The parasite fauna of resident char Salvelinus alpinus from Arctic islands, with special reference to Bear Island

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Abstract
Samples of resident freshwater char, Salvelinus alpinus were obtained from three lakes on Bjørnøya and their parasite faunas examined. Comparison of the species composition, number, diversity and equitability of the parasite faunas of Bjørnøya with those of other Arctic islands, an inshore island and lakes on the Norwegian mainland indicated that the communities on Bjørnøya formed a distinct unit with a high degree of similarity between the three lakes. Small differences could be related to differences in the ecology of the lakes. The parasite community of char on Spitsbergen showed the greatest similarity to that on Bjørnøya, and the communities of char in mainland lakes the least. Species number and diversity of parasites were often higher on the Arctic islands than on the mainland, and did not correlate with island size or distance from the mainland. The island parasite communities were often dominated by a single species, but a similar situation was also observed in the mainland lakes. It is concluded that the parasite fauna of char on offshore Arctic islands does not agree well with the predictions of island biogeographical theory.