Abstract
The relationship between the physical environment and the biological diversification of fish communities was studied and the use of fluvial morphology as an indicative of priority areas for conservation was examined. As a case study the upper course of rio Macacu, State of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil was selected. Biotic data were obtained during 4 year of samples, conduced in 13 sample units. Each environment explored were characterized for its area, order, extension, slope and number of tributaries. Two new indices (environmental diversity and environmental turnover ratio) were proposed. To asses the correlation between the physical and biotic matrixes the data were compared using the Mantel test. A strong correlation between the physical variables and biodiversity were observed. An index to measure the ecological relevance of fluvial ecosystems based on the physical attributes was presented.
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