Community structure of helminth parasites in whitefish from the Caribou Mountains, Alberta

Spatial patterns in parasite communities of freshwater fish are often characterized as low in diversity and unpredictable.Whether or not this view is a true reflection of community patterns is unclear, in particular when comparing studies of parasite communities of fish occurring in man-altered ecosystems.To understand the structure of a fish parasite community, I first described the parasite fauna of 13 species of freshwater fish from 19 islolated lakes on the Caribou Mountains plateau in northern Alberta.After my initial broad-scale survey, I selected the diverse and complex community of parasites in whitefish, (Coregonus clupeaformis) for further analysis.This host had the most diverse parasite community of any species of fish on the plateau and was disproportionally important in the dissemination of parasites to the other species of fish.Ten parasite species infected whitefish in the 7 large lakes on the plateau; 7 were core species (i.e found in every lake) and 9 were salmonid specialists.Parasite intensities were much higher (>100 per host) in the Caribou Mountains than elsewhere in Canada, as was community similarity (>70%).Ordination analyses showed that 48% of the variation in parasite intensities between lakes could be explained by factors associated with aquatic productivity (e.g.chlorophyll-a and total phosphorus).Low-intensity lakes were characterized by low productivity and high colour and high-intensity lakes had high productivity and low colour.Patterns of high similarity between lakes, together with the association between aquatic productivity and community structure shows that the spatial structure of parasite communities can be predicted on the basis of a common suite of specialist, core species.iii PREFACE "Grab the hook, grab the line, Grab the bait, grab the box and wait..." -by Speech from Arrested Development, 1992 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS When one embarks on the journey of a Master's student, it is never a solo effort.Many thanks are given to my supervisor.Dr. Cameron Goater.His ability to clarify the complexities of parasite community interactions is unparalleled.Even with the occasional difference of opinion, his guidance in pushing me to become a better researcher (and writer) will not be forgotten.I would also like to extend my gratitude to fellow Master's student, Katrina White, for listening to the woes of a frustrated graduate student, and showing me that writing a master's thesis was not impossible.Thank-you to all past and present members of the parasitology lab.Greg Sandland instilled in me that any research worth doing, is worth doing well.Heidi Rast, thanks for assisting me with all those meters of intestines and improving the boy-girl ratio in the lab.In addition, thanks to Sho Shirakashi, Gavin Parker, and Jason Schleppe for convincing me that fathead minnows are one of nature's "heartiest" creatures.I extend my sincerest thanks to the Biology Department faculty at the University of Lethbridge.Many of you have witnessed my beginnings as a naive undergraduate to my development into a graduate student.It is hard to believe I have now given lectures in courses I once participated in as student.I also wish to thank all the soccer-crazed enthusiasts I have played with for creating in me a passion for the game. 1.General introduction 1 "2.Composition of the parasite component community in fish from the Caribou Mountains, northern Alberta 11

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