Dinâmica das assembléias de peixes em bancos de macrofitas flutuantes do sistema flúvio lacustre da área do Catalão, Amazonas, Brasil

Abstract

In the Amazon floodplain a large proportion of fish assemblages use aquatic macrophytes as an area for feeding, reproduction, refuge, breeding and as a mean of dispersion. The intensity and variation of the water level considerably influenced the composition, richness and abundance of the species at certain localities. Analyzed data show the dynamic of the macrophyte fish assemblages from the Xiborena island during the years of 2003-2007, with the aim of comprehending how the fish assemblages respond to the hydrological variations in temporal scales, within and between years. During these five years 40,302 fish were captured of 197 species, with the Characiformes accounting for 51.77% of the individuals with 102 species. Total biomass was of 58.37 kg, being the Characiformes responsible for 61.89% of this amount. The most common species was Moenkhausia lepidura with 8,735 individuals and the species with higher biomass was Schizodon fasciatus (6.26 kg). There was significant difference between species richness between the high water (179 spp.) and the low water periods (131 spp.), however the composition as not significantly different (p= 0.16). The total abundance values between high and low water periods indicated significant differences (15,740 and 24,562 individuals respectively) (p= 0.0049) (within year variation). The total biomass values in the low water period were higher (29.6 kg) when compared with the high water period (28.7 kg). Species turnover was high, species composition changed especially between 2004 and 2005. Related to stability the fish assemblages were highly variable in the Xiborena island (coefficient of variation = 78.01%). The assemblage persistence during the five years of study (measured by Kendall's W) corroborates this observation – the assemblage experienced variations among the years. Xiborena island fish assemblages are highly influenced by the flood pulse, which despite being a periodic event is also under influence of stochastic events (such as more pronounced dry or wet periods), affecting the fish assemblages in an unpredictable way.