Connection between temperature, larval production, virulence and geographical distribution of Rhipidocotyle parasites infecting the duck mussel, Anodonta anatina

Abstract

In this thesis, two bucephalid trematode parasites Rhipidocotyle campanula and R. fennica, which use the same first (Anodonta anatina) and second intermediate (Rutilus rutilus) host were studied. The aim was to investigate the effect of temperature on one of the key processes in the transmission of these parasites: 1) the emergence of cercarial larvae from A. anatina over short (1 h) and 2) long (throughout the annual cercarial shedding period, from May to October) time periods as well, as on 3) mussel survival and 4) the seasonal timing of cercarial release. In addition, the aim was to study how the cercarial shedding traits are linked to the 5) geographical occurrence and abundance of the Rhipidocotyle species. In the experimental studies, the cercarial emergence by R. fennica increased significantly with increasing temperature over short and long time periods, while that by R. campanula was unaffected by temperature. R. campanula clearly started seasonal cercarial release earlier and at a lower temperature than R. fennica. Survival of mussels, especially cercariae-shedding mussels, was lower at higher temperature, and the shedding of R. campanula cercariae was associated with higher mussel mortality than the shedding of R. fennica. The average duration of the seasonal cercarial release period of both species was unaffected by temperature at the individual host level, but at the host population level the cercarial shedding period of R. fennica (but not of R. campanula) was longer at higher temperature. The field study showed that the occurrence, mean prevalence and abundance of R. fennica – in accordance with the experimentally observed association of cercarial release with high temperature – decreased from the south (61–64 °N) to the low north (65–66 °N), but this pattern was not detected in R. campanula.