Abstract
Species richness and composition are central themes in community ecology of helminths because they improve the understanding of factors that determine community structure. Floodplain ecosystems and the environmental alterations induced by hydrological cycles are factors that maintain biodiversity over time, as observed in the Upper Parana River floodplain, where the individuals of Brycon orbignyanus were collected. The objective of this study was to evaluate whether variables such as the richness and abundance of endoparasites are related to the fish size during different hydrological periods (high and low waters). A total of 163 endoparasites belonging to 13 species were collected in the 104 fish examined. Fish size had a positive correlation with mean diversity and abundance of the endoparasite infracommunity, supporting the idea that larger hosts are able to harbor a more abundant and diverse parasite infracommunity. The diversity of habitats provided by the floodplain can be considered the main factor explaining the differences between these attributes of parasite species. Variations in parasite richness between different hosts provide not only a good model for studies on community diversification but are also of great interest in species conservation. All parasite species found in B. orbignyanus were recorded for the first time in this host, especially in the Upper Parana River floodplain.
Highlights
Floodplains are a complex gradient between the river channel and uplands, within which a variety of secondary and tertiary ecotones is embedded (Ward, Tockner, & Schiemer, 1999)
Regulation of the main river from the construction of reservoirs has changed the dynamics of the floodplain of the upper Paraná River, and its biodiversity
Freshwater fish are vertebrates that can be utilized as a model to study hosts that are home to a large variety of parasite species, being ectoparasites or endoparasites belonging to different phyla (Eiras, Takemoto, & Pavanelli, 2006)
Summary
Floodplains are a complex gradient between the river channel and uplands, within which a variety of secondary and tertiary ecotones is embedded (Ward, Tockner, & Schiemer, 1999). Regulation of the main river from the construction of reservoirs has changed the dynamics of the floodplain of the upper Paraná River, and its biodiversity. Floods can change the population dynamics of fish populations and their biological and physiological conditions, influencing the structure and composition of the fauna of fish parasites (Takemoto et al, 2009). Freshwater fish are vertebrates that can be utilized as a model to study hosts that are home to a large variety of parasite species, being ectoparasites or endoparasites belonging to different phyla (Eiras, Takemoto, & Pavanelli, 2006). Pavanelli, Machado, and Takemoto (1997) published a preliminary list of the helminth parasites of fishes from the floodplain of the Upper Paraná River with data collected from 81 host species Freshwater fish are vertebrates that can be utilized as a model to study hosts that are home to a large variety of parasite species, being ectoparasites or endoparasites belonging to different phyla (Eiras, Takemoto, & Pavanelli, 2006). Pavanelli, Machado, and Takemoto (1997) published a preliminary list of the helminth parasites of fishes from the floodplain of the Upper Paraná River with data collected from 81 host species
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
