Antiparasite defenses of fathead minnows exposed to trematode cercariae

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dc.contributor.authorJames, Clayton
dc.contributor.authorUniversity of Lethbridge. Faculty of Arts and Science
dc.contributor.supervisorGoater, Cameron P.
dc.date.accessioned2008-09-25T20:07:51Z
dc.date.available2008-09-25T20:07:51Z
dc.date.issued2008
dc.degree.levelMasters
dc.description105 leaves : ill. ; 29 cm.en
dc.description.abstractParasites exert substantial costs on their hosts. Thus, natural selection should favour behavioural defenses that reduce hosts’ exposure to parasites. This prediction has rarely been tested for aquatic hosts exposed to parasites. I designed experiments to test if fathead minnows could detect cercariae of the trematode, Ornithodiplostomum sp. and engage in antiparasite behaviours to avoid them. Minnows exposed to cercariae formed 20.1% tighter shoals compared to water controls. Further, minnows greatly reduced their overall activity, but only when they were exposed for a second time. The latter result is important because it provides the first indication that hosts can learn to avoid parasites. Lastly, I tested if epidermal club cells play a defensive role against cercariae. Club cells did not, but other components of the epidermis, probably mucus cells, decreased cercarial infectivity by 61-68%. My results show that fish can detect, learn, and ultimately avoid aquatic larval stages of parasites.en
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10133/663
dc.language.isoen_USen
dc.publisherLethbridge, Alta. : University of Lethbridge, Faculty of Arts and Science, 2008en
dc.publisher.departmentDepartment of Biological Sciencesen
dc.publisher.facultyArts and Scienceen
dc.relation.ispartofseriesThesis (University of Lethbridge. Faculty of Arts and Science)en
dc.subjectDissertations, Academicen
dc.subjectFathead minnows -- Parasitesen
dc.subjectCercariaeen
dc.titleAntiparasite defenses of fathead minnows exposed to trematode cercariaeen
dc.typeThesisen
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