Patterns of aquatic biodiversity and structuring elements of ponds in landscapes with different land uses and management.

• Grant number: 25/01240-2
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• Start date: July 01, 2025
• End date: June 30, 2028
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Ecology - Ecosystems Ecology
• Principal Investigator: Gilmar Perbiche Neves
• Grantee: Natan Guilherme dos Santos
• Host Institution: Centro de Ciências Biológicas e da Saúde (CCBS). Universidade Federal de São Carlos (UFSCAR). São Carlos , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Changes in land use and land cover are among the most significant anthropogenic factors affecting biological communities and abiotic characteristics, leading to the loss of ecosystem functions and services. However, few studies have investigated the effects of land use and management on aquatic biodiversity and the structuring variables of lentic environments. The objective of this project is to assess the aquatic biodiversity (phytoplankton, zooplankton, macroinvertebrates, macrophytes, and fish) in ponds located upstream of three reservoirs along the Tietê River in the state of São Paulo, influenced by different land use patterns, including forest-forestry, land use-pasture mosaics, and temporary crop-land use mosaics. The project will also identify the primary structuring variables - whether landscape or local (limnological) - for each aquatic community. Each aquatic community will be sampled using specific methodologies in 20 ponds in the region upstream of each dam, for a total of 60 ponds. Limnological and landscape variables, such as temperature, dissolved oxygen concentration, turbidity, nutrients, metals, pH, depth, land use type percentage, and connectivity, will also be measured. Taxonomic diversity (species richness, Hill-Shannon, and Hill-Simpson) and species composition will be calculated and compared across different land use types using Generalized Mixed Models, Permanova, and RDA. Structural equation models will be employed to identify the direction and intensity of the effects of local and landscape factors on the taxonomic diversity indices of the communities. Finally, the results will be presented at conferences and published as scientific articles in high-impact journals.