Comparison of parasite diversity of intertidal fish assemblages from central California and central Chile

Abstract

espanolLas costas de Chile y California central representan importantes puntos de comparacion para el estudio de convergencias ecologicas como la composicion de parasitos en distintos hospederos. Ambas costas presentan similares condiciones ambientales junto con compartir muchas familias de distintas especies. Se analizo la diversidad parasitaria de especies de peces de ambas zonas comparando si existe similitud entre estas faunas, ademas se determino la presencia de 6 grupos taxonomicos de parasitos a traves de la literatura y en bases de datos para cada zona (Chile y California). Se creo una matriz de presencia ausencia para las especies de peces estudiadas de ambas zonas y se realizo un analisis de similitud para probar si la composicion parasitaria era similar. Los taxones de parasitos mayormente encontrados en peces de California Central correspondieron a digeneos y nematodos mientras que en Chile central se encontro una mayor diversidad (Digenea, Annelida, Copepoda, Acanthocephala y Nematoda). El analisis de similitud mostro que las comunidades parasitarias entre Chile y California son diferentes significativamente, sin embargo, se obtuvieron sobreposiciones en la diversidad parasitaria agrupandose los hospedadores en 3 grupos, uno de los cuales estuvo conformado por hospedadores de ambas zonas. Esta diferencia puede ser explicada por la reducida diversidad de parasitos en el ensamble de peces del intermareal rocoso en California, tal vez debido a los escasos estudios existentes sobre parasitos de peces intermareales en California, junto con posibles factores no estudiados hasta el momento. EnglishThe coasts of central Chile and central California are important points of comparison in the study of ecological convergence such as a host's parasite load because of their similar environmental conditions and the shared presence of many families of different species. In this study, the diversity of parasites in fish species from both zones was analyzed and compared to establish if there are similarities between them. The presence of 6 taxonomic groups of parasites was determined using published literature and databases for each location. A presence-absence matrix was created for the fish species studied in Chile and California, and a similarity analysis was carried out to prove whether the parasite loads of both zones were similar. The parasite taxa most frequently found in fish in central California were Digenea and Nematoda, whereas in central Chile the common taxa were Digenea, Annelida, Copepoda, Acanthocephala, and Nematoda. The similarity analysis showed that the parasite composition was different between zones. Nevertheless, overlaps were obtained in the parasitic diversity grouping the host in 3 host groups, one of which consists of hosts from both zones. This difference can be explained by the low parasitic diversity in the assemble of rocky intertidal fishes in California, potentially due to the limited amount of existing studies on intertidal fish parasites in California, along with other possible factors not explored in the present study.