The role of submerged trees in the early development of fishes in a Neotropical reservoir.
It was hypothesized that the structural heterogeneity provided by submerged trees positively favours the spatial distribution of fish abundance at early stages of development in an area under the influence of a Neotropical reservoir in the Paraná River basin. The distribution at early stages of development of the most abundant species was evaluated. To remove any possible confounding effect related to local environmental variables, changes in these were also evaluated. Sampling was carried out at sites with and without submerged trees. Among all individuals sampled, 96·1% were classified as larvae and 3·9% as juveniles. The area without submerged trees showed higher total abundance, but there were spatial differences in the distribution of early stage fishes. From the moment the larvae are able to swim actively, they search for sites with a complex structure. The results show that reaches with submerged trees play an important role in the early development of fishes in reservoirs, and, hence, the preservation of those trees is essential to maintain biodiversity in reservoirs.
Centro de Engenharias e Ciências Exatas, Universidade Estadual do Oeste do Paraná (UNIOESTE), campus Toledo/PR, Rua da Faculdade, 645, CEP 85903-000, Toledo, Paraná, Brazil.|Grupo de Pesquisa em Recursos Pesqueiros e Limnologia (Gerpel), Rua da Faculdade 645, Cx. P. 520, Jardim Santa Maria, 85903-000, Toledo, Paraná, Brazil.
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Gogola
Programa de Pós-graduação em Recursos Pesqueiros e Engenharia de Pesca, Universidade Estadual do Oeste do Paraná, Rua da Faculdade, Toledo, Paraná, Brazil.
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Daga
Centro de Engenharias e Ciências Exatas, Universidade Estadual do Oeste do Paraná (UNIOESTE), campus Toledo/PR, Rua da Faculdade, 645, CEP 85903-000, Toledo, Paraná, Brazil.|Grupo de Pesquisa em Recursos Pesqueiros e Limnologia (Gerpel), Rua da Faculdade 645, Cx. P. 520, Jardim Santa Maria, 85903-000, Toledo, Paraná, Brazil.
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Gubiani
Grupo de Pesquisa em Recursos Pesqueiros e Limnologia (Gerpel), Rua da Faculdade 645, Cx. P. 520, Jardim Santa Maria, 85903-000, Toledo, Paraná, Brazil.
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da Silva
Centro de Engenharias e Ciências Exatas, Universidade Estadual do Oeste do Paraná (UNIOESTE), campus Toledo/PR, Rua da Faculdade, 645, CEP 85903-000, Toledo, Paraná, Brazil.|Grupo de Pesquisa em Recursos Pesqueiros e Limnologia (Gerpel), Rua da Faculdade 645, Cx. P. 520, Jardim Santa Maria, 85903-000, Toledo, Paraná, Brazil.
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Sanches
D000818:Animals; D044822:Biodiversity; D001938:Brazil; D017753:Ecosystem; D005399:Fishes / Q000254:growth & development*; D010239:Paraguay; D045483:Rivers; D014197:Trees
dams; habitat diversity; initial development; submerged vegetation