A Global Assessment of Parasite Diversity in Galaxiid Fishes
Free-living species often receive greater conservation attention than the parasites they support, with parasite conservation often being hindered by a lack of parasite biodiversity knowledge. This study aimed to determine the current state of knowledge regarding parasites of the Southern Hemisphere...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2021-01-01
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| Series: | Diversity |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/13/1/27 |
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| author | Rachel A. Paterson Gustavo P. Viozzi Carlos A. Rauque Verónica R. Flores Robert Poulin |
| author_facet | Rachel A. Paterson Gustavo P. Viozzi Carlos A. Rauque Verónica R. Flores Robert Poulin |
| author_sort | Rachel A. Paterson |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Free-living species often receive greater conservation attention than the parasites they support, with parasite conservation often being hindered by a lack of parasite biodiversity knowledge. This study aimed to determine the current state of knowledge regarding parasites of the Southern Hemisphere freshwater fish family Galaxiidae, in order to identify knowledge gaps to focus future research attention. Specifically, we assessed how galaxiid–parasite knowledge differs among geographic regions in relation to research effort (i.e., number of studies or fish individuals examined, extent of tissue examination, taxonomic resolution), in addition to ecological traits known to influence parasite richness. To date, ~50% of galaxiid species have been examined for parasites, though the majority of studies have focused on single parasite taxa rather than assessing the full diversity of macro- and microparasites. The highest number of parasites were observed from Argentinean galaxiids, and studies in all geographic regions were biased towards the highly abundant and most widely distributed galaxiid species, <i>Galaxias maculatus</i>. Parasite diversity generally increased with the number of studies and individual fish examined, however studies which examined parasites from all body tissues could overcome the effects of low study effort. In order to promote further understanding of galaxiid–parasite biodiversity, we provide a series of recommendations, including the use of molecular techniques to verify parasite identity, and highlight the future roles both fish biologists and parasitologists can play. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T04:53:10Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-896f027721354776b4af9deb291d2b28 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1424-2818 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T04:53:10Z |
| publishDate | 2021-01-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Diversity |
| spelling | doaj.art-896f027721354776b4af9deb291d2b282023-12-03T13:08:52ZengMDPI AGDiversity1424-28182021-01-011312710.3390/d13010027A Global Assessment of Parasite Diversity in Galaxiid FishesRachel A. Paterson0Gustavo P. Viozzi1Carlos A. Rauque2Verónica R. Flores3Robert Poulin4The Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, P.O. Box 5685, Torgarden, 7485 Trondheim, NorwayLaboratorio de Parasitología, INIBIOMA, CONICET—Universidad Nacional del Comahue, Quintral 1250, San Carlos de Bariloche 8400, ArgentinaLaboratorio de Parasitología, INIBIOMA, CONICET—Universidad Nacional del Comahue, Quintral 1250, San Carlos de Bariloche 8400, ArgentinaLaboratorio de Parasitología, INIBIOMA, CONICET—Universidad Nacional del Comahue, Quintral 1250, San Carlos de Bariloche 8400, ArgentinaDepartment of Zoology, University of Otago, P.O. Box 56, Dunedin 9054, New ZealandFree-living species often receive greater conservation attention than the parasites they support, with parasite conservation often being hindered by a lack of parasite biodiversity knowledge. This study aimed to determine the current state of knowledge regarding parasites of the Southern Hemisphere freshwater fish family Galaxiidae, in order to identify knowledge gaps to focus future research attention. Specifically, we assessed how galaxiid–parasite knowledge differs among geographic regions in relation to research effort (i.e., number of studies or fish individuals examined, extent of tissue examination, taxonomic resolution), in addition to ecological traits known to influence parasite richness. To date, ~50% of galaxiid species have been examined for parasites, though the majority of studies have focused on single parasite taxa rather than assessing the full diversity of macro- and microparasites. The highest number of parasites were observed from Argentinean galaxiids, and studies in all geographic regions were biased towards the highly abundant and most widely distributed galaxiid species, <i>Galaxias maculatus</i>. Parasite diversity generally increased with the number of studies and individual fish examined, however studies which examined parasites from all body tissues could overcome the effects of low study effort. In order to promote further understanding of galaxiid–parasite biodiversity, we provide a series of recommendations, including the use of molecular techniques to verify parasite identity, and highlight the future roles both fish biologists and parasitologists can play.https://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/13/1/27Galaxiidae<i>Aplochiton</i><i>Brachygalaxias</i><i>Galaxias</i><i>Galaxiella</i><i>Lovettia</i> |
| spellingShingle | Rachel A. Paterson Gustavo P. Viozzi Carlos A. Rauque Verónica R. Flores Robert Poulin A Global Assessment of Parasite Diversity in Galaxiid Fishes Diversity Galaxiidae <i>Aplochiton</i> <i>Brachygalaxias</i> <i>Galaxias</i> <i>Galaxiella</i> <i>Lovettia</i> |
| title | A Global Assessment of Parasite Diversity in Galaxiid Fishes |
| title_full | A Global Assessment of Parasite Diversity in Galaxiid Fishes |
| title_fullStr | A Global Assessment of Parasite Diversity in Galaxiid Fishes |
| title_full_unstemmed | A Global Assessment of Parasite Diversity in Galaxiid Fishes |
| title_short | A Global Assessment of Parasite Diversity in Galaxiid Fishes |
| title_sort | global assessment of parasite diversity in galaxiid fishes |
| topic | Galaxiidae <i>Aplochiton</i> <i>Brachygalaxias</i> <i>Galaxias</i> <i>Galaxiella</i> <i>Lovettia</i> |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/13/1/27 |
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