Low forest-loss thresholds threaten Amazonian fish and macroinvertebrate assemblage integrity

Author(s):Show less -

Martins, Renato T. ^[1] ; Brito, Janaina ^[2] ; Dias-Silva, Karina ^[3] ; Leal, Cecilia G. ^[4] ; Leitao, Rafael P. ^[5] ; Oliveira, Vivian C. ^[1] ; Oliveira-Junior, Jose M. B. ^[6] ; Ferraz, Silvio F. B. ^[4] ; de Paula, Felipe R. ^[4] ; Roque, Fabio O. ^[7] ; Hamada, Neusa ^[1] ; Juen, Leandro ^[8] ; Nessimian, Jorge L. ^[9] ; Pompeu, Paulo S. ^[10] ; Hughes, Robert M. ^{[11, 12]}

Affiliation:Show less -

^[1] Inst Nacl de Pesquisas da Amazonia, Coordenacao Biodiversidade, BR-69067375 Manaus, Amazonas - Brazil

^[2] Secretaria Educ Estado Mato Grosso, Escola Estadual Maria Miranda Araujo, BR-78336000 Colniza, MT - Brazil

^[3] Univ Fed Para, Programa Posgrad Biodiversidade & Conservacao, BR-68372040 Altamira, PA - Brazil

^[4] Univ Sao Paulo, Lab Hidrol Florestal, Escola Super Agr Luiz Queiroz, BR-13418900 Piracicaba, SP - Brazil

^[5] Univ Fed Minas Gerais, Inst Ciencias Biol, Dept Genet Ecol & Evolucao, BR-31270901 Belo Horizonte, MG - Brazil

^[6] Univ Fed Oeste, Inst Ciencias & Tecnol Aguas, BR-68040255 Santarem, PA - Brazil

^[7] Univ Fed Mato Grosso do Sul, Inst Biociencias, BR-79070900 Campo Grande, MS - Brazil

^[8] Univ Fed Para, Inst Ciencias Biol, Lab Ecol & Conservacao, BR-66075110 Belem, Para - Brazil

^[9] Univ Fed Rio de Janeiro, Inst Biol, Dept Zool, BR-21941590 Rio De Janeiro, RJ - Brazil

^[10] Univ Fed Lavras, Dept Ecol & Conservacao, BR-37200900 Lavras, MG - Brazil

^[11] Amnis Opes Inst, Corvallis, OR 97333 - USA

^[12] Oregon State Univ, Dept Fisheries Wildlife & Conservat Sci, Corvallis, OR 97331 - USA

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS; v. 127, AUG 2021.
• Web of Science Citations: 4

Abstract

Deforestation is a major threat globally, but especially in tropical regions because they are biodiversity strongholds and carbon storehouses. Some studies have reported changes in species richness and composition in lotic ecosystems with increased forest-loss in their catchment, presumably resulting from the replacement of sensitive taxa by more resistant or tolerant taxa. Also, sensitive taxa respond to deforestation in a non-linear manner and fish and macroinvertebrates have different sensitivities to landscape pressures. Therefore, it is useful to determine the effects of forest-loss on widespread sensitive or threshold taxa in aquatic ecosystems. We used Threshold Indicator Taxa Analysis (TITAN) to assess forest-loss and land use history impacts in 92 eastern Amazonian stream sites. We determined TITAN peak-change thresholds for fish at 1% and 6% of forest-loss at total-catchment and local-riparian spatial extents, respectively, and at 2% and 40% of land-use intensity change at total-catchment and local-riparian spatial extents, respectively. For macroinvertebrates, TITAN peak-change thresholds were 1% and 11% of forest loss at total-catchment and local-riparian spatial extents, respectively, and at 3% of land-use intensity change for both total-catchment and local-riparian spatial extents. Because of these thresholds, inherent ecoregional variability and key literature, we have three major recommendations. 1) Logging should be prohibited in riparian reserves that are at least 100-m wide on each side of headwater streams and in a network of catchments across all biomes and as many landscape types as possible. 2) An ecologically and statistically rigorous monitoring program with standard methods should be implemented to assess and regulate land uses better. 3) Conservation planning areas should consider aquatic biota as well as terrestrial biota. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 17/25383-0 - A large-scale assessment of anthropogenic threats to aquatic biodiversity across the Amazon
• Grantee: Cecília Gontijo Leal
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral