Effects of abiotic variables on fish community in different types of reservoirs

• Grant number: 13/08952-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Post-doctor
• Start date: June 22, 2013
• End date: October 21, 2013
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Ecology - Ecosystems Ecology
• Principal Investigator: Lilian Casatti
• Grantee: Mateus Ferrareze Feitosa
• Supervisor: Donald Andrew Jackson
• Host Institution: Instituto de Biociências, Letras e Ciências Exatas (IBILCE). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de São José do Rio Preto. São José do Rio Preto , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: University of Toronto (U of T), Canada
• Associated to the scholarship: 10/17022-9 - Ecological modeling of marginal lagoons of the Rosana Reservoir (Paranapanema River, SP/PR), BP.PD

Abstract

Considering that the various types of reservoirs produce changes of different magnitudes in the aquatic environment, the aim of this project is to evaluate how different types of reservoirs control the structure, composition, and distribution of fish. We will test whether fish exhibit similar patterns of community structure in small, medium, and large reservoirs. To reach this goal, eight samplings were carried out quarterly over two years (from June/ 2011 to March/2013). Six reservoirs of the São Paulo State were selected (Palmeiras, Anhanguera, Sapucai-Mirim, Salto Grande, Rosana, and Chavantes). Samples were obtained in three different compartments of each reservoir (upstream, intermediate, and dam). Large fish were collected with gill nets, whereas small fish were sampled with trawl nets. Concomitantly to the fish sampling, data of 16 limnological variables were taken. Spatial and environmental matrices will be summarized using a canonic correspondence analysis (CCA) to determine the relation between the reservoirs environmental features and the community structure. To confirm the hypothesis and assess how different types of reservoirs influence the fish communities and to test whether there is any association between limnological variables and fish communities, the programs PROCRUSTE and PROTEST will be used. (AU)