Abstract
Parasite infracommunities tend to be stochastic in nature, although environmental characteristics such as the type of water source in streams and host traits can have an effect on the biotic assemblages and by extension the parasite fauna. We examined the effect of water source and the rate of adult fish migration on the metazoan parasite infracommunities of conspecific juvenile brown trout, Salmo trutta L. among streams flowing into Lake Lucerne (Switzerland). Juvenile (1 to 2-year old) fish harboured higher parasite species richness in groundwater-fed than in surface water-fed streams, whereas the rate of fish migration did not affect infracommunity richness. Heteroxenous species were more common in groundwater-fed streams with high and medium rates of trout migration, whereas infracommunities in surface water-fed streams and streams with low rates of fish migration were dominated by one monoxenous parasite or lacked infections. Similarity in the parasite infracommunity composition of juvenile trout across streams was explained by the interaction between type of water source and adult migration rates. Our conclusions support that similarity in the parasite composition of resident freshwater conspecifics can be predicted by the local environmental settings and host migratory behaviour, whereas parasite richness is mainly influenced by the environmental characteristics.
Highlights
Parasite communities and species distributions are influenced by multiple abiotic and biotic variables that lead to their non-random distribution in space (Crofton, 1971; Ostfeld et al, 2005)
Whereas previous work has focussed on how migratory individuals within migratory populations are affected by parasitism, we know much less about how the migratory life style of some individuals may influence parasite infections of non-migratory individuals of the same populations
Molecular data and phylogenetic analyses corroborate the morphological identification of the trematodes, cestodes, E. truttae and C. farionis, and highlighted the presence of three additional taxa: an unidentified metacercaria of the Gorgodeoidea (Trematoda); Neoechinorhynchus sp. and Echinorhynchus sp. (Acanthocephala; see Fig. 2)
Summary
Parasite communities and species distributions are influenced by multiple abiotic and biotic variables that lead to their non-random distribution in space (Crofton, 1971; Ostfeld et al, 2005). Host vagility and behaviour can influence the dispersal of parasites and their distribution. A migratory host may facilitate the spread of a parasite into new environments where the parasite might encounter and infect a novel host population Migration may allow the host to escape parasitism by moving away from infection hotspots Whereas previous work has focussed on how migratory individuals within migratory populations are affected by parasitism, we know much less about how the migratory life style of some individuals may influence parasite infections of non-migratory individuals of the same populations
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