Date of Award
11-23-2015
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Environmental Sciences, Ph.D.
First Advisor
Paul Sikkel
Committee Members
Amanda Demopoulos; Richard Grippo; Travis Marsico
Call Number
LD 251 .A566d 2015 W33
Abstract
The majority of coral reef research focuses on organisms that are familiar to humans, yet 80% of coral reef animals are parasites. Research on the direct effects of parasitism has suggested that hosts may undergo both behavioral and physiological changes. These changes may manifest at the ecosystem level, yet evidence of such changes are scarce. The objectives of this study were to investigate the direct and indirect effects of the Caribbean cymothoid parasite Anilocra haemuli on Haemulon flavolineatum (French grunt) energetics, behavior and trophic interactions. I conducted field surveys to measure A. haemuli prevalence of infection and determine its association with French grunt host affiliation. To determine if and how infection alters host movement patterns. I quantified the effects of Anilocra spp. on host energetics by measuring different forms of energy acquisition and expenditure, and conducted similar analyses on Chromis multilineata (brown chromis) infected by Anilocra multilineata. Additionally, I tested the effects of A. haemuli infection on host respiration. Lastly, I conducted Carbon and Nitrogen stable isotope analyses on uninfected and Anilocra spp. -infected fish tissues to determine how parasitism influences host trophic interactions. My research suggests that the prevalence of A. haemuli infection is highly variable and correlated with host social affiliation. Moreover, A. haemuli infection is associated with reduced host movement and activity patterns. Although A. haemuli infection was associated with reduced host muscle tissue condition, other measures of energy acquisition and expenditure were similar between infected and uninfected fish. Interestingly, A. multilineata infection on brown chromis did not influence any measure of energy acquisition or expenditure. My respirometry experiment determined that A. haemuli infection increases respiratory demands of French grunt even after parasite removal. The stable isotope analyses I conducted determined that Anilocra spp.-infected fish forage similarly to uninfected fish, A. haemuli infected French grunt are starving, and Anilocra spp. parasites are approximately 1 trophic level higher than their hosts. This research is the first to determine the role of Caribbean cymothoids in coral reef trophic interactions using both field and laboratory analyses, and provides baseline data for future global comparisons of Anilocra spp.-host trophic dynamics.
Rights Management
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
Welicky, Rachel Lynn, "Direct And Indirect Effects of the Caribbean Cymothoid Parasite Anilocra Haemuli on Host Energetics, Behavior, And Trophic Interactions" (2015). Student Theses and Dissertations. 692.
https://arch.astate.edu/all-etd/692
