The Effects of Parasitism and Body Length on Positioning within Wild Fish Shoals

1. The influence of body length and parasitism on the positioning behaviour of individuals in wild fish shoals was investigated by a novel means of capturing entire shoals of the banded killifish (Fundulus diaphanus, Lesueur) using a grid-net that maintained the two-dimensional positions of individu...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Journal of animal ecology 2002-01, Vol.71 (1), p.10-14
Main Authors: Ward, A. J. W., Hoare, D. J., Couzin, I. D., Broom, M., Krause, J.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Agnatha and pisces
Agnatha. Pisces
Animal and plant ecology
Animal ecology
Animal ethology
Animal, plant and microbial ecology
Animals
Autoecology
Biological and medical sciences
Body length
Fish
Foraging
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Fundulus diaphanus
geometry
Parasite hosts
Parasites
Parasitism
positioning
Predation
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
shoaling
Shoals
Swimming
Vertebrata
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Summary:1. The influence of body length and parasitism on the positioning behaviour of individuals in wild fish shoals was investigated by a novel means of capturing entire shoals of the banded killifish (Fundulus diaphanus, Lesueur) using a grid-net that maintained the two-dimensional positions of individuals within shoals. 2. Fish in the front section of a shoal were larger than those in the rear. 3. Individuals parasitized by the digenean trematode (Crassiphiala bulboglossa, Haitsma) showed a tendency to occupy the front of shoals. Parasitized fish were also found more in peripheral positions than central ones in a significant number of shoals. 4. Shoal geometry was affected by the overall parasite prevalence of shoal members; shoals with high parasite prevalence displayed increasingly phallanx-like shoal formations, whereas shoals with low prevalence were more elliptical. 5. There was no relationship between body length and parasite abundance or prevalence in the fish population which suggests body length and parasite status are independent predictors of positioning behaviour. 6. Solitary individuals found outside shoals were both more likely to be parasitized and had higher parasite abundance than individuals engaged in shoaling. 7. Differences in the shoaling behaviour of parasitized and unparasitized fish are discussed in the context of the adaptive manipulation hypothesis.
ISSN:0021-8790
1365-2656
DOI:10.1046/j.0021-8790.2001.00571.x