Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

External parasite infestation depends on moult-frequency and age in Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba)

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Polar Biology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Levels of infestation by the suctorian Ephelota sp. were determined in Antarctic krill taken in the north-eastern region of the Scotia sea, close to the island of South Georgia. Individuals caught in summer between 2002 and 2004 were measured for body length, eye diameter, moult stage, sex, sexual maturity and number of suctorian parasites. All krill samples were found to contain at least two modal size-classes and the complete range of maturity- and moult stages. Sample analysis for the different characters identified moult stage as an important determinant of infestation by Ephelota sp., with 66% of those about to moult (pre-moult individuals) being infested compared with 0% of post-moult individuals. Multiple Correspondence Analysis also identified a strong link between age and degree of suctorian infestation with large-eyed (and hence old) males having very high numbers of suctorian bodies. Moulting is costly in terms of energy and vulnerability, but it is believed that krill moult at relatively high rates throughout their life to facilitate growth and “shrinkage”. Here, we demonstrate that the control of external parasitism is also a major advantage of moulting at high frequency. The capacity of krill to maintain a high moult rate decreases with age, leading to older krill enduring higher parasitic loads.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8
Fig. 9
Fig. 10

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Alonzo SH, Mangel M (2001) Survival strategies and growth of krill: avoiding predators in space and time. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 209:203–217

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Atkinson A, Shreeve RS, Hirst AG, Rothery P, Tarling GA, Pond DW, Korb R, Murphy EJ, Watkins JL (2006) Natural growth rates in Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba): II. Predictive models based on food, temperature, body length, sex, and maturity stage. Limnol Oceanogr 51:973–987

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bargmann HE (1945) The development and life history of adolescent and adult krill, Euphausia superba. Discovery Rep 23:103–176

    Google Scholar 

  • Buchholz F (1982) Drach’s moult staging system adapted for euphausiids. Mar Biol 66:301–205

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Buchholz F (1985) Moult and growth in Antarctic euphausiids. In: Siegfried WR, Condy PR, Laws RM (eds) Antarctic nutrient cycles and food webs. Springer-Verlag, Berlin, pp 339–345

    Google Scholar 

  • Buchholz C, Buchholz F (1989) Ultrastructure of the integument of a pelagic Crustacean: moult cycle related studies on the Antarctic krill, Euphausia superba. Mar Biol 101:355–365

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chatton E, Lwoff A (1935) Les cilates Apostomes. Arch Zool Exp Gen 77:1–453

    Google Scholar 

  • Cuzin-Roudy J (1987) Gonad history of Antarctic krill Euphausia superba Dana during its breeding season. Polar Biol 7:237–244

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cuzin-Roudy J, Amsler MO (1991) Ovarian development and sexual maturity staging in Antarctic Krill, Euphausia superba Dana (Euphausiacea). J Crust Biol 11:236–249

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cuzin-Roudy J, Buchholz F (1999) Ovarian development and spawning in relation to the moult cycle in Northern krill Meganyctiphanes norvegica (Crustacea: Euphausiacea), along a climatic gradient. Mar Biol 133:267–281

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cuzin-Roudy J, Tarling G A, Strömberg J-Ö (2004) Life cycle strategies of Northern krill (Meganyctiphanes norvegica) for regulating growth, moult, and reproductive activity in various environments: the case of fjordic populations. ICES J Mar Sci 61:721–737

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gomez-Gutierrez J, Peterson WT, De Robertis A, Brodeur RD (2003) Mass mortality of krill caused by parasitoid ciliates. Science 301:339

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Greenacre MJ (1984) Theory and applications of correspondence analysis. Academic, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Gower (1987) Introduction to ordination techniques. In: Legendre P, Legendre L (eds) Developments in numerical ecology. Nato ASI Series, Ser G: Ecological Sciences, vol 14. Springer, Berlin, pp 3–64

    Google Scholar 

  • Ikeda T, Dixon P (1982) Body shrinkage as a possible over-wintering mechanism of the Antarctic krill, Euphausia superba Dana. J Exp Mar Biol Ecol 62:143–151

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kils U (1981) Swimming behaviour, swimming performance and energy balance of Antarctic krill Euphausia superba. BIOMASS Scientific Series 3, pp 1–121

  • Lasker R (1966) Feeding, growth, respiration and carbon utilization of a euphausiid crustacean. J Fish Res Bd Can 23:1291–1317

    Google Scholar 

  • MacDonald PDM, Green PEJ (1988) User’s guide to program MIX: an interactive program for fitting mixtures of distributions, Vol. Icthus Data Systems, 59 Arkell St., Hamilton, ON, Canada L8S 1N6

