Changes in the structure of fish assemblages in streams along an undisturbed-impacted gradient, upper Paraná River basin, Central Brazil

• Main Authors: Alesandra Martins Dias, Francisco Leonardo Tejerina-Garro
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Sociedade Brasileira de Ictiologia
• Series: Neotropical Ichthyology
• Subjects: Anthropogenic impacts; Conservation unit; Meia Ponte River; Altamiro de Moura Pacheco
• Online Access: http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1679-62252010000300003&lng=en&tlng=en

The João Leite River is located in the upper Paraná basin, Central Brazil. It drains areas covered by Cerrado vegetation interspersed with urban and agricultural areas. This study aims to asses changes of the fish assembleges structure along a undisturbed-impacted gradient in ten stream stretches using ecological descriptors, a similarity index and the abundance-biomass relationship (ABC curves). The fish were collected during the dry period using electrofishing gear in stretches of 50 m. Results show that the environmental variation observed along the undisturbed-impacted gradient considered influences on fish assemblage structure. Both richness and diversity differences between fish assemblages are partially influenced by stream stretch orthonian order and anthropogenic impacts. ABC curves classified six stream stretches located in preserved or impacted areas as undisturbed while four stretches were classified as disturbed. This is attributed to the influence of the undisturbed habitat within the conservation unit and the presence of K- or r- strategist species. This type of study contributes to an understanding of the effects of aquatic environment conservation on the Brazilian Cerrado core area, where the choice of conservation areas prioritizes terrestrial over aquatic aspects.