Fish assemblage structure is consistent through an annual hydrological cycle in habitats of a floodplain-lake in the Colombian Amazon

Abstract

Fish assemblage structure is consistent through an annual hydrological cycle in habitats of a floodplain-lake in the Colombian Amazon Sandra Bibiana Correa I investigated changes in abundance and spatial distribution of medium-and large-sized fishes (>100 mm) in an oxbow lake of the lower Apaporis River, Colombian Amazon, across three seasons (falling, low, and rising water). Fifty-three species in 13 families were collected from six habitats: lagoon channels, stream, flooded forests, isolated shrub patches, muddy beaches, and rocks. Abundance, biomass, and species richness were higher during the rising-water season and lower during fallingwater season. Correspondence analysis (CA) showed that fish assemblages were associated to two basic habitat types. One assemblage of fishes was associated with densely vegetated and structurally complex habitats (flooded forest, lagoon channels, stream, and isolated shrub patches), and a second assemblage of fishes was associated with muddy beaches. These assemblages persisted despite seasonal fluctuations in water level. Species in the structurally complex habitats assemblage were mostly omnivores, whereas the beach habitat assemblage included mainly piscivores and detritivores. Results from this study suggest that overall abundance of fishes in habitats within and surrounding Taraira Lake is highly variable among seasons, but species habitat affinity is maintained through seasons.Neste estudo, investiguei mudanças na abundância e distribuição espacial de peixes de médio a grande porte (> 100 mm) em um lago do baixo rio Apaporis, na Amazônia colombiana, durante três períodos hidrológicos (águas descendentes, baixas e ascendentes). No total foram coletadas 53 espécies, pertencentes a 13 famílias, em 6 hábitats: bosque inundado, canais, um arroio, grupos isolados de arbustos, praias e grandes rochas. A abundância, biomassa e riqueza de espécies foram maiores durante as águas ascendentes e menores durante as águas descendentes. Uma análise de correspondência (CA) mostrou que grupos de peixes se associaram a dois tipos básicos de hábitat. Um grupo de peixes se associou com hábitats com alta cobertura vegetal e complexidade estrutural (bosque inundado, canais, arroio e grupos isolados de arbustos) e um segundo grupo de peixes se associou com praias arenosas. Estas associações de espécies se mantiveram apesar da flutuação no nível da água. Espécies em hábitats estruturalmente complexos foram principalmente de hábitos omnívoros, enquanto que o grupo associado a praias incluiu principalmente piscívoros e detritívoros. Os resultados deste estudo sugerem que a abundância de peixes no lago Taraira e em hábitats adjacentes é variavel estacionalmente, porém a afinidade das espécies pelo hábitat se mantem através dos períodos hidrológicos.

Spatial and temporal variation of fish assemblage associated with aquatic macrophyte patches in the littoral zone of the Ayapel Swamp Complex, Colombia

“…The representation of the Characiformes and Siluriformes orders found in this study is consistent with the information recorded in the swamp of Ayapel (Ríos-Pulgarín et al, 2008), in a swamp of the Magdalena River floodplain (Arango-Rojas et al, 2008;Granado-Lorencio et al, 2012) and in a lake of the Colombian Amazon (Correa, 2008). Presence in captures of the Characiformes and Siluriformes orders reveal a marked contrast.…”

“…In Colombia, knowledge of ecology in the swamps is incipient and fish research has focused on fisheries, given their economic importance for riverside communities that derive their livelihood from this activity ). Only three studies considering the relationship between fish and aquatic vegetation have been conducted in Colombian aquatic environments (Correa, 2008;Rivera-Rondón et al, 2008, Pérez-Mayorga & Prada-Pedreros, 2011. Apart from the study conducted by Ríos-Pulgarín et al (2008), no systematic investigation of the fish fauna associated e espaciais mostraram uma variação de condições ambientais que realça a existência de condições heterogêneas (p<0,05).…”

Isotopic variation among Amazonian floodplain woody plants and implications for food-web research

“…Rainfall is estimated at 3836 ± 486.3 mm year-1, average monthly precipitation ranges from 258 ± 92.3 mm to 370 ± 100 mm, and average monthly temperature ranges from 22.5-27.3°C (Correa 2003). The annual flooding regime causes a 9-m fluctuation in water level, flooding the forest for up to 7-8 months of each year (Correa 2008). Water in the Apaporis has physicochemical properties similar to those of other black-water rivers in the Amazon Basin (pH ranges from 5.2-6.5, conductivity ranges from 5.9-7.4 mS cm-1, and Secchi disk transparency ranges from 0.6-1.3 m; Sioli 1984).…”

“…Fruiting phenology of most trees and liana species in flooded forests is synchronized with the annual flood (Parolin et al 2004). This resource pulse attracts a diverse suite of frugivores, from birds, bats and monkeys to turtles and fishes (Goulding 1980, Barnett et al 2005, Haugaasen & Peres 2007, 2008, Correa & Winemiller 2014. The high predictability of the flood pulse in the Amazon favors consumers capable of exploiting floodplain resources, therefore riparian terrestrial and aquatic food webs are subsidized by energy inputs from the flooded forest (Junk et al 1997, Oliveira et al 2006a, Junk & Piedade 2010.…”

Fish communities of the Pantanal wetland in Brazil: evaluating the effects of the upper Paraguay river flood pulse on baía Caiçara fish fauna

“…The alternation of low and high water levels is compared to an intermediate disturbance because it promotes reductions in species dominance and enhancements of the overall species richness (Neiff 1996;Thomaz et al 2007). For actively moving fish, floods allow the return of those species that leave the floodplain waterbodies at the beginning of the dry season, while the passively moving young of the year may disperse to the lowland nursery areas (Merron et al 1993;Penczak et al 2004;Sanches et al 2006;Correa 2008).…”