| Title | Relationship between Ascarophis Sp. (Nematoda: Cystidicolidae), Sturgeon Feeding Pit Density and Ghost Shrimp Burrowing Behavior |
| Publication Type | Thesis |
| Year of Publication | 2022 |
| Authors | Brockman, Joseph N. |
| Academic Department | Dept. of Fisheries and Wildlife, Fisheries Science |
| Degree | M.S. |
| Pagination | 50 p. |
| University | Oregon State University |
| City | Corvallis Or. |
| Type of Work | Masters Thesis |
| Call Number | OSU Libraries: Digital Open Access |
| Keywords | Biocontrol, bioturbation, Ghost shrimp = Neotrypaea californiensis (Callianassa californiensis), Green sturgeon = Acipenser medirostris, Idaho Flats, life history information, mudflats, Pacific oyster = Crassostrea gigas, parasites, Parasitic nematode = Ascarophis spp., Tongue Island (Yaquina), White sturgeon = Acipenser transmontanus, Willapa Bay, Yaquina Bay |
| Notes | One of the most challenging problems in biology is to map the life cycle of a parasite. Many parasites often have more than one intermediate host, before the final host, and it can be very difficult to determine the life stages of the parasite. This work is concerned with the use of a parasitic nematode worm as a possible biological control on ghost shrimp. Ghost shrimp burrow in mudflats, and can disturb oyster grounds. They were formerly controlled by pesticides, but this technique is no longer practiced. There is an economic incentive to find a way to limit their population around oyster beds. Sturgeon are bottom-feeders, and burrow in mud, creating feeding pits to find benthic prey. The author of this Master’s thesis sought to determine if sturgeon were the final hosts of the Ascarophis nematode, and if infection with the nematode changed burrowing patterns of ghost shrimp. Major professors were Jessica Miller and Brett Dumbauld. |
| URL | https://ir.library.oregonstate.edu/concern/graduate_thesis_or_dissertations/p8418w13m |
