Potential parasite-induced mortality in age-0 bluegills in a floodplain pond of the lower mississippi river

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

1-1-1988

Abstract

We assessed seasonal variations in endoparasite intensity (number per host) for six 1986 cohorts of age-0 bluegill Lepomis macrochirus collected from an overflow pond of the lower Mississippi River during March-December 1986. Allacanthochasmus sp. (Trematoda) was the predominate cndoparasitic taxon infecting bluegills. We noted peaked intensity curves and declines in variance-to-mean ratios for total endoparasites and Allacanthochasmus sp. for three cohorts during pond flooding in October. Although changes in the distribution of parasite intensities during this period may have reflected bluegill mortality, declines in variance-to-mean ratios of parasite intensities were smaller than those predicted by theories of parasite-induced host mortality. We also examined bluegills of the previous (1985) year class in spring 1986; their endoparasite intensities and variance-to-mean ratios were substantially lower than those of 1986 cohorts in fall 1986. Because these data are from two year classes, they may not accurately reflect changes in the frequency distribution of endoparasites in age-0 bluegills during winter. However, there is little evidence of parasite mortality at low temperatures; if the pre- and postwinter intensity data arc representative, overwintering mortality of parasitized bluegill may be substantial. © By the American Fisheries Society 1988.

Publication Source (Journal or Book title)

Transactions of the American Fisheries Society

First Page

565

Last Page

573

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