Changes in diet of a neotropical cichlid in response to river damming

Abstract

Changes in diet of Laetacara araguaiae Ottoni and Costa, 2009 were evaluated in the Sucuriú River (Upper Paraná basin, Brazil) in an area with a small hydroelectric power plant, both before and after the formation of the reservoir, in order to answer: Did the construction of the reservoir affected the diet of this species? The results showed greater change of diet composition in the upstream section of the reservoir. It was observed that before the formation of the reservoir and the first year after, the individuals from upstream section formed a group characterized by an insectivorous diet. With the dam construction and habitat change we observed that aquatic plant material, sediment, and algae predominated in the diet. These results show the opportunistic feeding habit of L. araguaiae and contribute to the understanding of how the impoundment of rivers can influence the trophic dynamics of the ichthyofauna.

Diet of Psalidodon aff. fasciatus (Cuvier, 1819) (Teleostei: Characidae) in a neotropical river before reservoir formation

“…Spatial and seasonal variations occur in freshwaters as a result of environmental factors and, more recently, as the consequence of human influences affecting the behavior of resident species (Silva et al, 2012;Leite et al, 2021). The study of these environmental variations has directly contributed towards sustainable use of natural resources, for example, through assessments of how species feed themselves and how such variations arise from environmental-related factors, especially for fish (Jorge et al, 2019;Leite et al, 2021). In addition to disentangling important biological and behavioral patterns, tracking how feeding strategies adapt to these variations has enhanced the maintenance of natural resources (Zavala-Camin, 1996;Silva et al, 2012).…”