Parasites communities in the clingfish Gobiesox marmoratus from central Chile

AbstractThis study investigated the factors (i.e., season, locality, sampling year, total length and maturity stage of the hosts) that might influence the structure of parasite populations and communities in the clingfish Gobiesox marmoratus. The parasite community was described and analyzed using numerical descriptors, such as prevalence, intensity and species richness, between factors previously mentioned. A total of 260 clingfish were collected from 2 localities of central Chile, four seasons and during 3 year cycles (from July 2006 to July 2009). In the whole clingfish sample, 668 parasites were found, which belonged to 14 parasite taxa; 9 of them were new records in G. marmoratus. Parasite infracommunity richness ranged 0–3 species, although 1 trematode species, Helicometrina nimia, represented 80% of all parasites collected and was the most abundant and prevalent parasite species. The average of parasite abundance and intensity (± SD) was 2.5 ± 8.2 and 7.5 ± 12.7, respectively. Generalized linear model showed that parasite communities were influenced by season, locality, sampling year, and maturity stage when considering the abundance and intensity of parasites. For the parasite richness, only the locality and maturity of fish was determinant for explaining the differences. The populations and communities of the parasite variations were variable due to differences in fish body length because prevalence, abundance and intensity of parasites significantly correlated with the fish body length. Concordantly, maturity fish were longer than immature fish. Thus, clingfish from El Tabo were longest and mature, which harbored higher parasite richness than those fish from Las Cruces.

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The ecology of parasites of freshwater fishes: the search for patterns

Parasitology ◽

10.1017/s0031182009005794 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 136 (12) ◽

pp. 1653-1662 ◽

Cited By ~ 27

Author(s):

C. R. KENNEDY

Keyword(s):

Community Dynamics ◽

Parasite Community ◽

Freshwater Fishes ◽

Convincing Evidence ◽

Helminth Parasites ◽

Parasite Communities ◽

Space And Time ◽

Long Time ◽

Population And Community Dynamics ◽

Parasite Populations

SUMMARYDevelopments in the study of the ecology of helminth parasites of freshwater fishes over the last half century are reviewed. Most research has of necessity been field based and has involved the search for patterns in population and community dynamics that are repeatable in space and time. Mathematical models predict that under certain conditions host and parasite populations can attain equilibrial levels through operation of regulatory factors. Such factors have been identified in several host-parasite systems and some parasite populations have been shown to persist over long time-periods. However, there is no convincing evidence that fish parasite populations are stable and regulated since in all cases alternative explanations are equally acceptable and it appears that they are non-equilibrial systems. It has proved particularly difficult to detect replicable patterns in parasite communities. Inter-specific competition, evidenced by functional and numerical responses, has been detected in several communities but its occurrence is erratic and its significance unclear. Some studies have failed to find any nested patterns in parasite community structure and richness, whereas others have identified such patterns although they are seldom constant over space and time. Departures from randomness appear to be the exception and then only temporary. It appears that parasite communities are non-equilibrial, stochastic assemblages rather than structured and organized.

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Bovine tuberculosis disturbs parasite functional trait composition in African buffalo

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences ◽

10.1073/pnas.1903674116 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 116 (29) ◽

pp. 14645-14650 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Brianna R. Beechler ◽

Kate S. Boersma ◽

Peter E. Buss ◽

Courtney A. C. Coon ◽

Erin E. Gorsich ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Community Composition ◽

