Search results for "Rutilus"
showing 10 items of 63 documents
Measured immunocompetence relates to the proportion of dead parasites in a wild roach population
2009
Summary 1. Although various methods are used to measure immunocompetence, their relationship with the actual parasite clearance or parasite load is seldom demonstrated in natural systems. 2. We combined nine measures of immune function using principal component analysis (PCA), and examined the relationship of the collective measures with (i) the proportion of parasites killed by the host, (ii) the burden of several parasite species and (iii) a viral disease in a wild population of the roach, Rutilus rutilus. We also studied if these variables were associated with the concentration of steroids (testosterone and oestradiol). 3. Most significant correlations between the loads of ecto- and gill…
Effects of predation pressure and resource use on morphological divergence in omnivorous prey fish
2013
Background. Body shape is one of the most variable traits of organisms and responds to a broad array of local selective forces. In freshwater fish, divergent body shapes within single species have been repeatedly observed along the littoral-pelagic axes of lakes, where the structural complexity of near shore habitats provides a more diverse set of resources compared to the open-water zones. It remains poorly understood whether similar resource-driven polymorphism occurs among lakes that vary in structural complexity and predation pressure, and whether this variation is heritable. Here, we analyzed body shape in four populations of omnivorous roach (Rutilus rutilus) inhabiting shallow lakes.…
Eye fluke-induced cataracts in natural fish populations: is there potential for host manipulation?
2010
SUMMARYManipulation of host phenotype (e.g. behaviour, appearance) is suggested to be a common strategy to enhance transmission in trophically transmitted parasites. However, in many systems, evidence of manipulation comes exclusively from laboratory studies and its occurrence in natural host populations is poorly understood. Here, we examined the potential for host manipulation by Diplostomum eye flukes indirectly by quantifying the physiological effects of parasites on fish. Earlier laboratory studies have shown that Diplostomum infection predisposes fish to predation by birds (definitive hosts of the parasites) by reducing fish vision through cataract formation. However, occurrence of ca…
Fish community structure in mesotrophic and eutrophic lakes of southern Finland: the relative abundances of percids and cyprinids along a trophic gra…
2002
In 36 south Finnish lakes, the number of species, as well as the cyprinids:percids ratio, was dependent, not only on total phosphorus (TP), but also on lake size. Total fish biomass and cyprinid biomass increased along the TP gradient, whereas the dependence of percid biomass was less evident. Perch Perca fluviatilis and roach Rutilus rutilus strongly dominated mesotrophic lakes; in eutrophic lakes the proportion of other cyprinids and percids, such as white bream Blicca bjoerkna, bream Abramis brama, pikeperch Stizostedion lucioperca and ruffe Gymnocephalus cernuus, increased. Perch biomass was weakly related to abiotic factors but depended on roach biomass. Lake size and fish species comp…
Macrophytes shape trophic niche variation among generalist fishes.
2017
Generalist species commonly have a fundamental role in ecosystems as they can integrate spatially distinct habitats and food-web compartments, as well as control the composition, abundance and behavior of organisms at different trophic levels. Generalist populations typically consist of specialized individuals, but the potential for and hence degree of individual niche variation can be largely determined by habitat complexity. We compared individual niche variation within three generalist fishes between two comparable lakes in the Czech Republic differing in macrophyte cover, i.e. macrophyte-rich Milada and macrophyte-poor Most. We tested the hypothesis that large individual niche variation…
Feeding Aquatic Ecosystems : Whole-Lake Experimental Addition of Angler’s Ground Bait Strongly Affects Omnivorous Fish Despite Low Contribution to La…
2018
It is well documented that aquatic ecosystems may be subsidized by naturally derived terrestrial carbon sources. In contrast, the intentional or unintentional subsidy of animal populations by human-derived feed resources and their ecosystem effects are poorly studied. We added ground baits of the type, amount and temporal duration commonly applied by anglers targeting cyprinid fishes to a small lake, and studied behavior, diet composition and annual growth rate of the lake fish community in response to the bait addition. Based on recordings by a high-resolution ultrasonic telemetry array, common carp (Cyprinus carpio) as a model benthivore spend more time at the sites where ground baits wer…
Biogenic methane contributes to the food web of a large, shallow lake
2013
Summary Biogenic methane as an alternative carbon and energy source for freshwater organisms has been receiving increasing attention, but the phenomenon is still poorly understood for shallow lakes. We measured the carbon and nitrogen stable isotope signatures (δ13C, δ15N) for key groups of pelagic and benthic organisms, including crustacean zooplankton, chironomid larvae, young-of-the-year and adult fish, to assess whether biogenic methane contributes to pelagic and benthic food webs in a large, shallow lake, Lake Vortsjarv, Estonia. In the southern part of the lake, covered by macrophytes, crustacean zooplankton showed strong seasonal variation of δ13C, with the lowest values occurring in…
Dactylogyrus (Monogenea) communities on the gills of roach in three lakes in Central Finland
1992
SUMMARYDactylogyrus (Monogenea) species were studied on the gills of roach (Rutilus rutilus) from a total of 293 fish in 3 interconnected lakes in Central Finland. One of the lakes is eutrophic and polluted by a paper and pulp mill, one is eutrophic and one is oligotrophic. Nine Dactylogyrus species were found. The structure of the monogenean communities was analysed at the component and infracommunity level and the Dactylogyrus fauna of the lakes was compared. Although it was found that the component communities tended to be very similar there were also differences. The abundance and diversity were highest in the polluted lake; the infracommunities of this lake were considerably more often…
Dactylogyrus (Monogenea) infections on the gills of roach (Rutilus rutilus L.) experimentally exposed to pulp and paper mill effluent
1997
Experimental exposure to bleached kraft pulp and paper mill effluent (BKME) at a concentration of 10% significantly reduced the abundance and mean number of species of Dactylogyrus on the gills of naturally infected roach, Rutilus rutilus, over a 3 week period. Seven Dactylogyrus species were recorded which differed widely in their susceptibility to the effluent. The experiment coincided with a natural spring peak in dactylogyrid infections on roach. BMKE exposure did not prevent parasite reproduction but post-larval abundance was significantly higher on control than effluent-exposed hosts. There was no evidence of a BKME-induced shift in microhabitat distribution of dactylogyrids. Elevated…
Changes in feeding niche widths of perch and roach following biomanipulation, revealed by stable isotope analysis
2008
Summary 1. We made an empirical test of a recent proposal that feeding niche widths might be determined as variance of stable isotope values. We determined δ13C and δ15N values of perch (Perca fluviatilis), roach (Rutilus rutilus) and their prey from a biomanipulated lake, when the mass removal of fish led to reduced inter- and intra-specific competition and increases in zooplankton abundance and body size. 2. After the first fish removals, both perch and roach mean δ13C values decreased and mean δ15N values increased, indicating a greater diet contribution from pelagic sources. 3. Variances of both δ13C and δ15N values first increased in both fish populations, indicating a wider food spect…