Aquatic food webs of the oxbow lakes in the Pantanal: A new site for fisheries guaranteed by alternated control?

Influence of the river flow pulse on the maturity, resilience, and sustainability of tropical coastal ecosystems

Coastal marine ecosystems have structural and functional features usually connected by the seasonal transfer of nutrients and organisms. These environments can utilize inter-ecosystem subsidies to increase resilience and maturity and support human activities like fishing. However, the importance of the connection and the role of the seasonal pulse of energy flows to enhance maturity are still poorly understood and reported. Our objective in this paper is to assess the effect of seasonal hydrological pulses on two tropical coastal interconnected ecosystems. Thus, we made four Ecopath models for estuarine and neritic environments considering the dry and rainy seasons, with a similar sampling design that allowed them to be compared. Our results provide evidence for the occurrence of the pulsed ecosystems since both environments seem driven by the river flow. Estuary presents more and more substantial differences (measured by ecosystem attributes) in both seasons because it is directly affected by river floods than the neritic environment. The neritic is affected indirectly by the movement of species from the estuary and by a weaker river flow. In the dry season, the differences between ecosystems are lower because the dry season trend to homogenize cycling, maturity, homeostasis, and resilience. We found that the seasonal river flow (pulse) forces the variability of biomass, flows, and ecosystem features, and this variance creates the required stability for both ecosystems. Still, these environments benefit through the exchange of components that relieve the pressures of predation on specific groups and maintain the energy flow necessary for the functioning of their trophic webs. The pulse by the rainfall favors connectivity and equalizes the two systems, increasing the connectivity between them and the exchange of subsidies that strengthens the trophic structures, contributing to the increase in maturity. In these ecosystems, seasonal changes become a key factor for exchanging flows that will promote sustainability, the accumulation of more biomass (growth), and the optimization of reserve energy (development) in both systems. This efficient joint strategy of perpetuation is what promotes resistance and resilience to these ecosystems, which together can reach different states of equilibrium, translated into maturity to withstand new environmental changes.

Divergence in energy sources for Prochilodus lineatus (Characiformes: Prochilodontidae) in Neotropical floodplains

ABSTRACT The stable carbon isotopic variability and the contributions of autochthonous (sediment microbial biomass, phytoplankton, and periphyton) and allochthonous (soil microbial biomass) sources available to the detritivorous fish Prochilodus lineatus were investigated in three environments of the floodplain of the Upper Paraná River. The isotopic composition of carbon sources and fish varied significantly among the studied environments. The autochthonous resources, represented by the phytoplankton, were the most assimilated by the species, followed by periphyton and sediment microbial biomass. The species used the sources differently in each environment. This study suggests that the inherent characteristics of this area, as well as the size of the watershed, the dry season, anthropogenic actions, and phytoplankton productivity, favor the use of autochthonous resources by the species studied. Therefore, studies in the floodplain should employ an eco-hydrological approach that quantifies the magnitude of energy subsidies, as well as an access route to consumers, knowledge about the selectivity of detritivorous species and the effects of different land uses.

More than Anecdotes: Fishers' Ecological Knowledge Can Fill Gaps for Ecosystem Modeling

BACKGROUND

Ecosystem modeling applied to fisheries remains hampered by a lack of local information. Fishers' knowledge could fill this gap, improving participation in and the management of fisheries.

METHODOLOGY

The same fishing area was modeled using two approaches: based on fishers' knowledge and based on scientific information. For the former, the data was collected by interviews through the Delphi methodology, and for the latter, the data was gathered from the literature. Agreement between the attributes generated by the fishers' knowledge model and scientific model is discussed and explored, aiming to improve data availability, the ecosystem model, and fisheries management.

PRINCIPAL FINDINGS

The ecosystem attributes produced from the fishers' knowledge model were consistent with the ecosystem attributes produced by the scientific model, and elaborated using only the scientific data from literature.

CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE

This study provides evidence that fishers' knowledge may suitably complement scientific data, and may improve the modeling tools for the research and management of fisheries.

Diet and niche breadth and overlap in fish communities within the area affected by an Amazonian reservoir (Amapá, Brazil)

We investigated the niche breadth and overlap of the fish species occurring in four environments affected by the Coaracy Nunes reservoir, in the Amapá Brazilian State. Seasonal samples of fishes were taken using a standard configuration of gillnets, as well as dragnets, lines, and castnets. Five hundred and forty stomach contents, representing 47 fish species were analyzed and quantified. Niche breadth and overlap were estimated using indexes of Levins and Pianka, respectively, while interspecific competition was evaluated using a null model (RA3). ANOVA and the KruskalWallis test were used, respectively, to evaluate differences in niche breadth and overlap between areas. The data indicate that the majority of the fish species belong to the piscivore, omnivore, and detritivore guilds. These species have likely colonized the environments due to the availability of suitable feeding resources, and the favorable physical conditions created by the river damming. Overall, few species have ample niches, but most of them are highly specialized. Resources seasonal variation had little effect on the feeding behavior of most species in the study areas. The null models indicated that competition was not a factor determining on community structure.