Off-campus Eastern Washington University users: To download EWU Only theses, please use the following link to log into our proxy server with your EWU NetID and password.
Non-EWU users: Please talk to your local librarian about requesting this thesis through Interlibrary loan.
Date of Award
Spring 2024
Rights
Access perpetually restricted to EWU users with an active EWU NetID
Document Type
Thesis: EWU Only
Degree Name
Master of Science (MS) in Biology
Department
Biology
Abstract
The brook stickleback (Culaea inconstans) was first identified in Washington state in 1999 and has since established high population densities at Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge (TNWR). Fish parasitized by Contracaecum multipapillatum, a nematode known to infect zooplankton, piscivorous birds, and mammals, have previously been found at TNWR in Cheney Washington. This study aims to describe the seasonality of C. multipapillatum infection of brook stickleback, implications of infection on fish intermediate host body condition, and identify potential invertebrates facilitating transmission. Brook stickleback and aquatic invertebrates were collected bimonthly from April-November 2023 in Kepple, Blackhorse, and Middle Pine ponds. Fish body morphometrics were recorded, followed by necropsy to identify nematode presence (prevalence) and the number of nematodes per individual host (intensity). Fish were aged with length frequency histograms identifying two distinct cohorts, adults and young-ofthe- year (YOY). Aquatic invertebrates were identified and seasonal species composition by pond was recorded. Our study found prevalence of C. multipapillatum infection in YOY fish progressively increasing over the season, while adults did not significantly vary. Kepple pond had significantly lower prevalence of infection than both Blackhorse and Middle Pine in all age classes. Intensity of infection did not significantly vary within any date, pond, or age cohort. While copepod densities were visually strongly associated with YOY prevalence of infection, our sample size did not permit us to test for statistical association. We found no significant evidence that infection severely impacts brook stickleback body condition. Yet, our findings indicate copepods as the most likely mode of infection transmission at TNWR.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
Flores, Sarah B., "Seasonal infection of invasive Brook Stickleback (Culea inconstans) by the nematode Contracaecum multipapillatum at Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge, Washington" (2024). EWU Masters Thesis Collection. 927.
https://dc.ewu.edu/theses/927
