Unexpected fish diversity gradients in the Amazon basin

Author(s):Show less -

Oberdorff, Thierry ^[1] ; Dias, Murilo S. ^[2] ; Jezequel, Celine ^[1] ; Albert, James S. ^[3] ; Arantes, Caroline C. ^[4] ; Bigorne, Remy ^[1] ; Carvajal-Valleros, Fernando M. ^[5] ; De Wever, Aaike ^{[6, 7, 8]} ; Frederico, R. G. ^[9] ; Hidalgo, Max ^[10] ; Hugueny, Bernard ^[1] ; Leprieur, Fabien ^[11] ; Maldonado, Mabel ^[12] ; Maldonado-Ocampo, Javier ^[13] ; Martens, Koen ^{[6, 7]} ; Ortega, Hernan ^[10] ; Sarmiento, Jaime ^[14] ; Tedesco, Pablo A. ^[1] ; Torrente-Vilara, Gislene ^[15] ; Winemiller, Kirk O. ^[16] ; Zuanon, Jansen ^[17]

Affiliation:Show less -

^[1] UPS, IRD253, CNRS 5174, UMR, EDB, Lab Evolut & Div Biol, 118 Route Narbonne, F-31062 Toulouse - France

^[2] Univ Brasilia, Dept Ecol, Brasilia, DF - Brazil

^[3] Univ Louisiana Lafayette, Lafayette, LA 70504 - USA

^[4] Michigan State Univ, Ctr Global Change & Earth Observat, E Lansing, MI 48824 - USA

^[5] Museo Hist Nat Alcide dOrbigny, Av Potosi 1458, Cochabamba, Estado Plurinac - Bolivia

^[6] Royal Belgian Inst Nat Sci, Dept Freshwater Biol, Vautierstr 29, B-1000 Brussels - Belgium

^[7] Univ Ghent, Dept Biol, KL Ledeganckstr 35, B-9000 Ghent - Belgium

^[8] Res Inst Nat & Forrest INBO, Havenlaan 88 Bus 73, B-1000 Brussels - Belgium

^[9] Univ Fed Minas Gerais, Inst Ciencias Biol, Av Antonio Carlos 6627, Belo Horizonte, MG - Brazil

^[10] Univ Nacl Mayor San Marcos, Museo Hist Nat, Dept Ictiol, Lima - Peru

^[11] UM, IFREMER, IRD, CNRS, UMR, MARBEC, Montpellier 5 - France

^[12] Univ Mayor San Simon, Unidad Limnol & Recursos Acuat, Calle Sucre & Parque La Torre S-N, Cochabamba - Bolivia

^[13] Pontificia Univ Javeriana, Fac Ciencias, Dept Biol, Unidad Ecol Sistemat UNESIS, Lab Ictiol, Bogota - Colombia

^[14] Museo Nacl Hist Nat, Dept Ictiol, La Paz - Bolivia

^[15] Univ Fed Sao Paulo, Inst Mar, Campus Baixada Santista, BR-11070100 Santos, SP - Brazil

^[16] Texas A&M Univ, Dept Wildlife & Fisheries Sci, College Stn, TX 77840 - USA

^[17] Inst Nacl de Pesquisas da Amazonia, Coordenacao Biodiversidade, Ave Andre Araujo 2936, BR-69067375 Manaus, AM - Brazil

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: SCIENCE ADVANCES; v. 5, n. 9 SEP 2019.
• Web of Science Citations: 1

Abstract

Using the most comprehensive fish occurrence database, we evaluated the importance of ecological and historical drivers in diversity patterns of subdrainage basins across the Amazon system. Linear models reveal the influence of climatic conditions, habitat size and sub-basin isolation on species diversity. Unexpectedly, the species richness model also highlighted a negative upriver-downriver gradient, contrary to predictions of increasing richness at more downriver locations along fluvial gradients. This reverse gradient may be linked to the history of the Amazon drainage network, which, after isolation as western and eastern basins throughout the Miocene, only began flowing eastward 1-9 million years (Ma) ago. Our results suggest that the main center of fish diversity was located westward, with fish dispersal progressing eastward after the basins were united and the Amazon River assumed its modern course toward the Atlantic. This dispersal process seems not yet achieved, suggesting a recent formation of the current Amazon system. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 16/07910-0 - Javari River basin in the context of "Amazon fish and climate changes - AMAZONFISH"
• Grantee: Gislene Torrente Vilara
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants