Determining the extent to which parasites influence natural populaions of hosts is a major focus of studies in parasitology. Addressing this issue requires host-parasite systems that can be monitored under natural conditions and can be manipulated in the laboratory. I study a model system involving the larval trematode Ornithodiplostomum ptychocheilus that encysts in the brains of its intermediate host, the fathead minnow (Pimephales promelas). This parasite was the most common and abundant of 13 other parasites found in minnows in four boreal lakes in Alberta, Canada. In two of these lakes, prevalence of infection reached 100% in most years and mean intensity ranged from 4 to 40 parasites/host. Field and laboratory experiments showed that the size, the rate of parasite development, and time to encystment were intensity-dependent. However, parasite intensity had no effect on host or parasite survival after a simulated winter in the laboratory. One effect of infection was that infected fish and significantly greater cranial heights and widths than controls. The expression of this parasite-induced alteration in host phenotype was dependent on the size of the fish at infection and on parasite intensity. The cranial distortion led to significantly higher mortality of fish maintained on poor diets and altered the host's phototactic response. / ix, 131 leaves : ill. (some col.), map ; 29 cm.

A wide variety of parasites are known to cause changes in host behaviour. The altered behaviours range from simple changes in features such as activity and phototaxis, to the creation of behaviours that are new, and often bizarre. In this study, I investigated the effect of a trematode parasite, Ornithodiplostomum ptychocheilus (Strigeidae; Diplostomidae), on the behaviour of its intermediate host, the fathead minnow (Pimephales promelas). The larval stage (metacercaria) of this parasite resides within the central nervous system, specifically the optic lobes. In fish, one of the main functions of the optic lobes is to receive visual stimuli from the retina and then coordinate the optomotor response (OMR). This response is an innate component of rheotaxis that plays an important role in motion detection, navigation and orientation. In an initial experiment, 16 wk-old metacercariae reduced minnow OMR by 42% compared to uninfected controls. However, in a follow-up experiment, it was 2- and 4- wk old metacercariae that caused the greater (39 and 41% respectively) decrease in OMR. Because 2- and 4-wk old metacercariae are not infective to birds (the next host in the life-cylce), alterations in minnow OMR at this time are unlikely to be a parasite adaptive. During this period, reduced OMR is more likely a result of pathology caused by developing larvae within the optic lobes. However, negative effects of infection on OMR performance persisted to 16 wk post-infection indicating the parasite-induced reduction in host performance could be an adaptive strategy to increase parasite transmission. Surprisingly, the magnitude of reduction in minnow OMR was only loosely linked to metacercarieae intensity. Although both low (<5 parasites/fish), and high intensities (>100) led to large decreases in OMR, intermediate intensities had only a small effect. Such non-linearity between intensity and the magnitude of host behavioural changes suggest that the mechanisms leading to altered host behaviours are varied, and complex. / vii, 79 leaves : ill. ; 29 cm.

The population dynamics and life histories of two larval parasites of fathead minnows were investigated, together with their effects on host reproduction in natural populations. In two lakes in northern Alberta, Canada, 100% of fathead minnows (Pimephales promelas) are infected with larval trematodes (Ornithodiplostomum ptychcocheilus and Posthodiplostomum minimum) that encyst in their brains and mesentaries, respectively. The numbers of parasites in individual adult minnows varied extensively between and within two different lakes. Parallel laboratory studies indicated that selection imposed by common hosts in the life cycles of these species have shaped broadly similar life histories. Field collections of male minnows indicated that early in the breeding season, breeding males were longer than non-breeding males. Furthermore, breeding males had larger girths (independent of total length) and contained fewer numbers of three of 4 common larval trematodes than non-breeding males throughout the breeding season. These parasites most likely affect a male's ability to compete for or defend a nest. / vi, 99 leaves : ill. ; 28 cm.

Natural selection should favour host defenses that reduce a host’s exposure to parasites or reduce their negative effects. One strategy that resolves the substantial costs of host immunity and/or tolerance is to avoid infective stages altogether. For fish, behavioural avoidance is well-known for defense against aquatic predators, but it is poorly known for defense against parasites. I used a model system that is amenable to experimental manipulation to test the behavioural avoidance hypothesis for fathead minnows exposed to the larvae of two of their common flatworm parasites. First, I showed that minnows exposed to a liver encysting trematode, Ornithodiplostomum sp. showed an increase in lipid peroxidation, an indicator of oxidative stress, persisting through worm development. Three lines of evidence provided support for the behavioural avoidance hypothesis. First, shoal area decreased in groups of minnows exposed to O. ptychocheilus cercariae compared to those exposed to cues from other aquatic threats. Second, average worm numbers were 50 % lower in fish confined to artificial shoals compared to non-shoaling minnows, indicating that shoaling reduces risk of exposure. The third experiment showed that minnows within the centre of shoal reduced their risk of infection by 67%. Taken together, these results demonstrate a cost of trematode infection on minnows, that minnows can detect infective larvae within the water column, and that social living reduces a hosts’ risk of exposure. / xi, 84 leaves : ill. ; 29 cm