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Linked foraging and bioenergetics modeling may inform fish parasite infection dynamics

May 8, 2023

The parasitic copepod Salmincola californiensis infects Pacific salmon and trout (Oncorhynchus spp.) and often reaches high prevalence and intensity in reservoirs compared to stream systems. Recent research indicates that temperature plays a fundamental role in copepod development and fish susceptibility. Here, we expand a linked foraging and bioenergetics model to simulate infection risk. Based on juvenile salmon vertical migration patterns, we add estimates of copepod generations produced and thermal strata metrics that appear associated with copepodid aggregations and increased infection. Severe damage on hosts may be caused by the infectious copepodid, a life-stage not readily visible and thus not detectable using traditional fish screenings. We discuss model limitations, opportunities for future research, and the potential for inclusion of copepod expansion equations to existing linked bioenergetics models or observed behaviors of salmonids in other lentic systems. We demonstrate that using a temperature sensitive model framework that includes copepod infection dynamics is useful in interpreting other lines of evidence, such as fish mortality estimates. Collectively, our work provides a testable framework for future comparisons of infection potential and demonstrates how bioenergetics models may be useful in understanding host–parasite interactions.

Publication Year 2023
Title Linked foraging and bioenergetics modeling may inform fish parasite infection dynamics
DOI 10.1007/s10641-023-01420-2
Authors Christina Amy Murphy, Amanda Pollock, Sherri L Johnson, Ivan Arismendi
Publication Type Article
Publication Subtype Journal Article
Series Title Environmental Biology of Fishes
Index ID 70257350
Record Source USGS Publications Warehouse
USGS Organization Coop Res Unit Leetown
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