Míriam Pilz Albrecht

Feeding Ecology of Leporinus friderici (Teleostei; Anostomidae) in the Upper Tocantins River, Central Brazil, before and after Installation of a Hydroelectric Plant

The feeding ecology of Leporinus friderici Bloch, 1794 was investigated in the upper Tocantins River, before and after its impoundment by the Serra da Mesa Hydroelectric Dam. Leporinus friderici was classified as an euryphagic, omnivorous species. Allochtonous food items formed a high proportion of its diet in all periods analysed, except in the later stages of reservoir formation. Its diet did not vary significantly between high-water and low-water seasons in the riverine environment, although it differed qualitatively. Leporinus friderici was very opportunistic, rapidly changing its diet to profit from the abundant terrestrial food sources when the reservoir started to flood the surrounding land, and shifting again when terrestrial food items became exhausted. Resumo A ecologia alimentar de Leporinus friderici Bloch, 1794 foi investigada no alto rio Tocantins antes e após seu represamento pelo AHE Serra da Mesa. A espécie foi classificada como onívora e eurifágica. Um consumo maior de itens alóctones foi observado em todos os períodos analisados, exceto em estágios posteriores de formação do reservatório. A dieta não variou significativamente entre as estações de águas altas e águas baixas no ambiente de rio, embora a composição qualitativa tenha sido diferente. Leporinus friderici demonstrou um comportamento claramente oportunista, mudando sua dieta rapidamente para aproveitar a abundância de itens de origem terrestre quando o reservatório começou a inundar as margens, e depois alterando novamente conforme esses itens foram se tornando escassos.

Feeding ecology of Leporinus taeniofasciatus (Characiformes: Anostomidae) before and after installation of a hydroelectric plant in the upper rio Tocantins, Brazil

The feeding ecology of Leporinus taeniofasciatus in the upper rio Tocantins was characterized before (river phase) and after (reservoir phase) its impoundment by the Serra da Mesa Hydroelectric Dam. The importance of each food item was given by the Alimentary Index (IAi), which combines the frequency of occurrence and volumetric methods. A significant difference in the diet of L. taeniofasciatus between seasons in the river phase, detected by a multivariate analysis of variance, was not kept when the reservoir was formed. Its feeding activity, verified through the percentage of stomachs with different degrees of fullness, was not affected by the impoundment. Leporinus taeniofasciatus was able to incorporate terrestrial food items to its diet when they became abundantly available at the beginning of reservoir formation. Despite this plasticity, secondary factors such as predation and competition might have affected its adaptation in the new, more homogeneous environment. Its diet was not significantly different in the lotic sites between the distinct phases, suggesting that the remaining upstream lotic environments still provide favorable conditions for this species, reinforcing the need to preserve those habitats, as L. taeniofasciatus, which is apparently endemic to the Tocantins basin, may be threatened.

Segregação alimentar entre duas espécies de Heptapteridae no Rio Macaé, RJ

Food is the main axis of niche partitioning among fishes, being an important factor for the organization of their populations. We herein investigate this premise for two closely related species, by characterization and comparison of the natural diet of two heptapterid fishes, Rhamdioglanis transfasciatus and Rhamdia quelen along the Macae River, Rio de Janeiro state, Southeastern Brazil. R. quelen was classified as carnivore, and the most important items of its diet were crustaceans and fishes. R. transfasciatus was classified as invertivore, as it ate mainly trichopteran and dipteran larvae. The calculation of the trophic position algorithm showed that both species are secondary consumers, but R. quelen had a slightly higher value. Both species can be considered as generalists but with differences of feeding strategies: some individuals of R. quelen behave as specialists, whereas most individuals of R. transfasciatus population act as generalists. Intraspecific comparisons revealed a similar diet of each species between the two sampling sites, however, the niche overlap between the populations of the two species was very low in the sites where both occurred, indicating the existence of resource partitioning between Rhamdia quelen e Rhamdioglanis transfasciatus in Macae river.

Ecologia de duas espécies de Pachyurus (Perciformes, Sciaenidae) do rio Tocantins, na região represada pela UHE Serra da Mesa, Goiás

Pachyurus schomburgkii Gunther, 1860 and P. paucirastrus Aguilera, 1983 occur in the Tocantins-Araguaia basin, where the latter is endemic. The species were found in the upper Tocantins, in the region where it was impounded by the Serra da Mesa hydroelectric dam. Fourteen sites were sampled but both species were restricted to two sites (FU and PG) located downstream from the dam. Fishes were bimonthly captured from December 1995 to December 2002 with standardized gillnets. We present data on the distribution, diet, physiological condition and the reproductive status of these species, and focus on the alterations related to the impoundment. Most specimens were adult, and the number of reproductive individuals decreased after damming. Species were classified as benthic invertivores, feeding mainly on immature insects. Niche breadth was significantly higher to P. paucirastrus, and, for both species, during the pre-impoundment phase. Interspecific diet overlap was high; however, resource partitioning was more pronounced in the site immediately downstream from the dam (FU) than partitioning in the more distant site (PG). Values relative to the condition factor indicated that P. schomburgkii must have profited more effectively from the available resources after the environmental changes than P. paucirastrus. Thus, factors related to feeding might have contributed to the disappearance of this species after the beginning of power plant operation. Pachyurus schomburgkii seems to have had a better adjustment to changes, and was more persistent in the area after the damming; however, it remained restricted to the more distant site, where it had been occasionally captured until it was no longer found, approximately four years after dam closure. Considering that many impoundments are planned to the rio Tocantins, we recommend further studies about P. paucirastrus in other stretches of the basin, in order to evaluate the conservation status of this species.

