Ostertag Belen Rocío, González-Reyes Andrea Ximena, Grabosky Alfonsina, Meier Florencia, Doma Irene Luisa, Corronca José, Rocha Alejandra Mariana
Faculty of Exact and Natural Sciences, National University of La Pampa (UNLPam), 151 Uruguay Avenue, CP 6300, Santa Rosa, La Pampa, Argentina. E-mail:
National Council for Scientific and Technical Research (CONICET), Godoy Cruz Street 2290, CP C1425FQB, Buenos Aires, Argentina. E-mail:
Zool Stud. 2023 Dec 29;62:e57. doi: 10.6620/ZS.2023.62-57. eCollection 2023.
Understanding and preserving biodiversity in natural habitats is crucial due to their rapid degradation and destruction. The meiofauna of natural areas is less well known than the macroscopic life. Tardigrades are common in limno-terrestrial meiofauna and can indicate environmental conditions. In this study, we expand our understanding of the taxonomy and ecology of tardigrade communities in two natural reserves in Argentina by examining the environmental factors that can affect them and the species that could be used as indicators. In 2018, sampling occurred in the Parque Luro Provincial Reserve (province of La Pampa) and the Poligono A Municipal Ecological Reserve (province of Salta). Samples were taken from epiphytic communities that grow on the bark of trees. Various environmental and microhabitat factors were taken into account. In the province of La Pampa, there were 1326 specimens of five species, and in the province of Salta, there were 212 specimens of nine species. The tardigrade communities in Salta exhibited statistically higher diversity than those in La Pampa. Temperature and moisture affected the tardigrade community of Parque Luro Provincial Reserve, while the microhabitat thickness affected those of Poligono A Municipal Ecological Reserve. The species turnover shaped the community of Salta, while nesting shaped the community of La Pampa.
鉴于自然栖息地正迅速退化和遭到破坏，了解并保护其中的生物多样性至关重要。自然区域的小型底栖动物比大型生物鲜为人知。缓步动物在淡水-陆地小型底栖动物中很常见，并且可以指示环境状况。在本研究中，我们通过研究可能影响阿根廷两个自然保护区缓步动物群落的环境因素以及可作为指示物种的种类，来拓展对这些群落分类学和生态学的认识。2018年，在卢罗省立公园保护区（拉潘帕省）和阿市多边形生态保护区（萨尔塔省）进行了采样。样本取自生长在树皮上的附生群落。考虑了各种环境和微生境因素。在拉潘帕省，有五个物种的1326个标本，在萨尔塔省，有九个物种的212个标本。萨尔塔的缓步动物群落多样性在统计学上高于拉潘帕的群落。温度和湿度影响了卢罗省立公园保护区的缓步动物群落，而微生境厚度影响了阿市多边形生态保护区的群落。物种更替塑造了萨尔塔的群落，而嵌套塑造了拉潘帕的群落。
