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Temporal changes and between-host variation in the intestinal parasite community of Arctic charr in a subarctic lake

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Abstract

The occurrence of trophically transmitted intestinal parasites in Arctic charr was analyzed from data material collected over two decades from Lake Takvatn, northern Norway. The main objectives were to investigate (i) between-year variation in parasite infracommunity composition, (ii) between-host variation in infracommunity composition, and (iii) possible interspecific interaction between parasites. The trematode Crepidostomum spp. and the cestode Eubothrium salvelini were most prevalent and had the highest mean intensities whereas the cestodes Proteocephalus sp. and Cyathocephalus truncatus were uncommon taxa. No clear indication of interspecific parasite interactions was evident. By far the most frequent infracommunity composition was E. salvelini co-existing with only Crepidostomum spp. Despite some indications of individual dietary specialization in Arctic charr, this strong species co-occurrence suggests that the majority of fish had been preying on the very different intermediate hosts of both parasites. Overall, even though some sporadic between-year variation was present, no long-term or cyclical variation in infracommunity composition and mean intensity was revealed, suggesting that the host–parasite system is in a steady state. Minor between-year variation was likely the result of changes in habitat and dietary utilization by Arctic charr, possibly linked to documented changes in the fish community structure of the lake.

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Acknowledgments

We are grateful for students and technicians from the Freshwater Ecology group, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, for sampling fish from Takvatn over the past two decades, making this study possible. Thanks to Rune Johansen and Eirik H. Henriksen for assisting with the processing of samples. We also thank Malcolm Jobling for proof reading the manuscript, and the guest editor C. Adams as well as two anonymous referees for helpful comments. This study was funded by UiT The Arctic University of Norway and the Norwegian Research Council (NFR 213610/F20).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Arctic and Marine Biology, Faculty of Biosciences, Fisheries and Economics, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway

    Jesper A. Kuhn, Rune Knudsen, Roar Kristoffersen, Raul Primicerio & Per-Arne Amundsen

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  1. Jesper A. Kuhn
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  2. Rune Knudsen
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  3. Roar Kristoffersen
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  4. Raul Primicerio
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Correspondence to Jesper A. Kuhn.

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Guest editors: M. Power, R. Knudsen, C. Adams, M. J. Hansen, J. B. Dempson, M. Jobling, & M. Ferguson / Advances in Charr Ecology and Evolution

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Kuhn, J.A., Knudsen, R., Kristoffersen, R. et al. Temporal changes and between-host variation in the intestinal parasite community of Arctic charr in a subarctic lake. Hydrobiologia 783, 79–91 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-016-2731-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-016-2731-9

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