Feeding habits of Thoracocharax stellatus (Characiformes: Gasteropelecidae) in the upper rio Tocantins, Brazil

The silver hatchetfish Thoracocharax stellatus is one of the approximately 200 fish species recorded for the upper rio Tocantins, in the region where it was impounded by the Serra da Mesa hydroelectric dam. Analysis of the stomach contents of 88 specimens revealed a diet consisting almost entirely of insects (99.6%), most of which were terrestrial (87.6%). Ants, beetles, and mayflies were the main food items. Dawn and dusk seemed to be the periods of highest foraging activity for T. stellatus. As a specialist on terrestrial insects, this species has a close connection with the region near the river bank, where prey is provided from the associated riparian vegetation. Despite the impoundment and depletion of the land-water ecotone observed in later stages of reservoir formation, no significant changes in the diet of the few remnant specimens were recorded, which seems to indicate little feeding flexibility. Thus, feeding seemed to be an overriding factor for the displacement of this species after river impoundment.

Resource partitioning and ecomorphological variation in two syntopic species of Lebiasinidae (Characiformes) in an Amazonian stream

ABSTRACT Resource partitioning is important for species coexistence. Species with similar ecomorphology are potential competitors, especially when phylogenetically close, due to niche conservatism. The aim of this study was to investigate the resource partitioning among populations of two species of lebiasinids ( Copella nigrofasciata and Pyrrhulina aff. brevis ) that co-occur in a first-order Amazonian stream, analyzing the trophic ecology, feeding strategies and ecomorphological attributes related to the use of food and space by these species. Fish were captured in May and September 2010. The stomach contents of 60 individuals were analyzed and quantified volumetrically to characterize the feeding ecology of both species. Eleven morphological attributes were measured in 20 specimens and combined in nine ecomorphological indices. Both species had an omnivorous-invertivorous diet and consumed predominantly allochthonous items. Both showed a tendency to a generalist diet, but intrapopulational variation in resource use was also detected. Overall feeding niche overlap was high, but differed between seasons: low during the rainy season and high in the dry season. In the latter, the food niche overlap was asymmetric because

Dinâmica alimentar de Rhaphiodon vulpinus Agassiz, 1829 (Teleostei, Cynodontidae) no alto Rio Tocantins (GO) em relação ao represamento pela UHE Serra da Mesa

The diet and feeding activity of Rhaphiodon vulpinus were studied before and after the impoundment of the upper Tocantins river by the Serra da Mesa hydroelectric plant (Goias State, central Brazil), in two areas: reservoir and downstream. Stomach contents of 214 specimens were analyzed: 46 from the river phase (Dec./95 to Oct./96), 100 from the filling phase (Dec./96 to Apr./98) and 68 from the operation phase (Jun./98 to Feb./00). The species was confirmed as a piscivore, with occasional consumption of insects and vegetal material. In the downstream area, none of the identified prey was common to all the three phases. The most consumed prey were Geophagus cf. surinamensis, Hemiodus ternetzi and Pimelodus blochii during the river, filling and operation phases, respectively. The engraulid Anchoviella sp. was exclusive to the operation phase. Prey richness was higher in the reservoir. Small-sized characids were consumed during the three phases, whereas H. ternetzi, Leporinus friderici and Tetragonopterus argenteus were exclusive to the river phase, Ctenobrycon hauxwellianus and Pimelodidae to the filling phase, and Satanoperca aff. jurupari to the operation phase, the latter being the most important in this phase. The feeding activity, given by the proportion of stomachs with food (EcA%) and empty (EV%), increased in each phase in the downstream area. In the reservoir, the opposite pattern was observed. No correlation was found between the sizes of predator and its prey; however, larger predators consumed prey of a wide size range.

Resource use by the facultative lepidophage Roeboides affinis (Günther, 1868): a comparison of size classes, seasons and environment types related to impoundment

We report the consumption of scales and other food resources by the facultative lepidophage Roeboides affinis in the upper Tocantins River where it was impounded by the Serra da Mesa Hydroelectric Dam. We compared the diet among size classes, between dry and wet seasons, and between sites with distinct water flow characteristics (lotic vs. lentic) related to the distance from the dam and phase of reservoir development. As transparency and fish abundance increased after impoundment, we expected a higher consumption of scales in lentic sites. Likewise, habitat contraction, higher transparency and decrease in terrestrial resources availability, would promote a higher consumption of scales. Scales were consumed by 92% of individuals and represented 26% of the total volume of resources ingested by R. affinis. Diet composition varied significantly among size classes, with larger individuals consuming more scales and larger items, especially odonatans and ephemeropterans. Scale consumption was not significantly different between dry and wet seasons. Roeboides affinis incorporated some food items into the diet as a response to the impoundment, like other species. Scale consumption was higher in lotic sites, refuting our initial hypothesis, what suggests that the lepidophagous habit is related the rheophilic nature of R. affinis.

Temporal variations in the feeding of the endangered Neotropical fish Brycon orthotaenia (Characiformes: Bryconidae) in the middle São Francisco River

ABSTRACT We analyzed the diet and seasonal variation in diet composition of Brycon orthotaenia, an endangered and endemic species of the São Francisco River Basin, in the middle stretch of the São Francisco River. Brycon orthotaenia had an herbivorous diet, with occasional consumption of animals, mainly in the dry season. Variation among dry and wet seasons in diet composition may be related to the species’ reproduction and energy allocation, since some items (e.g. insects, fishes) may support gonadal development.