Viability of Seeds Consumed by Fishes in a Lowland Forest in the Brazilian Central Amazon

Abstract

Várzeas are forest areas seasonally flooded by white-water rivers and have a variety of tree species, which bear fruit during the filling or flood and in the beginning of low water periods. During those periods of inundation, fruits and seeds are important resources for different fish species. In this study, the viability of whole seeds removed from the stomach and intestine of fishes was analyzed. Fishes were collected with gillnets installed during 24-hr cycles along the flooded forest, during the filling, flood, and in the beginning of low water periods of the Year 2014 in the Catalão lake, Brazilian Central Amazon. In total, 1,915 specimens of fish were captured, and 148 specimens (8% from the total) contained seeds in their digestive tracts. Some fishes that consumed seeds are species commercially important and have migratory habits. Fishes consumed 3,092 seeds. All whole seeds removed from the digestive tracts of fishes were seeded in várzea soil and maintained in a greenhouse. Seeds of 16 plant species (89%) germinated. Our conclusion is that fish species can play an important role in the ecology of várzea forests by dispersing seeds, contributing to the colonization of new areas, and allowing genetic flow between subpopulations distributed along the rivers.

Thirty years after Balbina Dam: Diversity and floristic composition of the downstream floodplain forest, Central Amazon, Brazil

“…However, after construction of a hydroelectric dam, the flood pulse is controlled by the closing and opening of the dam's floodgates-driven by the demand for electricity (MME, 2007)which affects, among other properties, riverine connectivity. The lateral connectivity in natural riparian forest, between river channel and floodplain, and the longitudinal connectivity between the river's upstream and downstream systems (Ward, 1989), are important by both ways for the dispersal of seeds by water and fish, contributing to the structure of plant communities and maintaining the diversity and distribution of wetland vegetation along the Amazonian rivers (Gottsberger, 1978;Junk et al, 1989;Weiss, Zuanon & Piedade, 2016).…”

ALIMENTACIÓN NATURAL DE LA MOTA Calophysus macropterus (Lichtenstein, 1819), EN AMBIENTES DE LA AMAZONÍA PERUANA

“…El ítem crustáceos estuvo presente en menor proporción (15%) y los insectos fueron los menos representativos (1%) (Figura 1). Reportes en la Amazonía mencionan que la mota consume un bajo número de semillas en relación a las especies de Characiformes (Santos et al, 2006;Weiss et al, 2016). Sin embargo, nuestros resultados muestran que frutos y semillas constituyen una parte importante (37%) de la dieta de la mota en la Amazonía peruana.…”

“…Sin embargo, nuestros resultados muestran que frutos y semillas constituyen una parte importante (37%) de la dieta de la mota en la Amazonía peruana. Al igual que algunas otras especies de bagres, C. macropterus es considerado un dispersor de semillas (Weiss et al, 2016) que contribuye a que estos sean esparcidos a grandes distancias por la capacidad que tienen de realizar largas migraciones (Usma et al, 2013). Desempeñando de esta manera un papel importante en la ecología de los bosques inundados haciendo que nuevas áreas sean colonizadas a lo largo de los diferentes ríos (Weiss et al, 2016).…”

“…que corresponde a la familia Moraceae. Con frecuencia las semillas de Cecropia son las más consumidas por los peces amazónicos (Weiss et al, 2016). En Amazonía central fue observado que el elevado consumo de semillas de Cecropia por los peces, estaba ligada a los ambientes acuáticos más impactados por la deforestación (Claro-JR et al, 2004).…”

“…En Amazonía central fue observado que el elevado consumo de semillas de Cecropia por los peces, estaba ligada a los ambientes acuáticos más impactados por la deforestación (Claro-JR et al, 2004). Siendo los árboles de Cecropia consideradas como especies dominantes que colonizan áreas recientemente deforestadas (Weiss et al, 2016), cuyos frutos son utilizados por los peces como alimento (Claro-JR et al, 2004).…”