Interactions between immunocompetence, somatic condition, and parasitism in the chub in early spring
| Authors | |
|---|---|
| Year of publication | 2009 |
| Type | Article in Periodical |
| Magazine / Source | Journal of Fish Biology |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| Field | Zoology |
| Keywords | immunoecology; lysozyme; environmental stress; spleen; condition indices |
| Description | Relationships between immunocompetence, somatic condition, parasitism, and water temperature in a wild population of the cyprinid fish Leuciscus cephalus (L.) were investigated. The effects of a rapid temperature increase in early spring were investigated for both sexes. Water temperature has an impact on immunocompetence. Investment in gonads and activity of mucus lysozyme were negatively correlated; lysozyme activity decreased as temperature increased. No correlations were found between lysozyme activity and parasitism or intensity of infection by monogeneans, the most abundant metazoan parasite group in L. cephalus. However, there was a positive correlation between oxidative burst intensity and parasitism. Indices of investment in gonads and spleen were correlated; showing that energetic reserves allowed either investment in gonads and spleen, or that spleen investment, even if often used in other studies in immunoecology, was not always a significant indicator of immuno-competence during this period. This last proposition is supported by the lack of correlation between spleen investment and other factors linked to immunocompetence. |
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