Bovine Tuberculosis ◽

Community Dynamics ◽

Parasite Community ◽

Functional Trait ◽

Taxonomic Composition ◽

African Buffalo ◽

Emerging Infections ◽

Parasite Communities ◽

Parasite Richness

Novel parasites can have wide-ranging impacts, not only on host populations, but also on the resident parasite community. Historically, impacts of novel parasites have been assessed by examining pairwise interactions between parasite species. However, parasite communities are complex networks of interacting species. Here we used multivariate taxonomic and trait-based approaches to determine how parasite community composition changed when African buffalo (Syncerus caffer) acquired an emerging disease, bovine tuberculosis (BTB). Both taxonomic and functional parasite richness increased significantly in animals that acquired BTB than in those that did not. Thus, the presence of BTB seems to catalyze extraordinary shifts in community composition. There were no differences in overall parasite taxonomic composition between infected and uninfected individuals, however. The trait-based analysis revealed an increase in direct-transmitted, quickly replicating parasites following BTB infection. This study demonstrates that trait-based approaches provide insight into parasite community dynamics in the context of emerging infections.

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Seasonal variability of the composition and structure of parasite communities of red porgy, Pagrus pagrus (Perciformes: Sparidae) off Brazil

Helminthologia ◽

10.1515/helmin-2015-0038 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 52 (3) ◽

pp. 236-243 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

I. A. Soares ◽

J. L. Luque

Keyword(s):

Rainy Season ◽

Dominant Species ◽

Parasite Community ◽

Reproductive Activity ◽

Metazoan Parasites ◽

Parasite Communities ◽

Four Seasons ◽

Composition And Structure ◽

Pagrus Pagrus ◽

Autumn And Winter

Abstract A study of seasonal variation of metazoan parasite community of Pagrus pagrus was conducted between January and December 2012. Two hundred forty specimens of Pagrus pagrus were collected in four seasons (autumn and winter in dry season and spring and summer in rainy season) from off the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Twenty one species of metazoan parasites were found, with larvae of Hysterothylacium sp. being the dominant species. The highest values of prevalence and abundance was during the rainy season with peak prevalence of monogeneans and nematodes, period of action of the South Atlantic Central Waters (SACW) and reproductive activity of the host, suggesting that the sasonal variation in the parasites community was influenced for these phenomena.

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Nestedness of parasite communities of intertidal fish in central Chile: how influential is the body length of the host?

Revista de Biología Tropical ◽

10.15517/rbt.v63i4.16785 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 63 (4) ◽

pp. 995

Author(s):

Pilar Aparicio-Rizzo ◽

Gabriela Muñoz

Keyword(s):

Body Length ◽

The Body ◽

Central Chile ◽

Parasite Communities ◽

Intertidal Fish

La estructura de la comunidad de parásitos, determinada mediante análisis de anidamiento, varía considerablemente en función de la especie hospedera y el tamaño corporal de la misma. El patrón anidado es aquel en el que comunidades pobres en especies constituyen subunidades de comunidades de mayor riqueza, lo cual también se observa en las comunidades de parásitos. Existen grandes diferencias de riqueza y abundancia de parásitos en función del tamaño del hospedero. Por lo tanto, en este estudio determinamos, mediante análisis de anidamiento, si la estructura de la comunidad de parásitos de peces del intermareal, se relaciona con la longitud corporal de los hospederos y los descriptores parasitológicos. Se recolectaron 2 435 individuos de cinco especies de peces del intermareal rocoso de Chile central (32º02’-33º57’ S y 70º30’- 70º30’ W); Helcogrammoides chilensis, Scartichthys viridis, Auchenionchus microcirrhis, Gobiesox marmoratus y Sicyases sanguineus. Cada especimen fue revisado con respecto a sus parásitos y medido en su longitud total (LT). Las cinco especies muestreadas fueron clasificadas en función de la longitud corporal (LT) en tres rangos, cada uno de los cuales constituye una infracomunidad del estudio, y para la que se calculó el índice de anidamiento. Se emplearon los modelos NTCP (Nestedness Temperature Calculator Program) y NODF (Nestedness metric based on the Overlap and Decreasing Fill), utilizando la presencia/ausencia de especies parásitas. También se empleó el modelo WNODF (Weighted – NODF) utilizando la abundancia de parásitos por especie. Así mismo, se calculó la riqueza total de especies, el promedio de riqueza, abundancia, diversidad y dominancia a nivel de la infracomunidad, para relacionarlos con los índices de anidamiento. Las infracomunidades de parásitos de la mayoría de las especies presentaron patrones de anidamiento, excepto en G. marmoratus y H. chilensis, en algunos de sus rangos de LT. No se encontró una relación directa entre el índice de anidamiento y la LT de los peces. Sin embargo, se observaron correlaciones directas de los índices de anidamiento con la riqueza promedio, abundancia y la diversidad infracomunitaria de parásitos, pero no con la riqueza total, que mostró una correlación inversa con la LT del hospedero. Además, se detectó anidamiento en la comunidad componente de parásitos en todas las especies de peces. Concluimos que las comunidades de parásitos de peces provenientes de la zona intermareal son estructuradas y predecibles, y se encuentran vagamente condicionadas por la LT de los hospederos y las características agregadas de los parásitos, especialmente a un nivel infracommunitario.

