The effect of the mermithid parasite Gasteromermis sp. (Nematoda: Mermithidae) on the drift behaviour of its mayfly host, Baetis bicaudatus (Ephemeroptera: Baetidae): a trade-off between avoiding predators and locating food

This study reports alterations in the drift behaviour of mayfly nymphs (Baetis bicaudatus) infected with the mermithid nematode parasite Gasteromermis sp. with respect to (i) their exposure to drift-feeding trout predators and (ii) the efficiency with which they locate food. Experimental stream channels and benthic and drift samples were combined to investigate drift behaviour. The drift behaviour of earlier instars did not differ between parasitized and unparasitized nymphs. Infected late-instar nymphs, however, drifted less frequently, drifted higher in the water column, and swam more frequently while drifting. Neither drift distances nor body angle while drifting were altered. Parasitized nymphs showed a reduction in food-location success in heterogeneous stream channels. The drift alterations therefore reduce both the exposure of the host to fish predators and the efficiency with which it locates food. The mayfly population is effectively divided into two groups: unparasitized nymphs (in which drift behaviour is of consequence to mayfly fecundity) and parasitized nymphs (in which drift behaviour is of consequence to mermithid survival and fecundity). It is suggested that locating food may be less important to the parasite, while the risk of trout predation may be higher for drifting parasitized individuals. Both of these factors would favour the parasite influencing its host to adopt lower drift frequencies.

Diel Feeding and Positioning Periodicity of a Grazing Mayfly in a Trout Stream and a Fishless Stream

We studied the feeding and positioning periodicity on natural substrates of the overwintering and fast-growing summer generations of a grazing mayfly, Baetis bicaudatus, in a third-order trout stream and a fishless, first-order tributary in western Colorado. At 4-h intervals over 24-h, we recorded the number of Baetis on stone tops in flow-through enclosures in situ and in streamside circular flow-through chambers. We determined the feeding periodicity of Baetis using abundance of plant pigments as an index of gut fullness. Baetis were nocturnal in the trout stream; more animals were found on stone tops and guts were fuller at night, suggesting that individuals came to stone tops to feed during darkness. However, Baetis from the fishless stream were either aperiodic or weakly nocturnal. We tested the hypothesis that nocturnal feeding by Baetis is a response to the presence of visually feeding trout by conducting transplant experiments in the circular streams. After 24 h, Baetis transferred from the trout stream to fishless water remained strongly nocturnal, while Baetis transferred from the fishless stream to trout water became significantly more nocturnal, suggesting that the risk of fish predation outweighs the benefits of relaxing nocturnal periodicity to feed continuously.

The Quantification of Stream Drift

Although the purpose of many drift studies is to describe quantitatively the abundance of drifting invertebrates and make comparisons between seasons or sites, almost no investigations have employed replicate sampling. We analyzed drift collections from a Rocky Mountain stream in order to investigate the variability of drift sampling. The data were normalized and the variances stabilized for each taxon examined by data transformation. The fourth root transformation was favored for five taxa and the logarithmic transformation for three. Using the 95% confidence limits on 24-h drift density for an abundant mayfly (Baetis bicaudatus), we found that six to seven replicates are required to obtain 95% CL ± 50% of the mean. Drift sampling appears to require fewer replicates than benthic sampling for comparable precision. Investigators may fail to replicate drift samples because they elect to sample frequently over 24 h in order to quantify the diel periodicity of drift. However, when comparison between sites or dates is the principal goal, we recommend that the effort normally put into frequent sampling over 24 h be invested instead in replicated sampling just after dark, when drift normally is greatest. When we regressed drift from the first night sample against total drift from the remainder of the 24-h period, 60–90% of the variation in the latter was predicted from the single nighttime sample. Thus, little information appears to be lost by this recommended procedure.