Composição e estrutura trófica das assembleias de peixes em veredas de buritizais, no período de seca, no lavrado de Roraima, Brasil

Abstract

This study was conducted in the “lavrado” of Roraima, Brazil, in aquatic habitats along corridors of Buriti palm trees draining to the Branco, Takutu and Uraricoera river basins, totaling 10 samples. We aimed to investigate ichthyofaunal (species composition, richness, abundance, diversity, evenness and similarity) and trophic (diet) aspects of the local fish assemblages. Sampling was done once at each location in the dry season (October 2014 to February 2015) using dip nets and seine nets. Environmental (structural) characteristics of the water bodies (width, length and depth for later measurement area and volume) were also evaluated. Overall, 3733 specimens of fish were collected, distributed in 6 orders, 20 families, 43 genera and 56 species. Characiformes was the most representative group in number of species, followed by Perciformes, Gymnotiformes, Siluriformes and Cyprinodontiformes and Synbranchiformes. The family of greater richness and abundance was Characidae, followed by Lebiasinidae and Cichlidae. The similarity analysis in species composition among sites and between river basins, using the indices of Jaccard (presence / absence) and Bray-Curtis (abundance) showed a tendency of grouping part of the samples from the Branco River basin and also part of the samples of the Uraricoera River basin. However, river basin apparently did not constitute the most important factor in determining the composition of the fish fauna in the samples. The geographic distance among samples also did not explain most of the variation in the composition and structure of fish assemblages. Neither morphometric variables of the water bodies. These results do not allow us to state whether the low similarity among fish assemblages of the three river basins reflect the effects of historical factors, the influence of unevaluated local environmental factors, or stochastic processes. The diet of the fish fauna was based mainly on autochthonous items such as aquatic insects (larvae, pupae and adults), zooplankton and algae. This indicates that the fish of buritis palm trees corridors are dependent on the aquatic primary production in the dry season.