Abstract
The distribution, relative abundance, and rearing habitat of larvae of the Patagonian lamprey (Geotria macrostoma) were investigated in the Santa Cruz River basin, Patagonia, Argentina, using electrofishing and bile acid (petromyzonol sulfate) concentration. Both techniques revealed that larvae are widely distributed along the basin, aggregated at habitats of fine substrates and slow waters. Both, density and pheromone concentrations were consistent in detecting the presence of larvae and for gauging their abundance. Throughout the basin, length distribution of larvae ranged from 10 to 122 mm; larvae of the smaller length classes were present at both, upper sections and at the lower course of the main stem river, suggesting that these sites contained 0 + recruits from the previous spawning season. Currently construction of two hydroelectric dams in the main course of the Santa Cruz River will interrupt the migratory corridor of adult lamprey in search of their spawning grounds and will flood critical habitats for larvae rearing. The information generated in this study may be used as guidance for developing sampling surveys for the purpose of monitoring changes in populations trends for Patagonian lamprey in this river and other Patagonian drainages altered by human activities.
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Data availability
The datasets generated during and/or analyzed during the current study are available in the Supplementary Table.
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Acknowledgements
This work is a tribute to Miguel Casalinovo, a great person and colleague passionate about the ecology of rivers in Argentina. In Argentina, we are grateful to, Gabriela Massaferro and Mariano Coscarella for their assistance in data analysis and Fabián Quiroga, Néstor Ortiz, Ricardo Vera, and Julio Rúa (CCT-CENPAT-CONICET) for assistance in the field.
This study was carried out in accordance with the ethical regulations of CONICET (Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Tecnológicas) for biomedical and biological research with laboratory and farm animals, as well as those obtained in nature (Resolution D 1047 Annex II of the year 2005). Fish capture and handling procedures were approved by specific permits issued by the Ministerio de Producción, Comercio e Industria, Subsecretaría de Coordinación Pesquera from the Santa Cruz Province, under Resolution MPCI 438818/18 (original) and ensuing Dispositions 033/19, 009/20, 021/20, 010/22.
Funding
Funding was provided by IEASA (Integracioón Energética Argentina,https://www.ieasa.com.ar) and CONICET (Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, https://www.conicet.gov.ar). PIP N° 11220200103148CO. NIWA was supported through funding from the New Zealand Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment (MBIE) contract CO1X1615.
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Quiroga, P., Baker, C.F., Baigún, C. et al. Distribution and abundance of the Patagonian lamprey (Geotria macrostoma) in the largest unfragmented river of southern Patagonia, Argentina. Environ Biol Fish 106, 1933–1951 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10641-023-01472-4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10641-023-01472-4