Abstract
ABSTRACT Ecomorphological patterns of the fish community were evaluated in the trans-Andean Alvarado River drainage, Colombia. A total of 29 species using 25 ecomorphological indices were analyzed to test how well the ecomorphological patterns are related to the fish assemblage. Although a significant correlation was found (Mantel test) between morphological attributes and trophic guilds, habitat use and distribution across the altitudinal gradient, only the last two were significantly independent of the phylogenetic relationships (partial Mantel test). Regarding the ecomorphological space, two main trends were defined. First, benthic periphytivores and invertivores were characterized by having dorsal or dorsolateral eyes, labial appendages, depressed bodies and well-developed pectoral, ventral and caudal fins, which provide them the ability to stabilize over the substrate and make rapid movements. Second, nektonic detritivore-invertivores and insectivores were found to have laterally compressed bodies, lateral eyes and larger eyes and anal fins. These species use vision during predation, are good continuous swimmers and possess higher maneuverability and stability. These results show that the fish assemblages in the Alvarado River drainage are structured ecomorphologically mainly by habitat and the altitudinal gradient. Therefore, this is evidence of the importance of habitat structure to maintain the functionality of the ecosystem.
Highlights
In adaptive terms, ecomorphology is defined as the analysis of the relationships between the morphological characteristics of a group of organisms and how they relate to the environment (Bock, 1990, 1994)
The ecomorphological hypothesis poses that the morphology of each species could reflect important characteristics of their ecologies and be a good predictor of the way species exploit resources such as habitat or diet preference (Gatz, 1979b; Watson, Balon, 1984; Wood, Bain, 1995; Oliveira et al, 2010)
Few studies have evaluated the predictive ability of fish morphology in trans-Andean rivers, which are characterized by high habitat heterogeneity generated by altitudinal gradients and high levels of endemism (Anderson, Maldonado-Ocampo, 2011)
Summary
Ecomorphology is defined as the analysis of the relationships between the morphological characteristics of a group of organisms and how they relate to the environment (Bock, 1990, 1994). This suggests that morphological differences between species would result from the different selection pressures to which species were subjected (Casatti, Castro, 2006). Habitat use and some trophic aspects might be related to the species’ phenotype (Gatz, 1979b; Gibran, 2010) This is the main hypothesis of ecomorphology, which allows the investigation of species interactions, making it possible to identify the biological role of species using e170037[1]. Ecomorphological analysis would be an excellent tool to predict ecological patterns in a set of organisms just using their morphological traits
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