parasites was strong in fish from unpolluted in comparision from polluted water. Host’s habitat quality also played an influential role in building parasite community, diversity and other associated community indices. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/dujbs.v23i1.19823 Dhaka Univ. J. Biol. Sci. 23(1): 27-38, 2014

Parasite communities of the elongate tigerfish Hydrocynus forskahlii (Cuvier 1819) and redbelly tilapia Tilapia zillii (Gervais 1848) from Lake Turkana, Kenya: influence of host sex and size

2014 ◽  
Vol 60 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Elick O. Otachi ◽  
Beata Szostakowska ◽  
Franz Jirsa ◽  
Christine Fellner-Frank
Keyword(s):  
Influencing Factor ◽  
Parasite Community ◽  
Parasite Fauna ◽  
Lake Turkana ◽  
Parasite Communities ◽  
Large Size ◽  
Tilapia Zillii ◽  
Hydrocynus Forskahlii ◽  
Host Sex ◽  
Important Food Source

AbstractFish is an important food source for an estimated 300,000 people inhabiting the shores of Lake Turkana, Kenya. Despite its large size (7560 km2) and importance, the lake remains one of the least studied in the Great Lakes Region of Africa. This study describes the parasite community of the elongate tigerfish Hydrocynus forskahlii (Cuvier, 1819) and the redbelly tilapia Tilapia zillii (Gervais, 1848). A total of 87 individuals (43 H. forskahlii and 44 T. zillii) were dissected and examined for parasites. Two taxa infected H. forskahlii, the dominant one being an anisakid nematode Contracaecum sp. (L3) (P = 83.7%, mean intensity (MI) = 46.0, abundance (A) = 38.5). Twelve parasite taxa were recovered from T. zillii, with metacestodes of the gryporhynchid cestode Amirthalingamia macracantha being dominant (P = 79.5, MI = 10.3, A = 8.2). This was the first report of a mixture of merocercoids and plerocercoids in the same host. Fish size was positively correlated with the major parasite infection levels, but, the prevalence of Contracaecum sp. in H. forskahlii was negatively correlated with size, probably reflecting ontogenetic shifts in habitats and diets with age. Fish sex was not a significant influencing factor, with the exception of Contracaecum sp. in H. forskahlii, where prevalence differed significantly between sexes (p<0.05), with the females having a higher prevalence than the males. We conclude that H. forskahlii had a poor parasitic community but that the infection levels with Contracaecum sp. were high. T. zillii had a rich parasite fauna, although, most parasites occurred at low intensities.

Community structure of digenean parasites of sparid and labrid fishes of the Mediterranean sea: a new approach

Parasitology ◽  
1999 ◽  
Vol 119 (6) ◽  
pp. 635-648 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. SASAL ◽  
N. NIQUIL ◽  
P. BARTOLI
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Distribution ◽  
Mediterranean Sea ◽  
Digestive Tract ◽  
Parasite Species ◽  
Parasite Community ◽  
Community Studies ◽  
Biological Factors ◽  
Parasite Communities ◽  
The Mediterranean ◽  
First Time

The aim of this work was to study the structure of the parasite communities of Digeneans of 2 families of Teleost fishes (Sparidae and Labridae) of the Mediterranean sea. We tried to quantify the importance of both the microhabitat requirements of the parasite species and the effect of host biological factors on the parasite communities. We applied, for the first time in parasite community studies, the Canonical Correspondence Analysis (CCA) to analyse (i) the spatial distribution of parasite species within the digestive tract of the hosts; (ii) the host's biological factors (such as diet, host length, gregariousness and abundance) that may influence this spatial distribution of parasite species. Our results showed that potential microhabitats were vacant in the 2 host families studied revealing a lack of niche saturation because either there was little inter- and/or intraspecific competition or there were enough available space and resources within the host. Our results also indicated that the position of the parasite in the digestive tract is much more important than host biological factors for the structure of parasite community. Finally, we highlight the potential use of the CCA method for controlling for phylogenetic constraints in multi-species analyses.

