The effect of foraging and ontogeny on the prevalence and intensity of the invasive parasite Anguillicola crassus in the European eel Anguilla anguilla
Date
2017-01-13
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Publisher
Wiley
Abstract
Infection patterns of the invasive Anguillicola crassus
nematode were investigated in a population of
the European eel Anguilla anguilla where parasite
invasion is very recent, Loch Lomond, Scotland.
Intensity levels of the parasite were associated with
differences in fish ontogeny and trophic ecology.
Although eels foraged on both fish and invertebrates,
individuals which were smaller and fed on
invertebrates (>70% contribution to diet) were
found to contain a greater number of swim bladder
parasites compared to larger eel with a predominance
of fish (>60% contribution) in their
diet. Within affected fish, a significant negative
relationship was found between fish length and
parasite intensity, with smaller individuals having
higher parasite intensity than larger individuals.
This study indicates that food intake and infection
risk are linked in this recently infected host–parasite
system. From a management perspective
increasing our understanding of how infection
intensity and repeated exposure is linked to
resource use in an ecosystem is important for the
future management of this endangered species in
Europe.
Description
Publication history: Accepted - 10 November 2016; Published online - 13 January 2017.
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Article
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Keywords
Anguillicola crassus, eel, foraging, ontogeny, parasite prevalence
Citation
Barry, J., Newton, M., Dodd, J. A., Evans, D., Newton, J. and Adams, C. E. (2017) ‘The effect of foraging and ontogeny on the prevalence and intensity of the invasive parasite Anguillicola crassus in the European eel Anguilla anguilla’, Journal of Fish Diseases, 40(9), pp. 1213–1222. doi: 10.1111/jfd.12596.