Abstract
The diversity of species of Cladocera, Chydoridae in the water bodies belonging to the water management unity of Serra da Mantiqueira, was studied inside the BIOTA/FAPESP Program. A total of 21 water bodies were analyzed and the sampling was carried out between 9th and 11th September, 1999. Horizontal and vertical net hauls were taken at littoral and limnetic region in each lake. Most water bodies in Serra da Mantiqueira unity are small, shallow, and densely colonized by macrophytes. Most species of Cladocera found belong to the Chydoridae family, being typical inhabitants of the littoral zone, living associated with macrophytes. A total of 12 species were found, 9 of the subfamily Aloninae and 3 Chydorinae. In more than half of the water bodies the relative abundance of chydorids reached 100%, and they were dominant in most of the others, with few exceptions. Alona rustica was the most frequent species, occurring in 62% of the water bodies. The results evidenced the importance of the littoral zone as propitious habitats for the species of Chydoridae and contributing significantly to the diversity of Cladocera as a whole.
Highlights
For most aquatic ecosystems, the littoral region represents the interface or the contact zone with terrestrial ecosystems and plays an important role, sometimes functioning as a filter
Among the organisms inhabiting the littoral region the members of the family Chydoridae, belonging to the Cladocera group are represented by a major part of the species present
The most oligotrophic was Fojo Reservoir. This water body is used for supplying water to Campos do Jordão City and it is well preserved
Summary
The littoral region represents the interface or the contact zone with terrestrial ecosystems and plays an important role, sometimes functioning as a filter. Among the organisms inhabiting the littoral region the members of the family Chydoridae, belonging to the Cladocera group are represented by a major part of the species present These organisms live usually associated with macrophytes, periphyton or sediment and they contribute significantly to the biomass and productivity of the water bodies. They occupy a key position in food chains converting organic matter used for its own growth and making it available to higher trophic levels. They can be indicators of the trophic state of the water bodies, because they quickly respond to the changes in environmental variables (Duigan & Kovach, 1991). They can be used in the reconstruction of the past history of the aquatic ecosystem, considering that they have many fossil remains well preserved in the sediment (Whiteside, 1970)
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