2023 Early Hearing Detection & Intervention Conference
March 5-7, 2023 • Cincinnati, OH
5/20/2019 | 11:30 AM - 11:45 AM | ARE FISH EXPOSED TO PARASITE INFECTION GRADIENTS ALONG THE RIVER CONTINUUM? | 151 G
ARE FISH EXPOSED TO PARASITE INFECTION GRADIENTS ALONG THE RIVER CONTINUUM?
The river continuum concept (RCC) hypothesizes that longitudinal gradients in physical conditions from headwaters to rivers cause predictable changes in species richness and composition of stream communities. Fish and macroinvertebrate assemblages have been well studied along the continuum, whereas fish parasites have not. We collected and necropsied 421 Redspot Darters (Etheostoma artesiae) from 15 streams ranging from 2rd to 7th order in the Bankhead National Forest of Alabama, and quantified presence-absence of microparasites and abundance of macroparasites. Total parasite richness, richness of parasites with totally aquatic life cycles, those with 2-host life cycles, and microparasite richness increased with stream size (as drainage area, DA), as did mean richness among hosts. Prevalence of parasites (% hosts infected) with 3-host life-cycles, those using darters as their final host, and helminths increased with DA. The mean abundance of parasites with 3-host life cycles also increased with DA. Our results support the predictions of the RCC because E. artesiae populations experienced parasite infection gradients in richness, prevalence, and mean abundance of species and trait (life cycle) groups along the river continuum. Furthermore, these infection gradients appear to have predictable relationships with stream size.
- Invertebrate
- Fish
- Distribution
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Presenters/Authors
Eric Bauer
(), Auburn University, efb0005@tigermail.auburn.edu;
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Brian Helms
(), Troy University, helmsb@troy.edu;
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Jack Feminella
(), Auburn University, feminjw@auburn.edu;
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