Quantificação de tardígrados proveniente de fonte natural de uma universidade pública na cidade de Fortaleza – CE.

Abstract

Tardigrades are small animals observed under a microscope, with a cosmopolitan distribution. Morphologically, they have four pairs of legs with claws in the terminal region. The objective of the research is to cultivate and quantify tardigrades present in samples of roots from naturally strong aquatic plants. This is an experimental field research conducted at the Veterinary Clinical Pathology Laboratory (VCPL) at the State University of Ceará, where processing will take place in the Parasitology department from October 3, 2022, to August 30, 2023. Plant samples of the Pistia stratiotes and Eichhornia crassipes species were collected at random points from a natural source and placed in an aquatic environment with oxygenation and lighting. For the quantification of the animals, small plastic containers with a capacity of 25 ml were prepared, containing mineral water and roots extracted from the plants. The samples were processed according to the described methodology, and the collected tardigrades were observed using a stereomicroscope. Finally, upon analyzing the obtained data, we assessed the resistance capacity of tardigrades to stressful situations based on their survival. Out of 120 samples, the positive results were as follows: 44 (36.67%) were live tardigrades, 58 (48.33%) were live tardigrades with eggs, 15 (12.50%) were dead tardigrades, 26 (21.67%) were tardigrades in cryptobiosis, and 10 (8.33%) were tardigrades in cryptobiosis with eggs. In conclusion, the results provide important information about the distribution of tardigrades in various evolutionary states, contributing to a better understanding of the prevalence of these organisms under different conditions.