Hostname: page-component-848d4c4894-m9kch Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-06-02T14:01:18.127Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Long-term stability in the richness and structure of helminth communities in eels, Anguilla anguilla, in Lough Derg, River Shannon, Ireland

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 April 2024

C.R. Kennedy  and
C. Moriarty
C.R. Kennedy*
Affiliation:
Department of Biological Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, EX4 4PS, UK
C. Moriarty
Affiliation:
Zoology Department, University of Dublin, Trinity College, Dublin 2, Ireland
*
*Fax: +44 1392 263700 E-mail: C.R.Kennedy@exeter.ac.uk
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

A data set on intestinal helminth parasites was collected in the course of an 18 year investigation into the biology of eels in Meelick Bay, Lough Derg, River Shannon. This was used to test two hypotheses relating to the composition and structure of intestinal helminth communities, namely that eels in large rivers do not harbour richer and more diverse communities than those in small rivers but that community composition and structure are more stable over time than in small rivers. The helminth community was species poor, with only six species comprising the component community and a maximum infracommunity richness of three species. The community was overwhelmingly dominated by the acanthocephalan Acanthocephalus lucii, reflecting the importance of its intermediate host Asellus aquaticus in the eels' diet. The remaining helminth species contributed to species richness but made very little contribution to community diversity. Population levels of Acanthocephalus lucii fell and remained low between 1992 and 2000, probably reflecting increased movement of eels from other parts of the lough into Meelick Bay. Diversity values were low, but similar to those reported from other rivers in Britain and Europe. The results provided support for both hypotheses and indicated that in respect of richness, diversity and dominance, the helminth communities of eels in the River Shannon were typical of, and comparable to, those of other large rivers throughout Europe.

Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Helminthology , Volume 76 , Issue 4 , December 2002 , pp. 315 - 322
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2002

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Bowman, J.J. (2000) River Shannon lake water quality monitoring 1998 and 1999. 78 pp. Wexford, Environmental Protection Agency.Google Scholar
Bush, A.O., Lafferty, K.D., Lotz, J.M. & Shostak, A.W. (1997) Parasitology meets ecology on its own terms: Margolis et al. revisited. Journal of Parasitology 83, 575–583.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Callaghan, R.& McCarthy, T.K. (1993) Metazoan parasite assemblages of eels in the Dunkellin River, western Ireland. EIFAC Working Party on Eels 8, Olsztyn Poland 13.Google Scholar
Conneely, J.J. & McCarthy, T.K. (1986) Ecological factors influencing the composition of the parasite fauna of the European eel, Anguilla anguilla (L.), in Ireland. Journal of Fish Biology 28, 207–219.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Evans, D.W. & Mathews, M.A. (1999) Anguillicola crassus (Nematoda: Dracunculoidea): first documented record of this swimbladder parasite of eels in Ireland. Journal of Fish Biology 55, 665–668.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Flanagan, P.J. & Toner, P.F. (1975) A preliminary survey of Irish Lakes. Dublin, An Foras Forbartha.Google Scholar
Kennedy, C.R. (1990) Helminth communities in fresh water fish: structured communities or stochastic assemblages? pp. 131–156 in Esch, G.W., Bush, A.O. & Aho, J.M. (Eds) Parasite communities: patterns and processes. London, Chapman & Hall.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kennedy, C.R. (1992) Field evidence for interactions between the acanthocephalans Acanthocephalus anguillae and A. lucii in eels, Anguilla anguilla. Ecological Parasitology 1, 122–134.Google Scholar
Kennedy, C.R. (1993) The dynamics of intestinal helminth communities in eels Anguilla anguilla in a small stream: long term changes in richness and structure. Parasitology 107, 71–78.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kennedy, C.R. (1997) Long-term and seasonal changes in composition and richness of intestinal helminth communities in eels Anguilla anguilla of an isolated English river. Folia Parasitologica 44, 267–273.Google ScholarPubMed
Kennedy, C.R. (2001) Metapopulation and community dyanamics of helminth parasites of eels Anguilla anguilla in the River Exe system. Parasitology 122, 689–698.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kennedy, C.R. & Guegan, J.F. (1994) Regional versus local helminth parasite richness in British freshwater fish: saturated or unsaturated communities? Parasitology 109, 175–185.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kennedy, C.R. & Guegan, J.F. (1996) The number of niches in intestinal communities of Anguilla anguilla: are there enough spaces for parasites? Parasitology 113, 293–302.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kennedy, C.R. & Hartvigsen, R.A. (2000) Richness and diversity of intestinal metazoan communities in brown trout Salmo trutta compared to those of eels Anguilla anguilla in their European heartlands. Parasitology 121, 55–64.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kennedy, C.R. & Moriarty, C. (1987) Co-existence of congeneric species of Acanthocephala: Acanthocephalus lucii and A. anguillae in eels Anguilla anguilla in Ireland. Parasitology 95, 301–310.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kennedy, C.R., Berrilli, F., Di Cave, D., De Liberato, C. & Orecchia, P. (1998) Composition and diversity of helminth communities in eels Anguilla anguilla in the River Tiber: long-term changes and comparison with insular Europe. Journal of Helminthology 72, 301–306.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lyndon, A.R. & Kennedy, C.R. (2001) Colonisation and extinction in relation to competition and resource partitioning in acanthocephalans of freshwater fishes of the British Isles. Folia Parasitologica 48, 37–46.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Magurran, A.E. (1988) Ecological diversity and its measurement. London, Croom-Helm.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McCarthy, T.K., Cullen, P. & O'Connor, W. (1999) The biology and management of River Shannon eel populations. Fisheries Bulletin (Dublin) 17, 9–20.Google Scholar
Minchin, D. & Moriarty, C. (1997) Distribution of the zebra mussel Dreissena polymorpha (Pallas) in Ireland, 1997. Irish Naturalists' Journal 26, 38–42.Google Scholar
Moriarty, C. (1983) A population study of the eel Anguilla anguilla in Meelick Bay, Lough Derg. Fisheries Bulletin (Dublin) 7, 2–8.Google Scholar
Moriarty, C. (1986) Observations on the eels of Meelick Bay, Lough Derg, 1981–1984. Vie et Milieu 36, 279–283.Google Scholar
Moriarty, C. (1992) Catches of Anguilla anguilla (L.) elvers on the Atlantic coast of Europe 1989–1990. Irish Fisheries Investigations A (Freshwater) 36, 33–34.Google Scholar
Moriarty, C. & Dekker, W. (1997) (Eds) Management of the European eel. Fisheries Bulletin (Dublin) 15, pp. 110..Google Scholar
Saraiva, A. & Eiras, J.C. (1996) Parasite community of European eel, Anguilla anguilla (L.), in the River Este, northern Portugal. Research and Reviews in Parasitology 56, 179–183.Google Scholar
Schabuss, M., Konecny, R., Belpaire, C. & Schiemer, F. (1997) Endoparasitic helminths of the European eel, Anguilla anguilla, from four disconnected meanders from the rivers Leie and Scheldt in western Flanders, Belgium. Folia Parasitologia 44, 12–18.Google ScholarPubMed
Sures, B. & Streit, B. (2001) Eel parasite diversity and intermediate host abundance in the River Rhine, Germany. Parasitology 123, 185–191.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Sures, B., Knopf, K., Wurtz, J. & Hirt, J. (1999) Richness and diversity of parasite communities in European eels Anguilla anguilla of the River Rhine, Germany, with special reference to helminth parasites. Parasitology 119, 323–330.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed