Regulation of the abundance and turnover of copepod species by temperature, turbidity and habitat type in a large river basin

Author(s)

Perbiche-Neves, Gilmar ^[1] ; Boxshall, Geoffrey Allan ^[2] ; Previattelli, Daniel ^[3] ; Oliveira Naliato, Danilo Augusto ^[4] ; Pie, Marcio Roberto ^[5] ; Falavigna da Rocha, Carlos Eduardo ^[3] ; Nogueira, Marcos Gomes

Affiliation

^[1] Univ Estadual Centro Oeste, Dept Biol, Lab Biol Aquat, UNICENTRO, CEDETEG, BR-85040080 Guarapuava, PR - Brazil

^[2] Nat Hist Museum, Dept Life Sci, London SW7 5BD - England

^[3] Univ Sao Paulo, Dept Zool, Lab Meiofauna, IB, Sao Paulo - Brazil

^[4] Univ Estadual Paulista, Dept Zool, UNESP, IB, Botucatu, SP - Brazil

^[5] Univ Fed Parana UFPR, Ctr Politecn, Lab Dinam Evolut & Sistemas Complexos, Dept Zool, BR-80060000 Curitiba, Parana - Brazil

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: AUSTRAL ECOLOGY; v. 40, n. 6, p. 718-725, SEP 2015.
• Web of Science Citations: 3

Abstract

Freshwater copepods were sampled in the La Plata River basin to identify the processes that affect beta diversity and to determine the main factors influencing their geographical distribution and patterns of endemism. Beta diversity patterns exhibited strong dissimilarity between locations; the turnover process was predominant and indicated a replacement of species along the basin. Redundancy analysis indicated the presence of two large sets of species separated geographically by a boundary zone, with several associated variables. Northern species were associated with water transparency and temperature, mean air temperature, mean air temperature during winter and minimum air temperature of coldest month, indicating that these species are not tolerant to low temperatures and are abundant in reservoirs that are common in the upper stretch of the Parana River basin. Southern species were related with amplitude of air temperature, turbidity, total phosphorus and total suspended matter, indicating that these species are polythermic and have adapted to live in river stretches. From 20 environmental variables analyzed in our study, partial least squares analysis indicated four variables with increased retention of effects on copepod abundance: air temperature, minimum temperature of coldest month, turbidity and transparency. Because almost all of the species found in this study occurred across a wide range of habitat types, the cause of the separation between river and reservoir species could be considered to be more anthropogenic than natural, and it primarily affected species abundance. For certain members of the northern group of copepod species, distribution was dependent on high temperatures, whereas the distribution of the southern group indicated that the species were polythermic. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 08/02015-7 - Planktonic microcrustaceans (Cladocera and Copepoda) in reservoirs and lotic stretches of the La Plata Basin (Brazil, Argentine, Paraguay and Uruguay): taxonomy, geographical distribution and ecological attributes
• Grantee: Gilmar Perbiche Neves
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate
• FAPESP's process: 09/00014-6 - Limnological studies of large reservoirs of the River de la Plata Basin (Brazil, Argentine, Paraguay and Uruguay): a spatial geographical approach and the influence of present and historical processes
• Grantee: Marcos Gomes Nogueira
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• FAPESP's process: 11/18358-3 - Copepoda Cyclopoida (Crustacea) associate with macrophytes in ''La Plata'' River Basin (Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay): a taxonomic and molecular approach
• Grantee: Gilmar Perbiche Neves
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral