Print PageBithynia tentaculata is an invasive aquatic snail that was first discovered in the upper Mississippi River (UMR) in 2002 and has subsequently expanded throughout a number of Navigation Pools in the region. In addition to being a threat to native benthos, the snail harbors two parasite species that kill thousands of migrating waterfowl each year. Unfortunately, little is known about the factors that are responsible for snail and trematode persistence and what the consequences of continued disease outbreaks may be for this interaction in the future. To address these issues, we have developed a mathematical model to 1) identify points within the parasite life cycle that are most important for disease persistence, and 2) predict the effects of two distinct parasite species on future transmission dynamics. Parameter estimation for the mathematical (differential equations) model has come from published reports on this system and from the recent field collections/lab experiments conducted by the authors.
Results/Conclusions
Sensitivity analysis of our model suggests that parasite transmission among snails, and between snails and waterfowl play an essential role in parasite persistence within the UMR. Our ability to recognize these important points for parasite success may allow us to implement strategies aimed at targeting such stages in the life cycle, which, in turn, may allow us to reduce future outbreaks of waterfowl mortality along the UMR.
