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Vertically challenged: How disease suppresses Daphnia vertical migration behavior
Pieter T J Johnson1, Daniel E Stanton2, Kenneth J Forshay3
1Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado.
Limnology and Oceanography
|July 25, 2020
Summary
Parasitic infections can disrupt the daily vertical migrations (DVMs) of Daphnia. Infected Daphnia remain deep, unlike healthy individuals, impacting lake ecosystems.
Area of Science:
- Aquatic ecology
- Parasitology
- Behavioral ecology
Background:
- Diel vertical migrations (DVMs) are crucial for aquatic zooplankton, influencing predator-prey dynamics and nutrient cycling.
- The impact of parasitic infections on DVMs in zooplankton, particularly Daphnia, is not well understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effect of sporangia cluster disease (SCD) on the DVM of *Daphnia pulicaria*.
- To determine if parasite load influences the degree of DVM inhibition.
Main Methods:
- Field sampling of zooplankton across diel cycles, years, and lakes.
- Laboratory assays to assess swimming behavior and depth preference of infected and uninfected *Daphnia*.
Main Results:
- Infected *Daphnia pulicaria* exhibited significantly inhibited DVM, remaining at deeper depths regardless of time of day.
- Uninfected *Daphnia*, especially gravid individuals, displayed typical DVM, migrating to shallower waters at night.
- Higher SCD intensity correlated with greater DVM inhibition; infected hosts showed reduced swimming activity.
Conclusions:
- Parasite-induced inhibition of DVM in *Daphnia* is a sickness behavior linked to increasing morbidity and energy depletion.
- Altered migratory behavior of infected *Daphnia* can have substantial implications for energy and nutrient redistribution in lake ecosystems.
