Can reduced predation offset negative effects of sea louse parasites on chum salmon?
The impact of parasites on hosts is invariably negative when considered in isolation, but may be complex and unexpected in nature. For example, if parasites make hosts less desirable to predators then gains from reduced predation may offset direct costs of being parasitized. We explore these ideas i...
Published in: | Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences |
---|---|
Main Authors: | , , , , |
Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
Language: | English |
Published: |
The Royal Society
2014
|
Subjects: | |
Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2013.2913 https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/pdf/10.1098/rspb.2013.2913 https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/full-xml/10.1098/rspb.2013.2913 |
id |
crroyalsociety:10.1098/rspb.2013.2913 |
---|---|
record_format |
openpolar |
spelling |
crroyalsociety:10.1098/rspb.2013.2913 2024-06-02T08:13:17+00:00 Can reduced predation offset negative effects of sea louse parasites on chum salmon? Peacock, Stephanie J. Connors, Brendan M. Krkošek, Martin Irvine, James R. Lewis, Mark A. 2014 http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2013.2913 https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/pdf/10.1098/rspb.2013.2913 https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/full-xml/10.1098/rspb.2013.2913 en eng The Royal Society https://royalsociety.org/journals/ethics-policies/data-sharing-mining/ Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences volume 281, issue 1776, page 20132913 ISSN 0962-8452 1471-2954 journal-article 2014 crroyalsociety https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2013.2913 2024-05-07T14:16:08Z The impact of parasites on hosts is invariably negative when considered in isolation, but may be complex and unexpected in nature. For example, if parasites make hosts less desirable to predators then gains from reduced predation may offset direct costs of being parasitized. We explore these ideas in the context of sea louse infestations on salmon. In Pacific Canada, sea lice can spread from farmed salmon to migrating juvenile wild salmon. Low numbers of sea lice can cause mortality of juvenile pink and chum salmon. For pink salmon, this has resulted in reduced productivity of river populations exposed to salmon farming. However, for chum salmon, we did not find an effect of sea louse infestations on productivity, despite high statistical power. Motivated by this unexpected result, we used a mathematical model to show how a parasite-induced shift in predation pressure from chum salmon to pink salmon could offset negative direct impacts of sea lice on chum salmon. This shift in predation is proposed to occur because predators show an innate preference for pink salmon prey. This preference may be more easily expressed when sea lice compromise juvenile salmon hosts, making them easier to catch. Our results indicate how the ecological context of host–parasite interactions may dampen, or even reverse, the expected impact of parasites on host populations. Article in Journal/Newspaper Pink salmon The Royal Society Canada Pacific Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 281 1776 20132913 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
The Royal Society |
op_collection_id |
crroyalsociety |
language |
English |
description |
The impact of parasites on hosts is invariably negative when considered in isolation, but may be complex and unexpected in nature. For example, if parasites make hosts less desirable to predators then gains from reduced predation may offset direct costs of being parasitized. We explore these ideas in the context of sea louse infestations on salmon. In Pacific Canada, sea lice can spread from farmed salmon to migrating juvenile wild salmon. Low numbers of sea lice can cause mortality of juvenile pink and chum salmon. For pink salmon, this has resulted in reduced productivity of river populations exposed to salmon farming. However, for chum salmon, we did not find an effect of sea louse infestations on productivity, despite high statistical power. Motivated by this unexpected result, we used a mathematical model to show how a parasite-induced shift in predation pressure from chum salmon to pink salmon could offset negative direct impacts of sea lice on chum salmon. This shift in predation is proposed to occur because predators show an innate preference for pink salmon prey. This preference may be more easily expressed when sea lice compromise juvenile salmon hosts, making them easier to catch. Our results indicate how the ecological context of host–parasite interactions may dampen, or even reverse, the expected impact of parasites on host populations. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Peacock, Stephanie J. Connors, Brendan M. Krkošek, Martin Irvine, James R. Lewis, Mark A. |
spellingShingle |
Peacock, Stephanie J. Connors, Brendan M. Krkošek, Martin Irvine, James R. Lewis, Mark A. Can reduced predation offset negative effects of sea louse parasites on chum salmon? |
author_facet |
Peacock, Stephanie J. Connors, Brendan M. Krkošek, Martin Irvine, James R. Lewis, Mark A. |
author_sort |
Peacock, Stephanie J. |
title |
Can reduced predation offset negative effects of sea louse parasites on chum salmon? |
title_short |
Can reduced predation offset negative effects of sea louse parasites on chum salmon? |
title_full |
Can reduced predation offset negative effects of sea louse parasites on chum salmon? |
title_fullStr |
Can reduced predation offset negative effects of sea louse parasites on chum salmon? |
title_full_unstemmed |
Can reduced predation offset negative effects of sea louse parasites on chum salmon? |
title_sort |
can reduced predation offset negative effects of sea louse parasites on chum salmon? |
publisher |
The Royal Society |
publishDate |
2014 |
url |
http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2013.2913 https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/pdf/10.1098/rspb.2013.2913 https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/full-xml/10.1098/rspb.2013.2913 |
geographic |
Canada Pacific |
geographic_facet |
Canada Pacific |
genre |
Pink salmon |
genre_facet |
Pink salmon |
op_source |
Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences volume 281, issue 1776, page 20132913 ISSN 0962-8452 1471-2954 |
op_rights |
https://royalsociety.org/journals/ethics-policies/data-sharing-mining/ |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2013.2913 |
container_title |
Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences |
container_volume |
281 |
container_issue |
1776 |
container_start_page |
20132913 |
_version_ |
1800736742445154304 |