Parasites in vertebrates of continental aquatic environments. How much contribute to the biodiversity in the Argentinean Patagonia

SEMENAS, LILIANA; VIOZZI, GUSTAVO; FLORES, VERÓNICA; RAUQUE, CARLOS; VEGA, ROCÍO; VELEIZAN, AYLEN; CASALINS, LAURA; WAICHEIM, AGUSTINA

México

Congreso; 13th International Congress of Parasitology; 2014

The world federation of Parasitologists

Parasitism is the most widespread way of life on the planet, considering that each freeliving species houses one or more parasite species. They influence the biodiversity, abundance and behaviour of organisms, but they are "invisible" components of communities so they have been poorly included in ecological and conservation studies. The Argentinean Patagonia extends from the 37°55´S to the south of the country and includes 20 basins, most draining to the Atlantic. Their aquatic environments are inhabited by numerous species of vertebrates, approximately 30 fish, 16 amphibians, 53 birds and 4 mammals. Considering the contribution that the parasites made to the stability of ecosystems, the objective of this study was to evaluate the potential richness of parasite species in freshwater environments of Argentinean Continental Patagonia. METHODS:We performed a quantitative assessment using the total number of species of aquatic vertebrates, the number of host species studied and the number of parasitic metazoans reported. We examined by necropsy, at least 1 specimen of approximately 52% of the species of vertebrate present in Patagonia. Birds and amphibians, were the less examined hosts, 39% and 31%, respectively of the total. RESULTS: The 92% of the examined host species (25 species of fish, 5 of amphibians, 21 of birds and 3 of mammals) was parasitized. A total of 137 species of metazoan parasites was registered (88 in fish, 3 in amphibians, 43 in birds and 3 in mammals). CONCLUSIONS: Considering the mean value of parasite species per host and that approximately 42% of host species was no examined for parasites, the richness of parasites could at least double the present number. These results confirm that parasites make up the greatest fraction of biodiversity and considering its ubiquity and its regulatory role, they should therefore be included in the studies and the policies of conservation and management of ecosystems.