Marked variation in parasite resistance between two wild populations of the Trinidadian guppy, Poecilia reticulata (Pisces: Poeciliidae)

van Oosterhout, C. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5653-738X, Harris, P. D. and Cable, J. (2003) Marked variation in parasite resistance between two wild populations of the Trinidadian guppy, Poecilia reticulata (Pisces: Poeciliidae). Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 79 (4). pp. 645-651. ISSN 1095-8312

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Abstract

This is the first study to demonstrate significant differences between two natural Trinidadian guppy populations in susceptibility to a pathogenic monogenean parasite, Gyrodactylus turnbulli. Following experimental infection with an isogenic laboratory culture of G. turnbulli, fish from the Upper Aripo (UA) lost parasites more slowly and carried up to three times as many parasites at peak infection than did those from the Lower Aripo (LA). The UA population appeared to be more susceptible than the LA fish, even though fish of both populations were naïve to this particular laboratory strain of G. turnbulli and had not encountered any gyrodactylid infection for at least 65 days. The parasite infection reduced the feeding response and feeding activity of UA and LA fish to a similar extent. Our findings suggest that this ectoparasite may have an important impact on the evolutionary biology of guppies (and possibly of other teleosts), particularly as the prevalence of Gyrodactylus infection in natural populations may be as high as 50%. We discuss the role of parasite infections on natural and sexual selection, the good genes model and the implications for immunogenetics in small genetically isolated host populations.

Item Type:	Article
Additional Information:	Funding information: This study was supported by the Natural Environment Research Council, UK (NERC Fellowship to C.V.O.) and the Leverhulme Trust (Special Research Fellowship to J.C. and Research Grant for Pilot Project F/00 181/F to C.V.O., D.H. Lunt and J.C.).
Faculty \ School:	Faculty of Science > School of Environmental Sciences
UEA Research Groups:	Faculty of Science > Research Centres > Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Conservation
Depositing User:	Rachel Snow
Date Deposited:	25 Feb 2011 10:50
Last Modified:	23 Jul 2024 09:30
URI:	https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/24921
DOI:	10.1046/j.1095-8312.2003.00203.x

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