Parasite community composition of fishes reflects protection status of mangrove forests in a West African estuary

Abstract

Mangrove forests provide important ecosystem services to humans, including flood protection, provision of timber and non-timber forest products, and carbon storage. Fisheries production is perhaps one of the most frequently cited resources. However, fisheries also put substantial pressure on fishes and their metazoan parasite communities. We provide the first quantitative survey of parasitic infections of mangrove fishes. We sampled the gills (n=105) and guts (n=72) of 22 fish species in the Saloum Delta (Senegal) inside and outside of a marine protected area (MPA). Over 5,000 parasite specimens belonging to 24 species including species of Monopisthocotyla, Polyopisthocotyla, Acanthocephala, Nematoda, Trematoda, and Cestoda were collected, identified, and barcoded. We found differences in prevalence, infection intensity, and species diversity between MPA and non-MPA sites. This survey provides a first baseline for the parasite biodiversity of West African mangrove fishes and will serve as a reference library for infection, morphological, and molecular data.