La estructura de las comunidades de helmintos de Galaxias maculatus (Osmeriformes: Galaxiidae) en diferentes sitios de un lago de la Patagonia argentina

Abstract

The spatial variation of helminth communities of an aquatic system can be attributed to different biotic and abiotic factors. In South America, this type of studies has not been conducted in freshwater environments. The lake Nahuel Huapi is the largest within the Nahuel Huapi National Park. As it presents a diversity of habitat, this lake offers an ideal environment to identify factors that impact over the helminth communities of Galaxias maculatus (small puyen) at different sites of the lake. In order to analyze these variations, 144 small puyens were captured in five sites of the lake with different environmental characteristics. Community analyses were performed, and composition of communities and abundance of the different species of helminths were related with biotic and abiotic factors of the different sites. The size of the host, shallow littorals with aquatic vegetation, and anthropic impact were the factors that determined the variations in composition and abundance of the component communities of helminths in the prey fish Galaxias maculatus from Nahuel Huapi Lake.