Patterns of variation in parasite component communities and infracommunities of a littoral fish species from the northern coast of Chile

2012 ◽  
Vol 88 (1) ◽  
pp. 89-96 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vania Henríquez ◽  
M. Teresa González

AbstractThe structure and similarity of the parasite communities of fish can be evaluated at the component community (CC) and infracommunity (IC) levels. Both hierarchical levels have been used to assess parasite variations in fish at large (biogeographic) scales. However, studies evaluating the consistency between these two hierarchical levels at smaller geographical scales are scarce. In this study, the parasite assemblages of 124 Paralabrax humeralis collected by local fishermen by spear fishing at four sites (El Fierro, EF; P. Angamos, PA; Santa María, ISM; San Jorge, BSJ) in northern Chile were compared to assess the variability (or similarity) of their CCs and ICs at a limited geographical scale using multivariate analysis. At the IC level, discriminant analyses showed that P. humeralis parasite communities varied significantly among sites; 70% of ectoparasite ICs were correctly assigned to each site, but only 55% of helminth parasite ICs were correctly classified. At the CC level, the composition of parasite communities as assessed by correspondence analyses varied significantly between sites. Tagia sp., Neobenedenia sp. and Philometra sp. were associated with BSJ, ISM and PA, respectively; Corynosoma sp. and most digeneans were associated with both ISM and EF. Analysis of similarities (ANOSIM) showed significant variations in the degree of similarity between P. humeralis CCs from different sites, but not between ICs. Variations between CCs from different sites reflect fish population processes (e.g., population age, reproductive segregation) and the particular conditions of their respective habitats, whereas ICs reflect individual host movements. This study demonstrated that, when examined at a limited geographical scale, IC is better than CC at capturing the local pool of parasite assemblages when host populations are spatially segregated. Therefore, in this study, it is demonstrated that at a small geographic scale, CC variations are not reflected by IC, when host population is spatially segregated.

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel I. Bolnick ◽  
Emlyn J. Resetarits ◽  
Kimberly Ballare ◽  
Yoel E. Stuart ◽  
William E. Stutz

ABSTRACTA core goal of ecology is to understand the abiotic and biotic variables that regulate species distributions and community composition. A major obstacle is that the rules governing species distribution can change with spatial scale. Here, we illustrate this point using data from a spatially nested metacommunity of parasites infecting a metapopulation of threespine stickleback fish from 34 lakes on Vancouver Island, British Columbia. Parasite communities differ among host individuals within each host population and between host populations. The distribution of each parasite taxon depends, to varying degrees, on individual host traits (e.g., mass, diet) and on host population characteristics (e.g., lake size, mean diet). However, in most cases, a given parasite was regulated by different factors at the host-individual and host-population scales, contributing to scale-dependent patterns of parasite-species co-occurrence.


Parasitology ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 142 (1) ◽  
pp. 25-35 ◽  
Author(s):  
MARIO GEORGE-NASCIMENTO ◽  
MARCELO OLIVA

SUMMARYResearch using parasites in fish population studies in the South Eastern Pacific (SEP) is summarized. There are 27 such studies (snapshots mainly) in single host species sampled at different geographic localities and at somewhat similar times. They have been devoted mainly to economically important species, though others on coastal and intertidal fish or on less- or non-commercial species provide insights on scales of temporal and spatial variation of parasite infracommunities. Later, we assess whether the probability of harbouring parasites depends on the host species body size. Our results indicate that a stronger tool for fish population studies may be developed under regular (long term) scrutiny of parasite communities, especially of small fish host species, due to their larger variability in richness, abundance and total biomass, than in large fish species. Finally, it might also be necessary to consider the effects of fishing on parasite communities as well as the natural oscillations (coupled or not) of host and parasite populations.


2018 ◽  
Vol 52 (4) ◽  
pp. 279-288 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. Bakaria ◽  
S. Belhaoues ◽  
N. Djebbari ◽  
M. Tahri ◽  
I. Ladjama ◽  
...  

Abstract The aim of the study was to examine metazoans parasite communities of European eels (Anguilla anguilla) in freshwater (Tonga Lake) and brackish water (El Mellah lagoon) in the northeast of Algeria. Six parasite taxa were collected: one monogenean, Pseudodactylogyrus sp.; two crustaceans, Ergasilus sp. and Argulus foliaceus; two nematodes, Cucullanus sp. and Anguillicola crassus; one cestode, Bothriocephalus claviceps. Th e most prevalent parasite taxa in freshwater were Pseudodactylogyrus sp., A. crassus and Bothriocephalus claviceps; whereas in the brackish water, eels were infected mainly with A. crassus. Th e characteristics of the parasite component community structure revealed low parasite species diversity and high dominance values in eels from the two localities. Both communities were dominated by a single parasite species: Tonga eels by the monogenean Pseudodactylogyrus sp. and El Mellah lagoon eels by the nematode A. crassus, verified by high Berger-Parker dominance values of 0.76 and 0.87 respectively.


