Abstract
ABSTRACT Considering the need for the Brazilian government to develop tools for environmental monitoring for biodiversity conservancy purposes in the national protected areas system, this paper focuses on determining reference site metrics (or baselines) for adapting the Index of Biotic Integrity (IBI) based on the fish assemblages in the Pantanal National Park (PNP). The habitats in the PNP were grouped into four categories: main rivers, corixos (channels connecting the floodplain), permanent bays, and temporary bays. Fish samplings were performed at 12 points during the dry season (Oct-Nov 2010 and 2011). 146 fish species were identified from the total 18,954 individuals collected with standardized fishing gear. There was no association between the structure of the fish assemblage and categories, suggesting a theory on homogeneity of habitats. The final IBIPNP consists of nine metrics, most of them were framed in excellent class, some in fair, and none in poor. There was no significant difference in IBIPNP scores between the two sampled years. This approach provides a direct application for wetland management purposes.
Highlights
Human disturbances interact in a complex way with aquatic ecosystems, and their effects can rarely be evaluated using only physical or chemical variables as indirect measures of environmental integrity
In Brazil, the first adaptation of the Index of Biotic Integrity (IBI) based on fish assemblages was carried out in 1998 (Araújo et al, 2003) in one of the most critical segments of the highly polluted Paraíba do Sul River, which runs through the main industrial region of the country
Taxonomic list of sampled species according to Eschmeyer, Fricke (2017) and species abundance, feeding and migratory guilds in the region sampled in the Pantanal National Park, during the dry season (Oct-Nov, 2010 and 2011)
Summary
Human disturbances interact in a complex way with aquatic ecosystems, and their effects can rarely be evaluated using only physical or chemical variables as indirect measures of environmental integrity. Assessing the response of the aquatic biota (e.g., freshwater fish) often provides a more integrated view of environmental impacts (Fausch et al, 1990) These are the principles of the original idea of the Index of Biotic Integrity (IBI) (Karr, 1981; Karr et al, 1986) that combined 12 metrics (or attributes) of fish assemblages to measure and predict the outcomes of anthropogenic environmental disturbance through a given environmental gradient. Pristine sites are frequently not found, explained by an environmental and cultural “illness” known as SBS - Shifting Baseline Syndrome (Pauly, 1995) In those cases, some authors have considered the site with the lowest degree of modification to represent reference conditions (Hughes et al, 1986; McDonough, Hickman, 1999; Pont et al, 2006). One generation later (25-30 yrs.), there will last no environmental collective memory of the prior baseline
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