Fish trait diversity in littorals of two floodplain lakes of the highly biodiverse Caura River, Venezuela

Abstract

AbstractWe studied the trait diversity and structure in the fish communities of two floodplain lakes of the Caura River: Aricagua and Paramuto, during one hydrological cycle. We calculated taxonomic and a functional alpha and beta diversities and made comparisons among hydrological seasons and among habitats within each lake based on rarefactions. The trait structure was explored with an RLQ (analysis of a table R of environmental conditions, a table L of abundances of species and a table Q of species traits) analysis, and pairwise relationships between environmental variables and traits were explored with fourth‐corner analyses. Despite its smaller extension, Paramuto showed higher alpha taxonomic and trait diversities. The substrates of open sand and those covered by leaf litter were the most diverse habitats in terms of both species and traits. The trait structure of the fish communities was influenced by the hydrological seasons, the lakes as well as water pH and temperature, and in a lesser degree dissolved oxygen, habitat type and total dissolved solids in the water. These factors constitute the habitat templet for the fish community's composition and trait structure.