Análise ecomorfológica das assembleias de peixes siluriformes do baixo rio Purus, Amazonas, Brasil

Abstract

Ecomorphology is a branch of ecology that aims to understand the relationship between functional morphology and the different ecologic aspects responsible for the performance and life style of the biological organisms. Siluriformes are interesting models for raising questions on ecomorphological studies, probably due to its great variety of sizes and shapes within this group of benthic fishes. Studies can be oriented to the variation of morphologic features that may reflect habitat use or diet of the species of siluriformes. Thus, the present study analyzed the variation of the amplitude of the morphologic attributes in siluriformes benthic assemblies, and the relation of these attributes with food items consumed and with the functional composition of the morphologic attributes in the different gradients of depth in the lower rio Purus. The analyzed siluriformes were part of a large dataset collected with trawling nets. In the morphologic analyses, it was possible to observe the congruence of the morphologic variation within the families found in the assemblies of siluriformes, as well as the attributes related to food items and habitat use. The relation between ecomorphologic attributes and food items consumed was significant, as well as the functional composition of morphologic traits was different in relation to the recorded depths. In conclusion, ecomorphologic attributes showed to be efficient in relation to shape and ecologic functions required by the siluriformes assemblies, thus morphology plays an important role in different aspects of the ecology of biological organisms.