Parasite community similarity in Athabasca River trout-perch (Percopsis omiscomaycus) varies with local-scale land use and sediment hydrocarbons, but not distance or linear gradients.
Parasite communities have been shown to be structured by processes at scales ranging from continental to microhabitat, but few studies have simultaneously considered spatial and environmental variables, measured at different scales, to assess their relative influences on parasite abundance, species richness, and community similarity. Parasite abundance, diversity, and community similarity in Athabasca River trout-perch (Percopsis omiscomaycus) were examined in relation to water quality, substrate profile, metal and organic compound levels in water and sediment, and landscape use patterns at different scales, as well as distance among sites and upstream-downstream position along the river. Although species richness did not differ among sites, there were significant differences in abundance of individual taxa and community structure. We observed a shift from communities dominated by larval trematodes Diplostomum spp. to domination by gill monogeneans Urocleidus baldwini, followed by a reversion further downstream. Variations in the abundance of these taxa and of overall community similarity were strongly correlated with sediment hydrocarbons (alkanes and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs)) as well as landscape use within 5 km of study sites. No correlations were noted with any other predictors, indicating that parasite populations and communities in this system were likely primarily influenced by habitat level and landscape-scale filters, rather than larger-scale processes such as distance decay or river continuum effects.
Department of Biology, Halmos College of Natural Sciences and Oceanography, Nova Southeastern University, Davie, FL, 33314, USA. cblanar@nova.edu.
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Blanar
Aquatic Contaminants Research Division, Water Science and Technology Directorate, Science and Technology Branch, National Water Research Institute, Environment Canada, 867 Lakeshore Road, Burlington, ON, L7S 1A1, Canada.
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Hewitt
Aquatic Contaminants Research Division, Water Science and Technology Directorate, Science and Technology Branch, National Water Research Institute, Environment Canada, 867 Lakeshore Road, Burlington, ON, L7S 1A1, Canada.
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McMaster
Aquatic Contaminants Research Division, Water Science and Technology Directorate, Science and Technology Branch, National Water Research Institute, Environment Canada, 867 Lakeshore Road, Burlington, ON, L7S 1A1, Canada.
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Kirk
Emergencies Operational Analytical Laboratories and Research Support Division, Water Science and Technology Directorate, Science and Technology Branch, Environment Canada Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, K1A 0H3, Canada.
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Wang
Aquatic Contaminants Research Division, Water Science and Technology Directorate, Science and Technology Branch, National Water Research Institute, Environment Canada, 867 Lakeshore Road, Burlington, ON, L7S 1A1, Canada.
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Norwood
Aquatic Contaminants Research Division, Water Science and Technology Directorate, Science and Technology Branch, Saint Lawrence Centre, Environment Canada, 105 McGill, 7th floor, Montréal, Québec, H2Y 2E7, Canada.
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Marcogliese
D000416:Alberta / Q000453:epidemiology; D000818:Animals; D017753:Ecosystem; D004777:Environment; D005393:Fish Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000469:parasitology*; D005843:Geography; D019015:Geologic Sediments / Q000737:chemistry*; D006838:Hydrocarbons / Q000032:analysis*; D010471:Perches / Q000469:parasitology*; D011156:Population Density; D045483:Rivers; D014200:Trematoda / Q000145:classification* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D014201:Trematode Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000469:parasitology / Q000662:veterinary*
D006838:Hydrocarbons
Component population; Environmental variables; Fish; Infracommunity; Landscape use; Parasite