Abstract
Cichla piquiti is endemic to the Tocantins-Araguaia river basin, but information about its biology is restricted to populations introduced in other basins. In order to fill this gap, we investigated the feeding ecology and reproductive dynamics of C. piquiti in Lajeado reservoir, rio Tocantins. A total of 270 fish were collected between November 2010 and October 2011. The diet is rich and composed of at least 23 resources, predominantly fish (at least 19 species). We observed no clear influence of sex, periods and ontogeny on diet, which was basically composed of Characidae and Cichlidae. Considering its reproductive dynamics, immature, reproductive and non-reproductive fish were recorded during the whole study, and reproductive effort did not differ among periods. Cichla piquiti also showed no pattern of energy allocation between reproductive and somatic activities. These results indicate that reproduction is occurring throughout the year and that this activity is not synchronized among individuals. In conclusion, this study presented valuable information on the ecology of C. piquiti within its natural range, which may subsidize management programs to conserve local stocks. This information may also provide theoretical insights to explain why C. piquiti , a voracious predator, is so harmful when introduced in non-Amazonian reservoirs.
Highlights
Large impoundments modify permanently the physical and chemical structure of river systems and cause profound changes in the structure of fish populations (Agostinho et al, 2008)
Other resources (29.3 % total volume) could not be identified beyond some broad level, and they were combined or assigned as Unidentified (Table 2). Based on these 23 identified resources, the accumulation curve did not stabilize after 67 samples (Fig. 1), indicating that other resources will be recorded with new samples
This study provided information on the ecology of Cichla piquiti within its natural range, i.e. Lajeado reservoir, rio Tocantins
Summary
Large impoundments modify permanently the physical and chemical structure of river systems and cause profound changes in the structure of fish populations (Agostinho et al, 2008). Some non-migratory species, in particular, play a central role in structuring new assemblages, playing important ecological functions in the reservoir (Hoeinghaus et al, 2009). This is the case of peacock-bass species (Cichla), which have successfully colonized many Neotropical reservoirs. These fishes are native to the Amazon basin, and, under natural conditions, are found in littoral habitats of rivers and lakes where they feed upon small-sized fish (Jepsen et al, 1997; Winemiller, 2001; Hoeinghaus et al, 2003). Ecology of Cichla piquiti within its native range
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