Predation by Odonata (Anisoptera) on Piaractus mesopotamicus and Cyprinus carpio

• Grant number: 22/00778-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: July 01, 2022
• End date: June 30, 2023
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Zoology
• Principal Investigator: João Ânderson Fulan
• Grantee: Amanda Stocco
• Host Institution: Centro de Ciências Biológicas e da Saúde (CCBS). Universidade Federal de São Carlos (UFSCAR). São Carlos , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Insects of the order Odonata represent the main aquatic predators, presenting this behavior in most of its phases in the life cycle, promoting the control of diverse populations of invertebrates and vertebrates. The success of your predatory phase depends on physical and chemical factors of the water and the size of its larvae, being one of the main predators of fingerlings in natural or artificial environments. For this reason, dragonflies are very unwanted in fish farming ponds, as they can cause a high mortality rate for fish. Fish larvae present there. In the study we will use species of great economic interest, being the pacu (Piaractus mesopotamicus) as native and the common carp (Cyprinus carpio) as an invader. In order to better understand the preference and efficiency of predation of native and invasive fingerlings by immature dragonflies according to their size. We will use in experiment with three size classes of Odonata (Anisoptera), each with four replications. In each experiment, one size class (one larva), 10 pacu fingerlings, 10carp fingerlings, 5 pacu fingerlings and 5 carp fingerlings and the control. The results will be analyzed by through repeated measures analysis hoping that there is a greater preference for fingerlings natives than invaders and that intermediate sizes have a higher predatory rate. Youresults can be applied as measures to control invasive species such as carp common, favoring the conservation of aquatic environments, in addition to being applicable in fish farming reducing, for example, the predation of fingerlings in artificial environments.(AU)