Trematode communities in snails can indicate impact and recovery from hurricanes in a tropical coastal lagoon
International Journal for Parasitology
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Abstract
In September 2002, Hurricane Isidore devastated the Yucatán Peninsula, Mexico. To understand its effects on the parasites of aquatic organisms, we analyzed long-term monthly population data of the horn snail Cerithidea pliculosa and its trematode communities in Celestún, Yucatán, Mexico before and after the hurricane (February 2001 to December 2009). Five trematode species occurred in the snail population: Mesostephanus appendiculatoides, Euhaplorchis californiensis, two species of the genus Renicola and one Heterophyidae gen. sp. Because these parasites use snails as first intermediate hosts, fishes as second intermediate hosts and birds as final hosts, their presence in snails depends on food webs. No snails were present at the sampled sites for 6 months after the hurricane. After snails recolonised the site, no trematodes were found in snails until 14 months after the hurricane. It took several years for snail and trematode populations to recover. Our results suggest that the increase in the occurrence of hurricanes predicted due to climate change can impact upon parasites with complex life cycles. However, both the snail populations and their parasite communities eventually reached numbers of individuals and species similar to those before the hurricane. Thus, the trematode parasites of snails can be useful indicators of coastal lagoon ecosystem degradation and recovery.
Suggested Citation
Aguirre-Macedo, M.L., Vidal-Martinez, V., and Lafferty, K.D., 2011, Trematode communities in snails can indicate impact and recovery from hurricanes in a tropical coastal lagoon: International Journal for Parasitology, v. 41, no. 13-14, p. 1403-1408, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpara.2011.10.002.
| Publication type | Article |
|---|---|
| Publication Subtype | Journal Article |
| Title | Trematode communities in snails can indicate impact and recovery from hurricanes in a tropical coastal lagoon |
| Series title | International Journal for Parasitology |
| DOI | 10.1016/j.ijpara.2011.10.002 |
| Volume | 41 |
| Issue | 13-14 |
| Year Published | 2011 |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Elsevier |
| Publisher location | Amsterdam, Netherlands |
| Contributing office(s) | Western Ecological Research Center |
| Description | 6 p. |
| Larger Work Type | Article |
| Larger Work Subtype | Journal Article |
| Larger Work Title | International Journal for Parasitology |
| First page | 1403 |
| Last page | 1408 |
| Time Range Start | 2001-02-01 |
| Time Range End | 2009-12-31 |
| Country | Mexico |