Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
6367972 | Water Research | 2011 | 9 Pages |
Abstract
In environmental quality bioassessment studies, analysis of host-parasite interactions may well be a valuable alternative to classical macroinvertebrate sampling approaches. Herein, we investigated whether zebra mussel (Dreissena polymorpha) parasites could be useful biomonitoring tools. Mussel populations were sampled twice at two sites in northeastern France representing different levels of contamination and were characterized for parasite infection following standard histological methods. Our results indicated that sites of different environmental quality (i.e. chemical contamination) exhibited different parasite communities characterized by different trematode species and parasite associations. An additional significant finding was the positive correlation established between the prevalence of Rickettsiales-like organisms and metal contamination. Multivariate analyses were valuable in examining parasite communities.
Related Topics
Physical Sciences and Engineering
Earth and Planetary Sciences
Earth-Surface Processes
Authors
Laëtitia Minguez, Daniel P. Molloy, François Guérold, Laure Giambérini,