Growth potential and host mortality of the parasitic phase of the sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) in Lake Superior

Landlocked Lake Superior sea lampreys (Petromyzon marinus) cause a significant but uncertain amount of mortality on host species. We used a sea lamprey bioenergetics model to examine the scope of host sizes vulnerable to death as a consequence of sea lamprey feeding and incorporated the bimodal lake...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Canadian journal of fisheries and aquatic sciences 2005-10, Vol.62 (10), p.2343-2353
Main Authors: Jorgensen, Jeffrey C, Kitchell, James F
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animal, plant and microbial ecology
Applied ecology
Bioenergetics
Biological and medical sciences
Blood
Conspecifics
Exploitation and management of natural biological resources (hunting, fishing and exploited populations survey, etc.)
Feeding rates
Fish
Freshwater
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Lakes
Mortality
Oncorhynchus kisutch
Oncorhynchus mykiss
Oncorhynchus tshawytscha
Parasites
Petromyzon marinus
Petromyzontidae
Salmon
Salvelinus namaycush
Sea lamprey
Sexual maturity
Size
Spawning
Spring
Summer
United States
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Landlocked Lake Superior sea lampreys (Petromyzon marinus) cause a significant but uncertain amount of mortality on host species. We used a sea lamprey bioenergetics model to examine the scope of host sizes vulnerable to death as a consequence of sea lamprey feeding and incorporated the bimodal lake-ward migration of parasitic sea lampreys. At their peak feeding rate and maximum size (P = 1.0, proportion of maximum consumption), spring migrants were capable of killing lean lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) hosts ≤ 2.0 kg, which was larger than fall migrants (1.8 kg). Spring migrants feeding on Pacific salmon (coho (Oncorhynchus kisutch), Chinook (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha), and steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss)) killed hosts ≤ 2.0 kg, but fall migrants killed hosts as large as 2.8 kg. Although there is no direct empirical evidence, bioenergetics modeling suggests that it is plausible that some of the largest sea lampreys in Lake Superior spent more than one summer as parasites. Two-summer parasites readily attained sizes of sea-run adult anadromous sea lampreys and killed hosts from 3 to >5.5 kg in size. The maximum upper limit number of 2-kg hosts killed by two-summer parasites was nearly twice that of one-summer parasites.
ISSN:0706-652X
1205-7533
DOI:10.1139/f05-144