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Parasite communities of a fish assemblage from the intertidal rocky zone of central Chile: similarity and host specificity between temporal and resident fish

Parasitology ◽

10.1017/s0031182009990758 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 136 (11) ◽

pp. 1291-1303 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

G. MUÑOZ ◽

Y. CORTÉS

Keyword(s):

Host Specificity ◽

Fish Species ◽

Fish Assemblage ◽

Parasite Species ◽

Parasite Community ◽

Central Chile ◽

Resident Fish ◽

Parasite Communities ◽

High Host Specificity ◽

Intertidal Fish

SUMMARYThe different species of a fish assemblage can, to some extent, be similar in terms of their parasite communities, which can be associated with certain ecological host traits. This study compared the parasite community descriptors between temporal and resident fish species composing an intertidal assemblage from central Chile. Host specificity and similarity indices of parasite communities among the fish species were also considered. A total of 1097 fish representing 14 species were collected during spring and summer of 2 consecutive years. A total spectrum of 40 parasite species was found, of which copepods and trematodes were the commonest. Congeneric fish species had the highest similarities in their parasite communities. Based on a cluster analysis, using only some fish species, no group was distinguished using abundance or prevalence of parasites, because 50% of parasite species had high host specificity and only few of them were shared among fish species. Adult parasites showed high host specificity and were found mainly in resident intertidal fish, whereas the temporal fish had parasites with different degrees of specificity. Consequently, resident intertidal fish were characterized by their own parasite species, meaning that their transmissions might be restricted to the intertidal zone.

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Comparison of the parasite community of two notothens, Notothenia rossii and N. coriiceps (Pisces: Nototheniidae), from King George Island, Antarctica

Journal of Helminthology ◽

10.1017/s0022149x18000858 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 93 (6) ◽

pp. 732-737 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

G. Muñoz ◽

M. Rebolledo

Keyword(s):

Body Length ◽

Fish Species ◽

Species Abundance ◽

Parasite Community ◽

King George Island ◽

Field Campaign ◽

Parasite Communities ◽

Fish Samples ◽

Notothenia Coriiceps ◽

Notothenia Rossii

AbstractIn this study, we analysed and compared the whole parasite community from the fish Notothenia rossii and Notothenia coriiceps collected from Fildes Bay at King George Island, Antarctica, during January–February 2017 in a field campaign supported by the Chilean Antarctic Institute. The fish samples collected were 45 specimens of N. rossii and 22 of N. coriiceps, with total lengths averaging 29.7 ± 5.3 cm and 32.5 ± 3.2 cm, respectively. Fish were dissected to collect their internal and external parasites. All the fish were parasitized; 13 taxa were found in N. rossii and 12 taxa in N. coriiceps. Acanthocephalans, mainly Metacanthocephalus johnstoni and Aspersentis megarhynchus, were the most abundant and prevalent parasites in both fish species. The abundance and richness of the parasite infracommunity increased with the host body length only in N. rossii. Twelve parasitic taxa were shared by both notothen species. Abundance and prevalence of parasitic taxa, as well as the average richness and abundance of the parasite infracommunities were mostly similar between the two fish species. Parasite compositions of N. coriiceps reported in published studies from King George Island were relatively comparable to our sample. We concluded that the two congeneric and sympatric fish species had highly similar parasite communities, which indicates that they use resources in a similar way, thus allowing them to become parasitized with the same parasitic species and in the same abundances. All parasites recorded in this study have been found in several other fish species; therefore, parasites from notothens are considered to be generalists.