Parasitology ◽  
1998 ◽  
Vol 116 (1) ◽  
pp. 73-83 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. J. MARCOGLIESE ◽  
D. K. CONE

Species richness and diversity of macroparasite assemblages were compared among American eels (Anguilla rostrata) from Nova Scotia, European eels (A. anguilla) from the United Kingdom (Kennedy, Bush & Aho, 1986; Esch et al. 1988; Kennedy, 1990, 1993), and Australian eels (A. reinhardtii) from Queensland (Kennedy, 1995). Community richness and diversity of the macroparasite fauna of American and European eels did not differ significantly for total parasite component communities, intestinal parasite component communities, and intestinal parasite infracommunities. The similarities in richness and diversity between the parasite communities of American and European eels are not surprising given the common, recent origin of these sister species. However, differences in species composition were noted between Nova Scotia and the UK. Both species of eels were infected by a nearly identical suite of specialists, but differences occurred in the species number and composition of generalist parasites. In addition, generalist species were rarely dominant in Nova Scotia, but commonly so in the UK. These differences can be attributed to the differences in the freshwater fish fauna and their parasites that occur between Nova Scotia and the UK. American and European eels are derived from a common ancestor and, whereas they have carried with them a common suite of specialist parasites during their brief period of independence, they acquired different suites of generalists apparently from their respective continental faunas after they diverged. In contrast, parasite communities of American and European eels were significantly less diverse and speciose than those of Australian eels regardless of scale (total component community, intestinal component community, intestinal infracommunity). These results support the notion that parasite communities have had more time to evolve and/or that tropical conditions have promoted parasite speciation in Australian eels.


Parasite ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 27 ◽  
pp. 6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juan Violante-González ◽  
Scott Monks ◽  
Yesenia Gallegos-Navarro ◽  
Nataly G. Santos-Bustos ◽  
Princessa J. Villalba-Vasquez ◽  
...  

Parasite communities in Caranx sexfasciatus were characterized and analyzed to determine any interannual variations in structure and/or species composition. In total, 422 C. sexfasciatus were collected from Acapulco Bay, Mexico, between May 2016 and March 2019. Thirty-two taxa of metazoan parasites were identified: five Monogenea, thirteen Digenea, one Acanthocephala, one Cestoda, three Nematoda, seven Copepoda, and two Isopoda. Monogeneans were the most frequent and abundant parasite species in all sampling years. Parasite species richness at the component community level varied significantly from 8 (May 2016) to 25 (March 2019) and was similar to previous reports for other species of Carangidae. The component communities and infracommunities in C. sexfasciatus were characterized by low parasite species numbers, low diversity, and dominance of a single species (the monogenean Neomicrocotyle pacifica). Parasite community structure and species composition varied between sampling years and climatic seasons. Seasonal or local fluctuations in some biotic and abiotic environmental factors probably explain these variations.


2004 ◽  
Vol 78 (4) ◽  
pp. 297-303 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Guillen-Hernandez ◽  
P.J. Whitfield

AbstractAn analysis was undertaken of intestinal helminth communities in flounderPlatichthys flesusfrom two sites on the River Thames. A comparison was made between helminth community richness and diversity from these sites at the component and infracommunity levels. At the component community level, a richer and more diverse parasite community was found in flounder from the Tilbury location (marine influence) than that from the Lots Road location (freshwater influence). At the infracommunity level, more parasite species and parasite individuals per host were found at Lots Road and the percentage of similarity values were low at both locations. Helminth species with high prevalence values in the parasite communities of the flounder are the dominant species in any individual fish, harbouring multi-specific infections. The presence of more invertebrate species, which are intermediate hosts in the helminth life cycle in the Thames, fish vagility and the high prevalence and abundance values ofPomphorhynchus laevisin the flounder, may explain the differences between the two locations.


Parasitology ◽  
2004 ◽  
Vol 128 (3) ◽  
pp. 305-313 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. M. BAGGE ◽  
R. POULIN ◽  
E. T. VALTONEN

The diversity and abundance of parasites vary widely among populations of the same host species. These infection parameters are, to some extent, determined by characteristics of the host population or of its habitat. Recent studies have supported predictions derived from epidemiological models regarding the influence of host population density: parasite abundance and parasite species richness are expected to increase with increasing host population density, at least for directly transmitted parasites. Here, we test this prediction using a natural system in which populations of the crucian carp, Carassius carassius (L.), occur alone, with no other fish species, in a series of 9 isolated ponds in Finland. The ectoparasite communities in these fish populations consist of only 4 species of monogeneans (Dactylogyrus formosus, D. wegeneri, D. intermedius and Gyrodactylus carassii); the total and relative abundance of these 4 species varies among ponds, with one or two of the species missing from certain ponds. Across ponds, only one factor, total fish population size, explained a significant portion of the variance in both the mean number of monogenean species per fish and the mean total abundance of monogenean individual per fish. In contrast, fish population density did not influence either monogenean abundance or species richness, and neither did any of the other variables investigated (mean fish length per pond, number of fish examined per pond, distance to the nearest lake, and several water quality measures). In our system, proximity among fish individuals (i.e. host population density) may not be relevant to the proliferation of monogeneans; instead, the overall availability of host individuals in the host population appeared to be the main constraint limiting parasite population growth.


