title: Biodiversity assessment of benthic macroinvertebrates in altitudinal lotic ecosystems of Serra do Cipó (MG, Brazil).
abstract: Five lotic systems of Serra do Cipó, south-east Brazil, were investigated in order to assess the existing diversity of benthic macroinvertebrates, habitats-microhabitats, and the available trophic resources. For each river it was analysed the communities of benthic macroinvertebrates and the composition of some taxonomic groups (Plecoptera, Ephemeroptera, Trichoptera and Diptera Chironomidae): the community with Bivalvia Sphaeriidae, Oligochaeta and Ephemeroptera Baetidae (being supposed a closed relation Bivalvia-Oligochaeta based on the process of bioturbation and enrichment of sediment in organic matter) in Tanque River; the macrofauna associated to aquatic macrophytes from rivers Peixe and Preto do Itambé reflecting the reaction of the ecosystems versus the quantities of nutrients which originate from the farmlands; the lithoreophilic communities of Cipó River; the community depending on deposits of leaves and filamentous algae in Congonhas Stream; the very rich community of the moss clumps in the Indaiá Stream. A proposal for biological zonation of Cipó River and some comments about the importance of the analysed benthic macroinvertebrates in the biological production of the aquatic communities were done.
authors.affiliation: The National Museum of Natural History Grigore Antipa, Bucharesti, Romania.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Galdean
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Callisto
authors.forename: F A
authors.initials: FA
authors.lastname: Barbosa
mesh_terms: D000531:Altitude; D000818:Animals; D001938:Brazil; D017753:Ecosystem; D007448:Invertebrates / Q000502:physiology*