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Gill parasites of fish and their relation to host and environmental factors in two estuaries in northeastern Brazil

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Abstract

Fish parasites can be good indicators of the quality of water bodies, and their presence or absence can be interpreted as a sign of habitat changes, helping us to diagnose environmental problems. This study was conducted in two estuaries located in the Paraíba state, northeastern Brazil: Mamanguape, an environmental protection area, and Paraíba do Norte, a river with riverside communities along its length. The objective of the study was to determine whether host and abiotic characteristics predict the richness of fish gill parasites and/or the abundance of the most abundant and prevalent parasite species, the copepod Acusicola brasiliensis, testing the species as a possible bioindicator. The fish host species were Anchoa januaria, Atherinella brasiliensis, Mugil curema, and Rhinosardinia bahiensis. Generalized linear models were constructed to test the influence of predictor variables on parasite richness and A. brasiliensis abundance. The predictor variables used in the models were the host relative condition factor (Kn), host length, collection season (rainy or dry), estuary, host species, total phosphorus, and chlorophyll a. Both parasite species richness and A. brasiliensis mean abundance showed a significant relation to water quality parameters, suggesting their possible use as environmental quality indicators.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank the Coordination of Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (CAPES) for financing the PVE/CAPES project (Process 173/2012) “What lessons can be learned from ecological functioning in the estuarine systems of the state of Paraiba? An analysis of the effect of natural and anthropogenic disturbances” and the Science without Borders Program (Special Visiting Researcher). CAPES also funded J. Golzio through a master’s scholarship. The National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq) funded J. Falkenberg and A. Coutinho through undergraduate scholarships (Scientific Initiation). The authors thank Saulo Vital for the map.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of Hydrology, Microbiology and Parasitology, Federal University of Paraíba, João Pessoa, PB, Brazil

    Julia M. Falkenberg & Ana C. F. Lacerda

  2. Graduate Program in Ecology and Environmental Monitoring, Federal University of Paraíba, João Pessoa, PB, Brazil

    Julia M. Falkenberg

  3. Graduate Program in Zoology (Biological Sciences), Federal University of Paraíba, João Pessoa, PB, Brazil

    Jéssica Emília S. A. Golzio & Ana C. F. Lacerda

  4. Graduate Program in Ecology and Conservation, State University of Paraíba, Campina Grande, PB, Brazil

    André Pessanha

  5. Faculty of Sciences and Technology, MARE-Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal

    Joana Patrício

  6. State University of Paraíba - Campus V, João Pessoa, PB, Brazil

    Ana L. Vendel

  7. Departamento de Sistemática e Ecologia, Universidade Federal da Paraíba, Cidade Universitária, s/n, 58051-900, João Pessoa, PB, Brazil

    Julia M. Falkenberg

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  1. Julia M. Falkenberg
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Falkenberg, J.M., Golzio, J.E.S.A., Pessanha, A. et al. Gill parasites of fish and their relation to host and environmental factors in two estuaries in northeastern Brazil. Aquat Ecol 53, 109–118 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10452-019-09676-6

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