  • Makarov RR, Denys CJ (1980) Stages of sexual maturity of Euphausia superba. BIOMASS Handbook 11. SCAR, Cambridge, UK, pp 1–11

    Google Scholar 

  • Marr JWS (1962) The natural history and geography of the Antarctic krill. Discovery Rep 32:33–464

    Google Scholar 

  • Mauchline J, Fisher LR (1969) The biology of euphausiids. Adv Mar Biol 7:1–454

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Meredith MP, Brandon MA, Murphy EJ, Trathan PN, Thorpe SE, Bone DG, Chernyshkov PP, Sushin VA (2005) Variability in hydrographic conditions to the east and northwest of South Georgia, 1996–2001. J Mar Sys 53:143–167

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nicol S (1983) Ephelota sp. a suctorian found on the euphausiid Meganyctiphanes norvegica. Can J Zool 62:744–746

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nicol S (1984) Population structure of daytime surface swarms of the euphausiid Meganyctiphanes norvegica in the Bay of Fundy. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 18:241–251

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nicol S (2000) Understanding krill growth and aging: the contribution of experimental studies. Can J Fish Aquat Sci 57:168–177

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rakusa-Suszczewski S, Filcek K (1988) Protozoa on the body of Euphausia superba Dana from Admiralty Bay (the South Shetland Island). Acta Protozool 27:21–30

    Google Scholar 

  • Schmidt K, Tarling GA, Plathner N, Atkinson A (2004) Moult cycle related changes in feeding rates of larval krill Meganyctiphanes norvegica and Thysanoessa spp. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 281:131–143

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shin HC, Nicol S (2002) Using the relationship between eye diameter and body length to detect the effects of long-term starvation on Antarctic krill Euphausia superba. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 239:157–167

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stankovic A, Borsuk P, Koper M, Weglenski P (2002) Studies on Ephelota sp., an epizoic suctorian found on Antarctic krill. Polar Biol 25:827–832

    Google Scholar 

  • Stearns SC (1992) The evolution of life histories. Oxford University Press, Oxford

    Google Scholar 

  • Sun S, Delamare W, Nicol S (1995) The compound eye as an indicator of age and shrinkage in Antarctic Krill. Antarct Sci 7:387–392

    Google Scholar 

  • Sun S (1997) Using Antarctic krill as an indicator of environmental interannual change. Korean J Polar Res 8:97–103

    Google Scholar 

  • Tarling GA, Cuzin-Roudy J, Buchholz F (1999) Vertical migration behaviour in the northern krill Meganyctiphanes norvegica is influenced by moult and reproductive processes. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 190:253–262

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tarling GA, Cuzin-Roudy J (2003) Synchronization in the molting and spawning activity of northern krill (Meganyctiphanes norvegica) and its effect on recruitment . Limnol Oceanogr 48(5):2020–2033

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tarling GA, Shreeve RS, Hirst AG, Atkinson A, Pond DW, Murphy EJ, Watkins JL (2006) Natural growth rates in Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba): I. Improving methodology and predicting intermolt period. Limnol Oceanogr 51(2):959–972

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Thomasson MA, Johnson ML, Stromberg JO, Gaten E (2003) Swimming capacity and pleopod beat rate as a function of sex, size and moult stage in Northern krill Meganyctiphanes norvegica. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 250:205–213

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Virtue P, Nichols PD, Nicol S, Hosie G (1996) Reproductive trade-off in male Antarctic krill. Mar Biol 126:521–527

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

We are grateful to the captain and crew of the RRS James Clark Ross and the scientific parties that collected the krill net samples. This manuscript benefited from the comments of Fred Buchholz and two anonymous referees. The work was carried out as part of the FLEXICON project of the DISCOVERY 2010 programme at BAS.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. British Antarctic Survey, Natural Environment Research Council, High Cross, Madingly Rd, Cambridge, CB3 0ET, UK

    G. A. Tarling

  2. Observatoire Océanologique, Université Pierre et Marie Curie-CNRS (UMR 7093), 06230, Villefranche-sur-mer, France

    J. Cuzin-Roudy

Authors
  1. G. A. Tarling
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. J. Cuzin-Roudy
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to G. A. Tarling.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Tarling, G.A., Cuzin-Roudy, J. External parasite infestation depends on moult-frequency and age in Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba). Polar Biol 31, 121–130 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-007-0339-2

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-007-0339-2

Keywords

Search

Navigation