1996 ◽  
Vol 74 (7) ◽  
pp. 1253-1259 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alan M. Fedynich ◽  
Danny B. Pence ◽  
Paul N. Gray ◽  
James F. Bergan

Helminth communities of mottled ducks (Anas fulvigula) from Florida and Texas were species rich and diverse. The helminth component community in the mottled duck population from Texas contained more species than were found in the Florida host population. However, infracommunities of birds from Florida and Texas contained 9.5 ± 0.7 (mean ± SE) and 9.3 + 0.7 species, respectively. Similarity indices indicated less commonality of helminth species between the 2 host populations; 23 of the 42 species found across the 2 populations co-occurred. Eight helminth species from each host population were recurrent group or associate members; however, only 3 species (Amidostomum acutum, Capillaria contorta, and Tetrameres spp.) maintained group membership across both host populations. Maritrema paracadiae and Psilochasmus oxyurus were absent in birds from Florida but were recurrent group members in the host population from Texas. Only 2 recurrent group members (A. acutum and Epomidiostomum uncinatum) in birds from Florida were members of the same feeding guild and shared the same microhabitat. Three distinct feeding guilds, each containing 2 species, were found in birds from Texas. Results suggest that habitat diversity of the host plays an important part in determining species richness; however, important helminth species in both mottled duck populations are those commonly found in other Anatini from North America.


2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (9) ◽  
pp. 504
Author(s):  
Jesús Montoya-Mendoza ◽  
Sandra Edith Badillo-López ◽  
Isabel Araceli Amaro-Espejo ◽  
María del Refugio Castañeda-Chávez ◽  
Fabiola Lango-Reynoso ◽  
...  

Scorpaena brasiliensis and S. plumieri are relevant fish species in reef systems, but little is known about their parasitic helminth communities and their structure. This paper describes such community in terms of species richness and diversity. A helminthological study was conducted on 33 specimens of S. brasiliensis and 36 S. plumieri, captured in the Pajaros and Cabezo Reefs, in the Veracruz Reef System National Park (VRSNP), Veracruz, Mexico. The helminth community structure was analyzed in both host species. A total of 10 parasitic species was registered in S. brasiliensis (5 digeneans, 1 cestode, 3 nematodes, 1 acanthocephalan), while S. plumieri hosted 11 species (4 digeneans, 1 monogenean, 1 cestode, 4 nematodes, 1 acanthocephalan), with 8 common species. The species with the highest prevalence were Pseudocapillaria (Icthyocapillaria) sp., with 18.2% and 19.4% in S. brasiliensis and S. plumieri, respectively. Component community richness for S. brasiliensis was S = 10, with Shannon index diversity value of H’ = 2.08. For S. plumieri, such values were of S = 11 and H’ = 1.91. Richness and diversity in the component and infracommunity levels for both hosts are lower than in other parasite communities of marine fishes in the southern Gulf of Mexico.


2006 ◽  
Vol 84 (10) ◽  
pp. 1461-1481 ◽  
Author(s):  
David J Marcogliese ◽  
Andrée D Gendron ◽  
Céline Plante ◽  
Michel Fournier ◽  
Daniel Cyr

Parasite communities were examined from spottail shiners (Notropis hudsonius (Clinton, 1824)) collected from nine localities in the St. Lawrence River around the Island of Montréal and downstream from its municipal effluents in June and September 1998–2000. A total of 30 taxa were found, the most common being Diplostomum spp. Parasite communities were dominated by digeneans, most of which were larval stages that infect birds as definitive hosts. Mean abundance of the most common parasites varied among localities and years. Component community and mean infracommunity species richness fluctuated within and among years at the various localities. Similarity analyses demonstrated that parasite component communities from the different localities could be partitioned according to season, year, and water mass. Canonical correspondence analysis demonstrated that the parasite component communities from the different localities could be distinguished clearly, indicating that the fish in the different localities compose separate populations or stocks. Year, season, and water mass correlated most strongly among the species–environment relationships. The abundance and distribution of parasite species appeared to be subtly influenced by environmental contaminants and urban effluents, leading to slight reductions in parasite diversity. However, the parasite species composition at the various localities more clearly reflected the local food-web structure and biodiversity in terms of the distributions of various invertebrate groups, piscivorous fish, and waterfowl along the St. Lawrence River.


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