Response of fish assemblage structure to changing flood and flow pulses in a large subtropical river
L. A. Espínola A D , A. P Rabuffetti A , E Abrial A , M. L. Amsler A , M. C. A. Blettler A , A. R. Paira A , N. R. Simões B and L. N. Santos C
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
A Instituto Nacional de Limnologia, (INALI–CONICET–UNL), Santa Fe, CP 3000, Argentina.
B Universidade Federal do Sul da Bahia, Bahia, CP 45810-000, Brazil.
C Universidade Federal do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Departamento de Ecologia e Recursos Marinhos, Rio de Janeiro, CP 22290-240, Brazil.
D Corresponding author. Email: laespn@gmail.com.
Marine and Freshwater Research 68(2) 319-330 https://doi.org/10.1071/MF15141
Submitted: 8 April 2015 Accepted: 12 January 2016 Published: 4 April 2016
Abstract
Fish assemblages recorded from August 2010 to July 2013 in two lotic and lentic environments of the Middle Paraná River floodplain were studied in the light of flood and flow pulse variations. Three flood pulses occurred during the period of study, each with a different magnitude, duration and timing. Instead four flow pulses were recorded during this period. The varied hydrological conditions had an influence on the ichthyofauna. The fish species richness in both lentic and lotic habitat was negatively correlated with the maximum water level and fish assemblages were spatially and temporally structured according to their different reproductive strategies. Long- and short-distance migratory species were dominant after the flood pulse of the highest intensity and longest duration, whereas sedentary fish and internal fertilisation prevailed during flow pulses and lower flood pulses. Fish assemblage similarity was generally low between habitats during flood and flow pulses, but increased after those events depending on their magnitude, duration and timing. Apparently, flow pulses would also function like floods, as mechanisms of spatio-temporal structuring of fish assemblages.
Additional keywords: floodplain, ichthyofauna, Paraná River, temporal–spatial effects.
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