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(Reference retrieved automatically from Web of Science through information on FAPESP grant and its corresponding number as mentioned in the publication by the authors.)

Seasonal population and individual niche dynamics in a tetra fish in the Pantanal wetlands

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Author(s):
Costa-Pereira, Raul ; Tavares, Luiz E. R. ; de Camargo, Plinlo Barbosa ; Araujo, Marcio S.
Total Authors: 4
Document type: Journal article
Source: Biotropica; v. 49, n. 4, p. 531-538, JUL 2017.
Web of Science Citations: 11
Abstract

In seasonal tropical regions, rainfall and/or temporary floods during the wet season generally increase the abundance and diversity of food resources to many consumers as compared to the dry season. Therefore, seasonality can affect intraspecific competition and ecological opportunity, which are two important ecological mechanisms underlying population and individual niche variations. Here, we took advantage of the strong seasonality in the Pantanal wetlands to investigate how within-and between-individual diet variations relate to seasonal population niche dynamics of the tetra fish Astyanax lacustris. We quantified dietary niche using gut contents and stable isotopes. Tetras had higher gut fullness and better body condition in the wet season, suggesting that competition is more intense in the dry season. The population niche was broader in the wet season due to an increase in diet divergence between individuals, in spite of potential stronger competition in the dry season. We posit that low ecological opportunity in the dry season limits the diversifying effect of intraspecific competition, constraining population niche expansion. Our results add new insights on how seasonality affects population and individual diets, indicating that intraspecific competition and ecological opportunity interact to determine temporal niche variations in seasonal environments. (AU)

FAPESP's process: 14/20924-5 - Revisiting the diversity paradox: does intraspecific ecological variation facilitate species coexistence?
Grantee:Raul Costa Pereira
Support type: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate
FAPESP's process: 10/15567-8 - Causes and consequences of individual specialization in Poecilia vivipara (Cyprinodontiformes, Poeciliidae)
Grantee:Márcio Silva Araújo
Support type: Research Grants - Young Investigators Grants