Conspicuous behaviour of killifish Nothobranchius furzeri : the effect of natural Apatemon sp. infection
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| Year of publication | 2014 |
| Type | Appeared in Conference without Proceedings |
| Citation | |
| Description | BACKGROUND: Parasites that are transmitted from prey to predator are often associated with altered prey behaviour. Apatemon sp., trematode wit h complex life cycle, requires the ingestion of the second intermediate host (fish) by the definitive host (piscivorous birds) to complete its life cycle. In killifish used in this study, metacercariae are located atypically in cerebral cavity. This site o f infection should allow a parasite to manipulate its host with little effort. METHODS: Two series of experimental observation were performed to compare behaviour of naturally Apatemon - infected and control killifish Nothobranchius furzeri from Mosambique:1 ) location of the fish in the aquarium without interruption and 2) behavioural responses to simulated avian predation. RESULTS: In both series of observation, Apatemon - infected killifish frequently remained in the upper third of the aquarium and were ofte n in contact with the water surface. On the contrary control fish spent most of the time in the lower two - thirds of the aquarium. In the case of simulated attack, Apatemon - infected killifish displayed conspicuous swimming behaviour manifested by multiple j umps above the water surface, uncoordinated movements and rotation in all directions at the time of the attack and shortly after it. In contrast, control fish showed an escape response into the deeper water or to the walls of the aquarium. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that killifish naturally infected by larval trematodes Apatemon sp. show very conspicuous behaviour which in some cases may facilitate their predation by definitive hosts . This study was supported by the Czech Science Found ation P505/12/G112. |
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