title: Spatial distribution and seasonality of ichthyoplankton and anthropogenic debris in a river delta in the Caribbean Sea.
abstract: Temporal changes in larval fish species composition and abundance compared with other components of the seston are described in four estuarine habitats in the Atrato Delta, Colombia. In comparison with zooplankton, fish larvae and egg density and anthropogenic debris abundance were low in the South Atrato Delta. Transparency, water temperature and chlorophyll a were the major factors influencing the spatiotemporal distribution of ichthyoplankton in the delta. The most abundant fish larvae were Astyanax sp. 1, Anchovia clupeoides, Cetengraulis edentulus, Anchoa sp., Bathygbius curacao, Dormitator maculatus, Hyporhamphus sp., Atherinella blackburni, Gobiosoma sp. 1 and Menticirrhus americanus (92·8% of total abundance). Spatial temporal analysis shows that in this delta, shrub (arracachal) and grass (eneal) habitats are important for freshwater and estuarine species, whilst mudflat and mangrove are important for estuarine species and estuarine-marine species, since most flexion and post-flexion stages of these species were found there. Anthropogenic debris density never surpassed the total ichthyoplankton density, but was ubiquitous. Shrub and mangrove habitats had higher densities of anthropogenic debris, since these are flood-stem habitats that trap solids.
authors.affiliation: Grupo de Ictiología, Instituto de Biología, Universidad de Antioquia, Bloque 7 Laboratorio 309, Medellín, Antioquia, Colombia.|Laboratório de Ecologia e Gerenciamento de Ecossistemas Costeiros e Estuarinos, Departamento de Oceanografia, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Cidade Universitária, Recife, Pernambuco, CEP 50740-550, Brazil.|Grupo de Estudios Oceánicos, Corporación Académica Ambiental, Universidad de Antioquia, Sede Ciencias del Mar, Turbo, Antioquia, Colombia.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Correa-Herrera
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Ecologia e Gerenciamento de Ecossistemas Costeiros e Estuarinos, Departamento de Oceanografia, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Cidade Universitária, Recife, Pernambuco, CEP 50740-550, Brazil.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Barletta
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Ecologia e Gerenciamento de Ecossistemas Costeiros e Estuarinos, Departamento de Oceanografia, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Cidade Universitária, Recife, Pernambuco, CEP 50740-550, Brazil.
authors.forename: A R A
authors.initials: ARA
authors.lastname: Lima
authors.affiliation: Grupo de Ictiología, Instituto de Biología, Universidad de Antioquia, Bloque 7 Laboratorio 309, Medellín, Antioquia, Colombia.
authors.forename: L F
authors.initials: LF
authors.lastname: Jiménez-Segura
authors.affiliation: Grupo de Ictiología, Instituto de Biología, Universidad de Antioquia, Bloque 7 Laboratorio 309, Medellín, Antioquia, Colombia.|Grupo de Estudios Oceánicos, Corporación Académica Ambiental, Universidad de Antioquia, Sede Ciencias del Mar, Turbo, Antioquia, Colombia.
authors.forename: L B
authors.initials: LB
authors.lastname: Arango-Sánchez
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017691:Caribbean Region; D017753:Ecosystem; D005399:Fishes / Q000145:classification / Q000502:physiology*; D007814:Larva / Q000145:classification / Q000502:physiology; D045483:Rivers / Q000737:chemistry*; D012621:Seasons; D013045:Species Specificity; D014873:Water Pollutants; D015048:Zooplankton / Q000145:classification*
chemical_list: D014873:Water Pollutants
keywords: estuary; fish larvae; microtidal; plastic pollution; seston