Unraveling co-occurrence patterns of Characidae in the Western Amazon.

• Grant number: 24/11731-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: November 01, 2024
• End date: July 31, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Ecology
• Principal Investigator: Gabriel Lourenço Brejão
• Grantee: Aline Fulas Goulart Fernandes
• Host Institution: Instituto de Biociências (IB). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Rio Claro. Rio Claro , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The structure of a community is influenced by stochastic processes, which generate random patterns in species co-occurrence, and deterministic processes, such as environmental filters and biotic interactions. Human activities, like deforestation, alter the habitat integrity and the composition of fish communities, favoring opportunistic species in degraded streams. The native invasion hypothesis suggests that fish from large rivers can invade altered streams. In the Amazon, particularly in the Madeira and Tapajós river basins, aquatic biodiversity is impacted by land use changes. This study aims to understand the co-occurrence patterns of characid genera in areas with different levels of deforestation. Considering that many species of Characidae are generalists regarding habitat and resource use, we expect that with increased deforestation, and consequent habitat simplification, a greater number of species from the family will be found in co-occurrence.