Российский паразитологический журнал (Oct 2019)
Glaucous gull (Larus hyperboreus Gunnerus, 1767) in the Barents Sea: A review of helminthfauna and the possibility of using as an indicator of parasitological situation
Abstract
The research objective - Analysis of helminthfauna of glaucous gulls (Larus hyperboreus Gunnerus, 1767) in the Barents Sea and assess the feasibility of their use as indicators of parasitological situation in the region. Materials and methods. The samples were taken from literature data on helmintofauna of glaucous gulls in different regions of the Barents Sea - the Northern part of the Kola Bay, the Southern and Northern Novaya Zemlya Islands, the archipelagos of Franz-Josef Land and Spitzbergen, Bear Island, and south-eastern part of the Barents Sea (Pechora Sea). The species composition of helminthes and quantitative parameters of birds infestation (prevalence of infestation, PI, and abundance index, AI) were determined. Statistical analysis of results using F-distribution and the estimation of the similarity of the composition of the helminthfauna of glaucous gulls and several other bird species in the Barents Sea using S0rensen-Dice index were conducted. A comparison of birds infestation in the western part (Spitsbergen, Bear Island, Kola Bay) and eastern part (Franz Josef Land, Novaya Zemlya, Vaygach Island) of the Barents Sea was conducted also. Results and discussion. It was established that helminthfauna of glaucous gulls in the Barents Sea are characterized by high species diversity (34 species - 8 species of trematodes, 16 species of cestodes, 8 species of nematodes, 2 species of acanthocephalans) and low values of quantitative parameters of infestation (PI and AI). In species diversity of helminthfauna of all birds of the Barents Sea glaucous gulls are second only to herring gulls. This is primarily due to the wide distribution and high trophic flexibility of glaucous gulls. Low values of the parameters of infestation, apparently, are explained by, firstly, adverse environmental conditions and low diversity of potential intermediate hosts of helminths in Arctic communities, and secondly, using by glaucous gulls of those options food strategy in which the chances of infection by parasites are minimal - predation, collecting food waste and ground feed. It is revealed that helminthfauna of the birds in the western part of the Barents Sea is more diverse as compared to that in the eastern part due to more favourable conditions for circulation of many parasites. The analysis showed that the resolution of the glaucous gulls using as indicator species “parasitologal background” in the Barents Sea can be quite high, and at the moment this species of bird seems to be the most promising target for this purpose.
