Tracing parasite transfer between invasive Nile tilapia and native cichlids in Central Africa after anthropogenic introductions (R-8149)

Nile tilapia is one of the most important fish species in aquaculture in Africa. For this reason it has been introduced in many countries outside its native range. However, Nile tilapia can become a threat to the indigenous fish fauna, in part because they introduce alien parasites. Indeed, introduction of invasive species is regarded the second leading cause of species extinction and endangerment worldwide. The historical introduction of Nile tilapia in African countries is badly documented, and its impact on the native fish fauna in terms of parasite introduction is underexplored. In general these parasites are host-specific, but parasite host switching has been observed with detrimental consequences. In this research parasite host switching between Nile tilapia and native cichlids will be traced in the Congo Basin. In addition, the introduction routes of Nile tilapia and its parasites will be reconstructed. Both goals will be achieved by a combination of a more traditional parasitological (species composition, infection-intensity,etc.) and genetic approach (phylogeographical analysis, primer development, mitogenomics,etc.). The Congo Basin is of importance because Nile tilapia, here, is in contact with native cichlids, which are often closely related. Additionally, it is cultured in many places in the Congo Basin and millions of people depend on the local fisheries for their protein intake.

Keywords:parasite transfer

Disciplines:Evolutionary biology