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Responses of the fish ectoparasite Salmincola edwardsii (Copepoda) to stimulation, and their implication for host-finding

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 April 2009

R. Poulin ,
M. A. Curtis  and
M. E. Rau
R. Poulin
Affiliation:
Institute of Parasitology, Macdonald College of McGill University, 21 111 Lakeshore Road, Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, Quebec, Canada H9X 1CO
M. A. Curtis
Affiliation:
Institute of Parasitology, Macdonald College of McGill University, 21 111 Lakeshore Road, Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, Quebec, Canada H9X 1CO
M. E. Rau
Affiliation:
Institute of Parasitology, Macdonald College of McGill University, 21 111 Lakeshore Road, Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, Quebec, Canada H9X 1CO
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Summary

The short-lived infective copepodid stages of the copepod Salmincola edwardsii, ectoparasitic on brook trout, Salvelinus fontinalis, are under strong selective pressure to evolve efficient host-finding mechanisms. In laboratory experiments, we quantified the effects of visual and mechanical stimulation on the activity of the copepodids. We found that shadows passing above the copepodids and shock waves passing through the water generated marked increases in the rate and length of upward swimming bursts, which resulted in more time spent suspended in the water column and greater distances travelled. However, we found no strong evidence for a relationship between the magnitude of the copepodids' response and the intensity of stimulation. Although these responses are not host-specific, they allow the parasites to conserve their limited energy stores by increasing their host-finding activity only when potential hosts are nearby.

Keywords

Salmincolaparasitic copepodhost-finding
Type
Research Article
Information
Parasitology , Volume 100 , Issue 3 , June 1990 , pp. 417 - 421
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1990

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