Best practice guidelines for studies of parasite community ecology

2018 ◽  
Vol 93 (1) ◽  
pp. 8-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Poulin
Keyword(s):  
Community Ecology ◽  
Host Species ◽  
Best Practice ◽  
Parasite Community ◽  
Taxonomic Resolution ◽  
Sampling Effort ◽  
The Public ◽  
Parasite Communities ◽  
Best Practice Guidelines ◽  
Experimental Approaches

AbstractIn recent decades, parasite community ecology has produced hundreds of studies on an ever-growing number of host species, and developed into an active sub-discipline of parasitology. However, this growth has been characterized by a lack of standards in the practices used by researchers, with many common approaches being flawed, unjustified or misleading. Here, in the hope of promoting advances in the study of parasite community ecology, I identify some of the most common errors or weaknesses in past studies, and propose ten simple rules for best practice in the field. They cover issues including, among others, taxonomic resolution, proper and justifiable analytical methods, higher-level replication, controlling for sampling effort or species richness, accounting for spatial distances, using experimental approaches, and placing raw data in the public domain. While knowledge of parasite communities has expanded in breadth, with more and more host species being studied, true progress has been very limited with respect to our understanding of fundamental general processes shaping these communities. It is hoped that the guidelines presented here can direct researchers away from the entrenched use of certain approaches flawed in design, analysis or interpretation, by offering a more rigorous and standardized set of practices, and, hopefully, a way forward.

Parasites communities in the clingfish Gobiesox marmoratus from central Chile

2014 ◽  
Vol 59 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gabriela Muñoz
Keyword(s):  
Body Length ◽  
Parasite Community ◽  
Trematode Species ◽  
Maturity Stage ◽  
Parasite Abundance ◽  
Central Chile ◽  
Parasite Communities ◽  
Parasite Richness ◽  
Four Seasons ◽  
Parasite Populations

AbstractThis study investigated the factors (i.e., season, locality, sampling year, total length and maturity stage of the hosts) that might influence the structure of parasite populations and communities in the clingfish Gobiesox marmoratus. The parasite community was described and analyzed using numerical descriptors, such as prevalence, intensity and species richness, between factors previously mentioned. A total of 260 clingfish were collected from 2 localities of central Chile, four seasons and during 3 year cycles (from July 2006 to July 2009). In the whole clingfish sample, 668 parasites were found, which belonged to 14 parasite taxa; 9 of them were new records in G. marmoratus. Parasite infracommunity richness ranged 0–3 species, although 1 trematode species, Helicometrina nimia, represented 80% of all parasites collected and was the most abundant and prevalent parasite species. The average of parasite abundance and intensity (± SD) was 2.5 ± 8.2 and 7.5 ± 12.7, respectively. Generalized linear model showed that parasite communities were influenced by season, locality, sampling year, and maturity stage when considering the abundance and intensity of parasites. For the parasite richness, only the locality and maturity of fish was determinant for explaining the differences. The populations and communities of the parasite variations were variable due to differences in fish body length because prevalence, abundance and intensity of parasites significantly correlated with the fish body length. Concordantly, maturity fish were longer than immature fish. Thus, clingfish from El Tabo were longest and mature, which harbored higher parasite richness than those fish from Las Cruces.

Parasite communities in two sympatric morphs of Arctic charr, Salvelinus alpinus (L.), in northern Norway

1997 ◽  
Vol 75 (12) ◽  
pp. 2003-2009 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Knudsen ◽  
R. Kristoffersen ◽  
P.-A. Amundsen
Keyword(s):  
Parasite Species ◽  
Salvelinus Alpinus ◽  
Arctic Charr ◽  
Parasite Community ◽  
Abundant Species ◽  
Northern Norway ◽  
Parasite Communities ◽  
Habitat Niche ◽  
Dwarf Morph ◽  
Cystidicola Farionis

In this study from Fjellfrøsvatn, an oligotrophic lake in northern Norway, the parasite communities in two sympatric Arctic charr populations were compared. The dwarf morph, which inhabits the profundal zone, exhibited the lowest parasite diversity, seven species, and 72% of these charr harboured only one or two parasite species. In contrast, 10 parasite species were encountered in the larger normal charr, and between 5 and 8 species were present in 73% of these fish, which also utilised a broader food and habitat niche. Proteocephalus sp. was by far the most abundant species in the dwarf charr, probably because this morph fed intensively upon the benthic copepod Acanthocyclops gigas. On the other hand, parasites that are transmitted with littoral benthic prey (i.e., Phyllodistomum umblae, Cyathocephalus truncatus, Cystidicola farionis, and Crepidostomum spp.) were almost absent in the dwarf charr, though they were common in the normal morph. Also, Diphyllobothrium spp. were more prevalent in the normal charr, and this was attributed to their feeding upon limnetic copepods in the pelagic zone. The only recorded parasite with a direct life cycle, the copepod Salmincola edwardsii, had relatively similar abundances in the two morphs. The considerable differences in parasite community structure and abundance between the two charr populations were closely related to differences in the width and composition of the habitat and food niches between the morphs.

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