Native Fauna of Tardigrades from Two Natural Areas of the Argentina Republic

OSTERTAG, BELEN ROCÍO; GONZALEZ REYES, ANDREA XIMENA; GRABOSKY, ALFONSINA; MEIER, M. FLORENCIA; DOMA, IRENE LUISA; CORRONCA, JOSÉ ANTONIO; ROCHA, ALEJANDRA MARIANA

ZOOLOGICAL STUDIES

ACAD SINICA INST ZOOLOGY

Lugar: Taiwan; Año: 2023 vol. 62 p. 57 - 57

1021-5506

Understanding and preserving biodiversity in natural habitats is crucial due to their rapid degradation anddestruction. The meiofauna of natural areas is less well known than the macroscopic life. Tardigradesare common in limno-terrestrial meiofauna and can indicate environmental conditions. In this study, weexpand our understanding of the taxonomy and ecology of tardigrade communities in two natural reservesin Argentina by examining the environmental factors that can affect them and the species that could beused as indicators. In 2018, sampling occurred in the Parque Luro Provincial Reserve (province of LaPampa) and the Poligono A Municipal Ecological Reserve (province of Salta). Samples were taken fromepiphytic communities that grow on the bark of trees. Various environmental and microhabitat factorswere taken into account. In the province of La Pampa, there were 1326 specimens of five species, andin the province of Salta, there were 212 specimens of nine species. The tardigrade communities in Saltaexhibited statistically higher diversity than those in La Pampa. Temperature and moisture affected thetardigrade community of Parque Luro Provincial Reserve, while the microhabitat thickness affected thoseof Poligono A Municipal Ecological Reserve. The species turnover shaped the community of Salta, whilenesting shaped the community of La Pampa.