Effects of a Supraseasonal Drought on the Ecological Attributes ofPlagioscion squamosissimus(Heckel, 1840) (Pisces, Sciaenidae) in a Brazilian Reservoir.
The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of a supraseasonal drought on the ecological attributes ofPlagioscion squamosissimus. The fish were caught quarterly from February 2010 to November 2014 using gill nets in the reservoir of Santa Cruz, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil. The abundance of the species was evaluated with the catch per unit effort (CPUE) metric and then correlated with the accumulated rainfall and water volume of the reservoir. The diet of the fish was evaluated using the feeding index (IAi). The proportional similarity index (PSi) was used to evaluate the variation in the niches of the fish. The body condition was inferred through the relative condition factor, and its variation was assessed with ANOVA. A reduction in the abundance of the species that were positively correlated with the reservoir water volume was observed. The diet of the fish comprised shrimp, gastropods, fish, insects, shrimp larvae, and vegetable matter, with shrimp being the major component. PSishowed the occurrence of individual specialization during November 2013 and November 2014. The relative condition factor was not correlated with a reduction in the water volume of the reservoir. The supraseasonal drought did not affect the relative condition factor, diet, and the trophic niche, but it did affect the species abundance.
Departamento de Ciências Animais, Laboratório de Ecologia de Peixes e Pesca Continental (UFERSA), BR 110, Km 47, Bairro Costa e Silva, 59625-900 Mossoró, RN, Brazil.
Antonia E F
AE
Souza
Departamento de Ciências Animais, Laboratório de Ecologia de Peixes e Pesca Continental (UFERSA), BR 110, Km 47, Bairro Costa e Silva, 59625-900 Mossoró, RN, Brazil.
Jônnata F
JF
Oliveira
Laboratório de Ictiologia, Universidade do Estado do Rio Grande do Norte (UERN), Av. Prof. Antônio Campos s/n, Bairro Costa e Silva, 59625-620 Mossoró, RN, Brazil.
Danielle
0000-0002-5333-9812
D
Peretti
Departamento de Ciências Animais, Laboratório de Ecologia Quantitativa (UFERSA), BR 110, Km 47, Bairro Costa e Silva, 59625-900 Mossoró, RN, Brazil.
Rodrigo
R
Fernandes
Departamento de Ciências Animais, Laboratório de Ecologia de Peixes e Pesca Continental (UFERSA), BR 110, Km 47, Bairro Costa e Silva, 59625-900 Mossoró, RN, Brazil.
Rodrigo S
RS
Costa
Departamento de Ciências Animais, Laboratório de Ecologia de Peixes e Pesca Continental (UFERSA), BR 110, Km 47, Bairro Costa e Silva, 59625-900 Mossoró, RN, Brazil.
José Luis Costa
0000-0003-0667-4279
JL
Novaes
D000818:Animals; D001938:Brazil; D004032:Diet / Q000662:veterinary; D055864:Droughts; D004463:Ecology; D017753:Ecosystem; D010473:Perciformes; D012621:Seasons