The Relationship Between Parasitic Infection and Reproductive Potential of Two Cyprinids with Different Reproductive Strategies

Fish parasites inflict a number of effects on their hosts, of interest to this study are the effects on reproductive potential. The relationship between parasitic infection and host reproduction is highly variable, and as such few studies have made direct comparison between sexes and between species with different reproductive strategies. So, the first objective of this study is to determine if there is a relationship between parasite load and reproductive potential in fish and whether this relationship differs between males and females. The second objective is to examine two cyprinids, Cyprinella venusta, crevice-spawners, and Notropis volucellus, broadcast-spawners, with different reproductive strategies, to determine if this relationship varies between the two species. Fish were collected from a single site on the Paluxy River, TX and returned to the lab to measure parasite load, distinguished as either endo- or ectoparasites, and reproductive potential using the gonadosomatic index (GSI). Preliminary results show a significant, positive correlation between number of endo- and ectoparasites and GSI in male C. venusta and between number of endoparasites and GSI in female C. venusta.