Ecomorphological patterns of the fishes inhabiting the tide pools of the Amazonian Coastal Zone, Brazil

Abstract

The present study was based on the identification of the ecomorphological patterns that characterize the fish species found in tide pools in the Amazonian Coastal Zone (ACZ) in the Pará State, Brazil. Representatives of 19 species were collected during two field campaigns in 2011. The dominance, residence status, and trophic guild of each species were established, and morphometric data were obtained for up to 10 specimens of each species. A total of 23 ecomorphological attributes related to locomotion, position in the water column, and foraging behavior were calculated for the analysis of ecomorphological distance. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was utilized for the evaluation of ecomorphological attributes that explained the variation among species. Mantel Test was used to correlate the taxonomic distance with species' morphological patterns and a partial Mantel Test to analyze the correlation among trophic guilds and ecomorphological patterns, controlling the effects of taxonomic distance among species. The analyses revealed two principal axes of the variation related to locomotion, correlated with the width of the caudal peduncle and the shape of the anal fin, as well as the influence of taxonomic distance on the ecomorphological characteristics of the different species. The dominant and resident species both presented a reduced capacity for continuous swimming. The two principal axes identified in relation to the position of the fish in the water column were correlated with the position of the eyes, the area of the pelvic fin, and body shape, with evidence of the influence of taxonomic distance on the morphology of the species. PCA grouped species with pelagic habits with benthonic ones. In the case of foraging behavior, the two principal axes formed by the analysis correlated with the size of the mouth, eye size, and the length of the digestive tract. Species of different guilds were grouped together, indicating a weak relationship between morphology and foraging behavior, and no relationship was found with taxonomic distance. The resident and dominant species in the tide pools of the ACZ present sedentary habits, with little evidence of the influence of taxonomic distance on the use of habitats or morphology, which was a poor indicator of foraging strategies, and showing that phylogenetically distant species could present similar ecomorphological patterns.Identificamos padrões ecomorfológicos que refletem a ecologia de espécies encontradas em poças de maré na Zona Costeira Amazônica (ZCA). Indivíduos de 19 espécies foram coletados no estado do Pará durante duas expedições em 2011. Foram estabelecidas dominância, grau de residência, guildas tróficas e tomadas medidas morfométricas de até 10 indivíduos de cada espécie. Calculou-se 23 atributos ecomorfológicos relacionados à locomoção, posição e forrageio, utilizados para o cálculo da distância ecomorfológica. Foram utilizadas Análises de Componentes Principais (PCA) para avaliar que atributos ecomorfológicos explicaram a variação entre as espécies. O tes...

Ecomorphological relationships of fish assemblages in a trans-Andean drainage, Upper Magdalena River Basin, Colombia

“…The trophic distance matrix was constructed using the trophic guild classification. A value of one was attributed to the pair of species belonging to the same guild and a value of two for species belonging to different guilds, as proposed by Soares et al (2013) (S6 -Available only as online supplementary file accessed with the online version of the article at http://www.scielo.br/ni).…”

“…Ecomorphological patterns in assemblages could identify species groups that exploit the same ecological resource independently of their phylogenetic relationships (Oliveira et al, 2010;Soares et al, 2013). However, most of the ecomorphological studies in Neotropical fish communities have focused on cis-Andean ecosystems (Casatti, Castro, 2006;Ferreira, 2007;Oliveira et al, 2010;Soares et al, 2013;Neves et al, 2015;Pessanha et al, 2015;RoaFuentes et al, 2015;Novakowski et al, 2016;Prado et al, 2016), which have shown significant relationships between morphological attributes that respond to ecological affinities such as trophic ecology or habitat use.…”

“…However, most of the ecomorphological studies in Neotropical fish communities have focused on cis-Andean ecosystems (Casatti, Castro, 2006;Ferreira, 2007;Oliveira et al, 2010;Soares et al, 2013;Neves et al, 2015;Pessanha et al, 2015;RoaFuentes et al, 2015;Novakowski et al, 2016;Prado et al, 2016), which have shown significant relationships between morphological attributes that respond to ecological affinities such as trophic ecology or habitat use. According to Neves et al (2015), if the theoretical framework of ecomorphological studies is expanded to different geographical areas with high levels of endemism and relatively low richness, it would help to elucidate the different patterns of assemblage structure and interspecific interactions within habitats.…”

Resource use by two electric fishes (Gymnotiformes) of the National Forest Saracá-Taquera, Oriximiná, Pará

“…This order exhibits a high functional diversity of head, mouth and nose morphology, which suggests trophic specializations (Albert, Crampton, 2005) if we consider that morphology is related to feeding mode and habitat use (Winemiller et al, 1995;Oliveira et al, 2010;Soares et al, 2013). For example, rhamphichthyids have an elongated snout with a terminal and small oral cavity that facilitates 2 e160144 [2] the capture of insect larvae in cavities in the streambed (Albert, Crampton, 2005).…”

Structure and composition of fish assemblages from São Sebastião Channel tide pools, southwestern Atlantic

“…Cunha et al 2007, Cunha et al 2008, Godinho & Lotufo 2010 and Southeast Brazil (e.g. Barreiros et al 2004, Macieira & Joyeux 2011, with many studies focusing on community ecology of tide pools (but see Soares et al 2013 for an ecomorphological approach).…”