Gyrodactylus in the spotlight: how exposure to light impacts disease and the feeding behavior of the freshwater tropical guppy (Poecilia reticulata)

MacAulay, Scott and Cable, Jo ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8510-7055 2024. Gyrodactylus in the spotlight: how exposure to light impacts disease and the feeding behavior of the freshwater tropical guppy (Poecilia reticulata). Journal of Fish Biology 10.1111/jfb.15816

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Abstract

Artificial light at night (ALAN) negatively impacts organisms in many ways, from their feeding behaviors to their response and ability to deal with disease. Our knowledge of ALAN is focused on hosts, but we must also consider their parasites, which constitute half of all described animal species. Here, we assessed the impact of light exposure on a model host–parasite system (Poecilia reticulata and the ectoparasitic monogenean Gyrodactylus turnbulli). First, parasite‐free fish were exposed to 12:12 h light:dark (control) or 24:0 h light:dark (ALAN) for 21 days followed by experimental infection. Second, naturally acquired G. turnbulli infections were monitored for 28 days during exposure of their hosts to a specified light regime (6:18 h, 12:12 h, or 24:0 h light:dark). Experimentally infected fish exposed to constant light had, on average, a greater maximum parasite burden than controls, but no other measured parasite metrics were impacted. Host feeding behavior was also significantly affected: fish under ALAN fed faster and took more bites than controls, whilst fish exposed to reduced light fed slower. Thus, ALAN can impact parasite burdens, even in the short term, and altering light conditions will impact fish feeding behavior. Such responses could initiate disease outbreaks or perturb food‐webs with wider ecological impacts.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Published Online
Status:	Published
Schools:	Biosciences
Additional Information:	License information from Publisher: LICENSE 1: URL: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Publisher:	Wiley
ISSN:	0022-1112
Funders:	BBSRC
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	4 June 2024
Date of Acceptance:	13 May 2024
Last Modified:	17 Jun 2024 17:55
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/169458

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