Premium
Parasite fecundity decreases with increasing parasite load in the salmon louse Lepeophtheirus salmonis infecting Atlantic salmon Salmo salar
Author(s) -
Ugelvik M S,
Skorping A,
Mennerat A
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
journal of fish diseases
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.819
H-Index - 85
eISSN - 1365-2761
pISSN - 0140-7775
DOI - 10.1111/jfd.12547
Subject(s) - lepeophtheirus , salmo , biology , parasite hosting , fecundity , zoology , parasite load , competition (biology) , ecology , fishery , immune system , fish <actinopterygii> , population , immunology , demography , sociology , world wide web , computer science
Aggregation is common amongst parasites, where a small number of hosts carry a large proportion of parasites. This could result in density‐dependent effects on parasite fitness. In a laboratory study, we explored whether parasite load affected parasite fecundity and survival, using ectoparasitic salmon lice ( Lepeophtheirus salmonis Krøyer, 1837) infecting Atlantic salmon ( Salmo salar ) hosts. We found a significant reduction in fecundity with higher parasite load, but no significant effect on survival. Together with previous findings, this suggests that stronger competition amongst female lice under high parasite load is a more likely explanation than increased host immune response.