Temporal variations in the parasite communities of intertidal fish from central Chile: resident vs temporal hosts

摘要

This study determines the existence of temporal patterns in parasite communities of resident (Scartichthys viridis and Helcogrammoides chilensis) and temporal fishes (Girella laevifrons and Sicyases sanguineus) from the rocky intertidal of central Chile. Fish were seasonally collected, from winter 2006 to winter 2009. In resident fishes, the mean infracommunity abundance and richness, as well as the total prevalence of parasites, varied seasonally during the three years. The highest values of total prevalence, abundance and richness of parasites were observed during the spring-summer periods, whereas the lowest values were found during the autumn-winter periods. However, the magnitude of these community descriptors differed among years. For temporal fishes, there were great variations within the parasite community descriptors, with little congruence among years. Part of this variation in both fish groups was because of the fish total length (TL), as there were positive and significant correlations between parasitological descriptors and fish TL; however, its influence was clearly seasonally demonstrated only in S. viridis, whereas the TL of the other fish species was less or not important for the variation in the abundance, richness and prevalence of parasites. It is possible that other factors, such as environmental characteristics, host abundances (intermediate or definitive hosts), and the type and timing of parasite life cycles might have different influences in the temporal variation of their communities, showing the temporal patterns seen in this research.