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Cooling water of power plant creates “hot spots” for tropical fishes and parasites

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Abstract

Thermally altered water bodies can function as “hot spots” where non-native species are establishing self-sustaining populations beyond their tropical and subtropical native regions. Whereas many tropical fish species have been found in these habitats, the introduction of non-native parasites often remains undetected. Here, n = 77 convict cichlids (Amatitlania nigrofasciata) were sampled by electro-fishing at two sites from a thermally altered stream in Germany and examined for parasite fauna and feeding ecology. Stomach content analysis suggests an opportunistic feeding strategy of A. nigrofasciata: while plant material dominated the diet at the warm water inlet (∼30 °C), relative contributions of insects, plants, and crustaceans were balanced 3 km downstream (∼27 °C). The most abundant non-native parasite species was the tropical nematode Camallanus cotti with P = 11.90 % and P = 80.00 % at the inlet and further downstream, respectively. Additionally, nematode larvae of Anguillicoloides crassus and one specimen of the subtropical species Bothriocephalus acheilognathi were isolated. A. nigrofasciata was also highly infected with the native parasite Acanthocephalus anguillae, which could be linked to high numbers of the parasite’s intermediate host Asellus aquaticus. The aim of this study was to highlight the risk and consequences of the release and establishment of ornamental fish species for the introduction and spread of non-indigenous metazoan parasites using the convict cichlid as a model species. Furthermore, the spread of non-native parasites into adjacent fish communities needs to be addressed in the future as first evidence of Camallanus cotti in native fish species was also found.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank U. Rose (Erftverband and Erftfischereigenossenschaft) for supporting this study and the permission to conduct surveys at the Gillbach, F. Wegmann (Untere Fischereibehörde Rhein-Erft-Kreis) for the electro-fishing permit, F. Herder (Zoologisches Forschungsmuseum Alexander Koenig) for supporting the study, S. Müller and F. Droppelmann (Zoologisches Forschungsmuseum Alexander Koenig), as well as J. Jourdan and J. Münster (Goethe-University, Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung) and Eva Grimm (University of Würzburg) for support during fieldwork and with logistics.

Compliance with ethical standards

Permits and approvals (No. 39.74.20, Stream section Niederaußem - Gill) for electro-fishing were obtained from U. Rose (Erftverband and Erftfischereigenossenschaft) and F. Wegmann (Untere Fischereibehörde Rhein-Erft-Kreis) and included the sampling of fish for research purposes. All fish were immediately euthanized and stored on ice according to the German Animal Protection Law (§ 4) and the ordinance of slaughter and killing of animals (Tierschlachtverordnung § 13). No living or protected animals were used.

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Emde, S., Kochmann, J., Kuhn, T. et al. Cooling water of power plant creates “hot spots” for tropical fishes and parasites. Parasitol Res 115, 85–98 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-015-4724-4

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