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Metazoan parasite community of Steindachnerina brevipinna (Curimatidae) from Southern Brazil

Helminthologia ◽

10.2478/s11687-010-0025-8 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 47 (3) ◽

pp. 164-169 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

T. Ceschini ◽

R. Takemoto ◽

F. Yamada ◽

L. Moreira ◽

G. Pavanelli

Keyword(s):

Qualitative Data ◽

Parasite Species ◽

Statistical Tests ◽

Parasite Community ◽

Metazoan Parasites ◽

Parasite Abundance ◽

Ecological Relationships ◽

Parasite Richness ◽

Relative Condition Factor ◽

Gonadal Maturity

Abstract In order to examine the ecological relationships of metazoan parasites and their hosts, 63 specimens of Steindachnerina brevipinna have been collected from April to September 2006, in the rivers Guairacá and Corvo, tributaries of the low Paranapanema River. Five different parasite species have been found (Paranaella sp., Sphicterodiplostomum musculosum, Cosmoxynema vianai, Travnema travnema and Spinoxyuris sp.), with parasite richness from 1 to 4. The dominance index (C > 0.25) was calculated for S. musculosum and aggregation of S. musculosum and Paranaella sp. were reported. There were no associations or covariations between the species of parasites. Values did not show interference of parasite abundance at different gonadal maturity stages. The relative condition factor (Kn) did not show significant values regarding quantitative and qualitative data on parasitism. Statistical tests were significant between the prevalence and the abundance of parasites and the standard length of the hosts, as well as for the parasite abundance in different months and tributaries.

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Similarity and structure of the ectoparasite communities of rockfish species from the southern Chilean coast in a temporal scale

Parasitology ◽

10.1017/s0031182006000370 ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 133 (3) ◽

pp. 335-343 ◽

Cited By ~ 15

Author(s):

M. T. GONZÁLEZ ◽

M. E. OLIVA

Keyword(s):

Species Richness ◽

Parasite Species ◽

Parasite Community ◽

Temporal Scale ◽

Parasite Abundance ◽

Parasite Communities ◽

Chilean Coast ◽

Patterns And Processes ◽

Prevalent Species

The understanding of the patterns and processes underlying the structure of parasite communities has progressed significantly in the last years; however, much of the evidence available to date on parasite community comes from unconfirmed studies. In this study the ectoparasite communities of 2 related rockfishes, Sebastes capensis and Helicolenus lengerichi, from the southern Chilean coast (ca. 40 °S) were examined to determine whether their specific compositions are similar, structured in non-random ways, and repeatable among years. From 2001 to 2004, 189 specimens of S. capensis and 101 of H. lengerichi were examined, 10 and 9 parasite species were recorded in S. capensis and H. lengerichi, respectively. Component ectoparasite communities of these hosts were taxonomically similar (60%), but the abundances and prevalences of their parasites differed significantly among years and between hosts. The most prevalent species were Lepeophtheirus chilensis, and Microcotyle sp. for S. capensis, and Microcotyle sp., Juanetia continentalis, and Interniloculus chilensis for H. lengerichi. Infracommunities of S. capensis showed higher species richness and parasite numbers than those of H. lengerichi. The similarity among infracommunities (measured as parasite abundance) varied significantly among years both within and between hosts. Despite this, temporal nestedness patterns were observed in infracommunities of these hosts, suggesting that their ectoparasite communities are structured and might be predictable in time, at least in the southern Chilean coast where they share the same habitat.

