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Increased abundance of snails and trematode parasites of Fundulus heteroclitus (L.) in restored New Jersey wetlands

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Abstract

The Hackensack Meadowlands District is a large heavily degraded, brackish marsh system in the urbanized northeastern region of New Jersey, USA. Six study sites were used, three of which were restored (Mill Creek, Skeetkill Creek and Vince Lombardi), and three others were unrestored (Richard DeKorte Park, Cedar Creek and Kingsland Creek). Highly significant differences were found with respect to snail abundance and gill parasite abundance. In the three restored sites, significantly more Littoridinops tenuipes were found, and Fundulus heteroclitus had significantly more digenean trematode metacercariae gill infections than at unrestored sites. As habitat quality improves following restoration, the number of suitable digenean trematode parasite hosts multiplies as substrate for benthic invertebrates (first intermediate host) increases and usage by other species, such as Fundulus spp. (second intermediate host), is encouraged, which then attracts more wading birds (definitive host). Though the restoration process enhances trophic complexity, including primary consumers (gastropods), secondary consumers (fish) and tertiary consumers (wading birds), and ultimately parasite diversity, restoration also helps facilitate parasite life cycles.

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Acknowledgements

We would like to express our appreciation to Sara Khan for all of her assistance both in the field and lab, and Michael Mazurkiewicz for sharing his wealth of knowledge in snail life-histories and identification. This research was supported by a grant from the Meadowlands Environmental Research Institute of the New Jersey Meadowlands Commission and a Graduate Research Grant from the Rutgers University Marine Field Station.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Graduate Program in Ecology & Evolution, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, 08901, USA

    Celine Santiago Bass

  2. Great Eastern Ecology, Inc, 2231 Broadway, New York, NY, 10024, USA

    Celine Santiago Bass

  3. Department of Biological Science, Rutgers University, Newark, NJ, 07102, USA

    Judith S. Weis

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  1. Celine Santiago Bass
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Correspondence to Celine Santiago Bass.

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Santiago Bass, C., Weis, J.S. Increased abundance of snails and trematode parasites of Fundulus heteroclitus (L.) in restored New Jersey wetlands. Wetlands Ecol Manage 16, 173–182 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11273-007-9064-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11273-007-9064-4

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