Abstract
OBJECTIVES: Among the most relevant issues in community ecology is the influence of different ways of addressing the pattern of diversity and distribution of species, and based on this, the present study sought to evaluate the influence of landscape and local characteristics on the richness and composition of fish assemblages in the Ivinhema River basin. METHOD: In the present study, we used data of distribution of fish species in 25 stretches of streams of the Ivinhema River basin, Upper Paraná River, aiming to know the role of local characteristics and land use on fish assemblages. RESULTS: We identified 113 fish species, and those sampled in a greater number of sites were: Astyanax altiparanae and Serrapinnus notomelas. The richness varied between 4 and 65 species. The regression tree allowed explaining 89.3% of richness variation, and permitted to identify that altitude is the main predictor of richness. According to the canonical correspondence analysis, variables that most influenced the species distribution were: altitude, depth, width, velocity, conductivity and percentage of built-up areas. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggested that factors that most influenced fish assemblages in the Ivinhema River basin were physiographic and limnological characteristics, followed by land use.
Highlights
It can be highlighted the studies of Feyrer and Healey (2003), which determined the importance of environmental variables on the fish fauna of the South Delta in California, and of Hanchet (2012) who examined the effect of four different land uses on the distribution of native fish in the Waikato River, New Zealand
In the Neotropics, studies relating the influence of different forms of land use on fish are scarce, there are studies presenting the influence from urbanization (Paul and Meyer, 2001; Araujo and Tejerina-Garro, 2009; Furlan et al, 2012),agriculture and livestock farming (Casatti et al, 2006; Ferreira and Casatti, 2006) and benefits of riparian areas (Cetra and Petrere Junior, 2006; Teresa and Casatti, 2010) on the fish community
The present study aimed to evaluate the influence of landscape and local characteristics on the composition of fish community on the Ivinhema River basin, by responding the following questions: 1) How do landscape and local characteristics interfere with species richness in the sampled streams? 2) Which buffer range: 1, 5 or 10km best explain the distribution of fish species in the Ivinhema River basin? 3) What variables best explain the distribution of fish species in the sampled streams in the Ivinhema River basin?
Summary
Fish communities are influenced by different factors such as limnological variables (Tundisi and Tundisi, 2008; Melo et al, 2009), biotic variables (Winemiller et al, 2008; Araujo and TejerinaGarro, 2009), hydrological factors (Poff, 1997), with the relative importance of each one of these sources changing according to the environment and scale analyzed It can be highlighted the studies of Feyrer and Healey (2003), which determined the importance of environmental variables on the fish fauna of the South Delta in California, and of Hanchet (2012) who examined the effect of four different land uses on the distribution of native fish in the Waikato River, New Zealand. In the Neotropics, studies relating the influence of different forms of land use on fish are scarce, there are studies presenting the influence from urbanization (Paul and Meyer, 2001; Araujo and Tejerina-Garro, 2009; Furlan et al, 2012),agriculture and livestock farming (Casatti et al, 2006; Ferreira and Casatti, 2006) and benefits of riparian areas (Cetra and Petrere Junior, 2006; Teresa and Casatti, 2010) on the fish community. Gerhard (2005) in the Corumbataí River basin examined the relationship between land use: native forest, pasture, canebrake, and the diversity of fish species
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