A mechanical approach to understanding the impact of the nematode Anguillicoloides crassus on the European eel swimbladder
One of the most detrimental factors in the drastic decline of the critically endangered European eel (Anguilla anguilla) was the inadvertent introduction of the invasive nematode Anguillicoloides crassus Infection primarily affects the swimbladder, a gas-filled organ that enables the eel to control...
Published in: | Journal of Experimental Biology |
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ftsouthampton:oai:eprints.soton.ac.uk:442265 2023-07-30T03:56:14+02:00 A mechanical approach to understanding the impact of the nematode Anguillicoloides crassus on the European eel swimbladder Currie, Helen A.L. Flores Martin, Nicholas Espindola Garcia, Gerardo Davis, Frances M. Kemp, Paul 2020-09-01 text https://eprints.soton.ac.uk/442265/ https://eprints.soton.ac.uk/442265/1/Manuscript_eel_swimbladder.docx en English eng https://eprints.soton.ac.uk/442265/1/Manuscript_eel_swimbladder.docx Currie, Helen A.L., Flores Martin, Nicholas, Espindola Garcia, Gerardo, Davis, Frances M. and Kemp, Paul (2020) A mechanical approach to understanding the impact of the nematode Anguillicoloides crassus on the European eel swimbladder. Journal of Experimental Biology, 223, [jeb219808]. (doi:10.1242/jeb.219808 <http://dx.doi.org/10.1242/jeb.219808>). other Article PeerReviewed 2020 ftsouthampton https://doi.org/10.1242/jeb.219808 2023-07-09T22:37:33Z One of the most detrimental factors in the drastic decline of the critically endangered European eel (Anguilla anguilla) was the inadvertent introduction of the invasive nematode Anguillicoloides crassus Infection primarily affects the swimbladder, a gas-filled organ that enables the eel to control its depth in the water. A reduction in swimbladder function may be fatal for eel undergoing their spawning migration to the Sargasso Sea, a journey of over 5000 km. Although the physiological damage caused by this invasive parasite is well studied through the use of quantifiable gross pathological indices, providing a good measure of the swimbladder health status, they cannot separate the role of mechanical and morphological damage. Our study examined the appropriateness of three commonly used indices as a measure of mechanical damage by performing uniaxial tensile tests on swimbladder specimens obtained from an infected eel population. When the test results were compared with the gross pathological indices it was found that thickness correlated most strongly with mechanical damage, both confirming and, more importantly, explaining the counterintuitive findings of earlier work. In a damaged swimbladder, the immune response leads to a trade-off; increasing wall thickness raises the pressure required for organ rupture but decreases strength. The results indicate that for moderate infection the mechanical integrity of the swimbladder can be maintained. For severe infection, however, a reduction in mechanical integrity may reach a tipping point, thereby affecting the successful completion of their oceanic migration. Article in Journal/Newspaper Anguilla anguilla University of Southampton: e-Prints Soton Journal of Experimental Biology |
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Open Polar |
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University of Southampton: e-Prints Soton |
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ftsouthampton |
language |
English |
description |
One of the most detrimental factors in the drastic decline of the critically endangered European eel (Anguilla anguilla) was the inadvertent introduction of the invasive nematode Anguillicoloides crassus Infection primarily affects the swimbladder, a gas-filled organ that enables the eel to control its depth in the water. A reduction in swimbladder function may be fatal for eel undergoing their spawning migration to the Sargasso Sea, a journey of over 5000 km. Although the physiological damage caused by this invasive parasite is well studied through the use of quantifiable gross pathological indices, providing a good measure of the swimbladder health status, they cannot separate the role of mechanical and morphological damage. Our study examined the appropriateness of three commonly used indices as a measure of mechanical damage by performing uniaxial tensile tests on swimbladder specimens obtained from an infected eel population. When the test results were compared with the gross pathological indices it was found that thickness correlated most strongly with mechanical damage, both confirming and, more importantly, explaining the counterintuitive findings of earlier work. In a damaged swimbladder, the immune response leads to a trade-off; increasing wall thickness raises the pressure required for organ rupture but decreases strength. The results indicate that for moderate infection the mechanical integrity of the swimbladder can be maintained. For severe infection, however, a reduction in mechanical integrity may reach a tipping point, thereby affecting the successful completion of their oceanic migration. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Currie, Helen A.L. Flores Martin, Nicholas Espindola Garcia, Gerardo Davis, Frances M. Kemp, Paul |
spellingShingle |
Currie, Helen A.L. Flores Martin, Nicholas Espindola Garcia, Gerardo Davis, Frances M. Kemp, Paul A mechanical approach to understanding the impact of the nematode Anguillicoloides crassus on the European eel swimbladder |
author_facet |
Currie, Helen A.L. Flores Martin, Nicholas Espindola Garcia, Gerardo Davis, Frances M. Kemp, Paul |
author_sort |
Currie, Helen A.L. |
title |
A mechanical approach to understanding the impact of the nematode Anguillicoloides crassus on the European eel swimbladder |
title_short |
A mechanical approach to understanding the impact of the nematode Anguillicoloides crassus on the European eel swimbladder |
title_full |
A mechanical approach to understanding the impact of the nematode Anguillicoloides crassus on the European eel swimbladder |
title_fullStr |
A mechanical approach to understanding the impact of the nematode Anguillicoloides crassus on the European eel swimbladder |
title_full_unstemmed |
A mechanical approach to understanding the impact of the nematode Anguillicoloides crassus on the European eel swimbladder |
title_sort |
mechanical approach to understanding the impact of the nematode anguillicoloides crassus on the european eel swimbladder |
publishDate |
2020 |
url |
https://eprints.soton.ac.uk/442265/ https://eprints.soton.ac.uk/442265/1/Manuscript_eel_swimbladder.docx |
genre |
Anguilla anguilla |
genre_facet |
Anguilla anguilla |
op_relation |
https://eprints.soton.ac.uk/442265/1/Manuscript_eel_swimbladder.docx Currie, Helen A.L., Flores Martin, Nicholas, Espindola Garcia, Gerardo, Davis, Frances M. and Kemp, Paul (2020) A mechanical approach to understanding the impact of the nematode Anguillicoloides crassus on the European eel swimbladder. Journal of Experimental Biology, 223, [jeb219808]. (doi:10.1242/jeb.219808 <http://dx.doi.org/10.1242/jeb.219808>). |
op_rights |
other |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1242/jeb.219808 |
container_title |
Journal of Experimental Biology |
_version_ |
1772812285779116032 |