The hydraulic management of the Barra Bonita reservoir (SP, Brazil) as a factor influencing the temporal succession of its fish community

The temporal succession of fish communities allows evaluating the environmental conditions and the adaptation capacity of the fish species to anthropogenic stress in reservoirs. The fish community at Barra Bonita reservoir was sampled in two different periods of the year (dry and rainy) and in three different areas of the reservoir (fluvial, transition, and lentic). The species list was compared to another four lists, trying to detect the transformations of the fish community for the last 15 years. In order to evaluate the adaptation of the present fish community to the hydraulic management of reservoir, the trophic and reproductive structures were studied. Temporal succession analysis shows little change in fish richness of the communities. The number of fish species varies between 23 and 39 for a total of 68 registered species. From this, 27 can be considered constant, 14 accessory and 27 accidental; the main differences observed were for Anostomidae, Loricariidae and Characidae families. In relation to the hydraulic management, we found a fish community stabilized and adapted to environmental stress. This is characterized by the dominance of small-sized fish species of opportunistic diet and high reproductive compensation (r-strategists). The overlap of biological cycles of the most abundant species with the reservoir level fluctuations points to the period from September to March-April as critical for reproductive success and only the species with partial reproductive strategy or parental care are best succeeded. These results, interpreted in the context of the reservoir aging process, indicate that Barra Bonita reservoir is entering a transition phase, between the colonization and aging stages

Life-history strategies associated to reproduction of three Hyphessobrycon species (Characidae) in lentic environments of upper Paraná River basin

AIM: Life-history strategies in fish include essential parameters related to offspring survivorship, fecundity and time of reproduction, which represent adaptive traits that enable a species to deal with spatial and temporal variability of abiotic conditions. This study aimed to compare reproductive traits associated to life-history theory for three Hyphessobrycon species from two lentic environments (four natural oxbow lakes and a man-made reservoir) of Mogi Guaçu River, upper Paraná River basin. METHODS: Specimens were collected with four minnow traps between August 2005 and July 2006 to cover dry and wet seasons (three samples in each season, and three samples in each environment). RESULTS: Reproductive strategy of H. bifasciatus and H. eques, which predominated in the oxbow lakes, differed from H. anisitsi in the reservoir. Hyphessobrycon bifasciatus and H. eques were single spawners with lower fecundity and size at sexual maturity, but invested more in number of eggs per body gram, while H. anisitsi was a multiple spawner species with higher fecundity, larger size at sexual maturity and body size. CONCLUSIONS: In seasonal environments, single spawners are synchronized with the floods to maximize juvenile survivorship, while reservoirs harbors multiple spawners fish due to the reduced fluctuation between high and low floods resulting from dam operation. Therefore, the seasonal condition in the oxbow lakes due to the flood pulse favored single spawners tactic, as showed by H. bifasciatus and H. eques. In contrast, the multiple spawning of H. anisitsi seems to be related to the more stable environmental condition throughout the year provided by the dam. Life-histories reported herein to Hyphessobrycon species must be common to other characid fishes inhabiting similar environments.OBJETIVO: Em peixes, as estratégias de história de vida incluem parâmetros relacionados com a sobrevivência da prole, fecundidade e período reprodutivo, e representam características adaptativas que permitem uma espécie lidar com a variabilidade espacial e temporal das condições abióticas. O objetivo deste estudo foi comparar as características reprodutivas associadas à teoria da história de vida de três espécies de Hyphessobrycon em dois ambientes lênticos (quatro lagoas marginais naturais e uma represa artificial) do rio Mogi Guaçu, bacia do alto rio Paraná. MÉTODOS: Os exemplares foram coletados com quatro armadilhas do tipo covo entre Agosto de 2005 e Julho de 2006 para abranger as estações seca e chuvosa (três amostras em cada estação e três amostras em cada ambiente). RESULTADOS: A estratégia reprodutiva de H. bifasciatus e H. eques, que ocorreram principalmente nas lagoas marginais, diferiu de H. anisitsi no reservatório. Hyphessobrycon bifasciatus e H. eques foram classificados como desovadores únicos, com fecundidade e tamanho de maturação gonadal menor, mas investiram mais em número de ovócitos por peso corpóreo, enquanto H. anisitsi foi classificado como desovador múltiplo, com fecundidade, tamanho de maturação gonadal e corpóreo maior. CONCLUSÕES: Em ambientes sazonais, os desovadores totais estão sincronizados com o período de inundação para maximizar a sobrevivência da prole, enquanto reservatórios abrigam desovadores múltiplos, devido à flutuação reduzida entre inundações resultante da operação da represa. Dessa forma, a condição sazonal das lagoas marginais devido ao pulso de inundação, favorece a tática reprodutiva dos desovadores totais, como apresentado por H. bifasciatus e H. eques. Ao contrário, a desova múltipla de H. anisitsi parece estar relacionada com a condição ambiental mais estável do ambiente ao longo do ano devido ao represamento. As histórias de vida registradas aqui para as espécies de Hyphessobrycon devem ser comuns para outras espécies de caracídeos que habitam ambientes similares.Instituto Brasileiro do Meio Ambiente e dos Recursos Naturais Renováveis (IBAMA)COTECCoordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)Universidade Estadual Paulista Laboratório de IctiologiaUniversidade Santa Cecília Sustentabilidade de Ecossistemas Costeiros e MarinhosUniversidade Estadual Paulista Departamento de EcologiaUniversidade Federal de São Carlos Diversidade Biológica e ConservaçãoUniversidade Estadual Paulista Departamento de ZoologiaUniversidade Estadual Paulista Laboratório de IctiologiaUniversidade Estadual Paulista Departamento de EcologiaUniversidade Estadual Paulista Departamento de ZoologiaIBAMA: 02027.000991/2005-71COTEC: 42.042/200

Metals in superficial sediments of a cascade multisystem reservoir: contamination and potential ecological risk

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Processo FAPESP: 2014/22581-8Cascade multisystem reservoirs are extremely complex ecosystems that require studies to improve understanding of their dynamics and functioning, including the effects of contamination with metals. In this work, superficial sediments were collected during two sampling campaigns (in the dry and rainy seasons) at 19 sites along a cascade multisystem reservoir in São Paulo, Brazil, formed by five reservoirs. The sediments were evaluated considering the following parameters: pseudo-total metals (Cu, Cd, Cr, Ni, Pb, Zn, Mn, Fe, and Al); bioavailable metal (Cu); organic matter; total phosphorus; total nitrogen; and grain size. In the last reservoir of this system, the enrichment factors indicated enrichment of Cu, Pb, Zn, and Mn. Despite this increased metals content, the pollution load index indicated an absence of pollution (PLI < 1), and the ecological risk was low (RI < 150). According to sediment quality guideline criteria, toxicity was unlikely to occur. Principal component analysis (PCA) and one-way ANOVA indicated heterogeneity among the reservoirs (P < 0.01) and between the sampling periods. The PCA results confirmed higher levels of nutrients in the upstream reservoirs, suggesting that nutrients were precipitated in the first reservoirs of the system. On the other hand, metal levels were higher in the downstream reservoirs. The main source of metal contamination in the region was the use of copper sulfate as an algicide. This included contamination by Pb and Zn, due to impurities in the copper sulfate employed. High Mn levels were associated with wastewater discharges and erosion. In addition to helping to improve understanding of the dynamics of metals in cascade multisystem reservoirs, this work could serve as a useful tool for the management of reservoirs with contaminated sediments