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Parasite community of a temporal notothen fish from intertidal rocky pools in south-central Chile: Is it similar to other fish from the same habitat?

Revista de biología marina y oceanografía ◽

10.22370/rbmo.2018.53.2.1294 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 53 (2) ◽

pp. 209 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Gabriela Muñoz ◽

Francisco Vildoso ◽

Mario George-Nascimento

Keyword(s):

South America ◽

Parasite Community ◽

Rocky Intertidal ◽

Central Chile ◽

Parasite Richness ◽

South Central ◽

Antarctic Waters ◽

Similarity Indices ◽

Intertidal Pools ◽

Anisakid Nematodes

Notothen fishes (Nototheniidae) have been recorded on the coasts of South America, from 35°S to southern. Little is known about the biology of intertidal notothen fishes or their relationships with other species, including parasites. Here, we analyzed the parasitic fauna of a species of Notothenia collected from the rocky intertidal of Lebu, south-central Chile (36°S) and compared the parasite community of this host with other 9 fish species commonly found in rocky intertidal pools. Among the tested species, Notothenia sp. had the highest parasite richness (21 parasitic taxa vs. 1 to 9 parasitic taxa). The composition of parasite species was different among fishes, with similarity indices between 0 and 33%. The parasite composition of Notothenia sp. was most similar to Calliclinus geniguttatus (27%). The most abundant and prevalent parasites found in Notothenia sp. were the copepod Caligus cf. cheilodactyli, Tetraphyllidea larvae, anisakid nematodes, and several acanthocephalan species, which are typical of other fish from the subtidal and bento-demersal zones. Therefore, we conclude that the juveniles of Notothenia sp. were a few months old and had their parasites when reaching the intertidal zone, acquired some generalist parasites during their stay in this habitat, such as Holobomolochus chilensis and Lecithaster macrocotyle. Most notothen fishes are from Antarctic and Sub-Antarctic waters, therefore, it is possible that this fish came from another habitat but also from the austral region of South America. Notothenia sp. could not be specifically identified because of different results between morphological and genetic analyses.

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Richness patterns in the parasite communities of exotic poeciliid fishes

Parasitology ◽

10.1017/s0031182099005958 ◽

2000 ◽

Vol 120 (6) ◽

pp. 609-623 ◽

Cited By ~ 29

Author(s):

A. D. M. DOVE

Keyword(s):

Native Species ◽

Parasite Species ◽

Parasite Community ◽

Life Cycles ◽

Theoretical Modelling ◽

Sampling Effort ◽

Parasite Communities ◽

Parasite Richness ◽

Host Sex ◽

Native Fishes

Three species of poeciliids (Gambusia holbrooki, Xiphophorus helleri and X. maculatus) and 15 species of ecologically similar native freshwater fishes (mainly eleotrids, ambassids, melanotaeniids and retropinnids) were examined for parasite richness to investigate parasite flux, qualitative differences, quantitative differences and the structuring factors in parasite communities in the 2 fish types in Queensland, Australia. Theory suggests that poeciliids would harbour depauperate parasite communities. Results supported this hypothesis; poeciliids harboured more species-poor parasite infracommunities and regional faunas than natives (P < 0·0001), despite greater sampling effort for the former. Cluster analysis of presence/absence data for poeciliids and the 6 most-sampled native fishes revealed that parasite communities of the 2 fish groups are qualitatively distinct; the proportion of parasite species with complex life-cycles was lower in poeciliids than in native species, and Myxosporea, Microspora, Coccidia and parasitic Crustacea were all absent from poeciliids. Limited exchange of parasite species has occurred between natives and poeciliids. Logistic ordinal regression analysis revealed that fish origin (exotic or native), environmental disturbance and host sex were all significant determinants of parasite community richness (P < 0·05). Theoretical modelling suggests that poeciliids are at a competitive advantage over native fishes because of their lack of parasites.

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