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Shoaling as an anti-ectoparasite mechanism in juvenile sticklebacks (Gasterosteus spp.)

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Summary

In laboratory experiments, we tested the hypothesis that by living in larger shoals, juvenile threespine (Gasterosteus aculeatus) and blackspotted (G. wheatlandi) sticklebacks lower their risk of being parasitized by the crustacean ectoparasite Argulus canadensis. An increase in shoal size resulted in a lower average number of attacks received by individual fish, but had no negative effect on the attack performance (attack rate and attack success) of the parasites. In addition, more fish formed shoals and shoal sizes were larger in the presence of parasites. We conclude that ectoparasitism may have been a strong selective factor in the evolution of social behaviour in juvenile sticklebacks.

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  1. R. Poulin

    Present address: Institute of Parasitology, Macdonald College of McGill University, 21 111 Lakeshore Road, H9X 1C0, Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, Quebec, Canada

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Départment de Biologie, Université Laval, G1K 7P4, Ste-Foy, Québec, Canada

    R. Poulin & G. J. FitzGerald

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  1. R. Poulin
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  2. G. J. FitzGerald
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Poulin, R., FitzGerald, G.J. Shoaling as an anti-ectoparasite mechanism in juvenile sticklebacks (Gasterosteus spp.). Behav Ecol Sociobiol 24, 251–255 (1989). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00295205

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00295205

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