Fish metacommunity structure in Caño Maraca, an important nursery habitat in the Western Llanos of Venezuela
ABSTRACT We investigated spatial and seasonal variation of fish assemblages of Caño Maraca, a creek in Venezuela’s Western Llanos, a region with strong wet-dry seasonality. Fishes were surveyed over a 19-year period at three sites along the longitudinal gradient: a headwater site with a narrow chann...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Sociedade Brasileira de Ictiologia
2018-12-01
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| Series: | Neotropical Ichthyology |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1679-62252018000400217&lng=en&tlng=en |
| _version_ | 1819174380939247616 |
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| author | Kirk O. Winemiller Donald C. Taphorn Leslie C. Kelso-Winemiller Edwin O. López-Delgado Friedrich W. Keppeler Carmen G. Montaña |
| author_facet | Kirk O. Winemiller Donald C. Taphorn Leslie C. Kelso-Winemiller Edwin O. López-Delgado Friedrich W. Keppeler Carmen G. Montaña |
| author_sort | Kirk O. Winemiller |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | ABSTRACT We investigated spatial and seasonal variation of fish assemblages of Caño Maraca, a creek in Venezuela’s Western Llanos, a region with strong wet-dry seasonality. Fishes were surveyed over a 19-year period at three sites along the longitudinal gradient: a headwater site with a narrow channel, a middle site with shallow channels traversing a seasonal wetland, and a lower site where the channel has higher banks. Assemblage composition and presence of species with juveniles and various life history strategies were compared during wet and dry seasons. Overall, fish species richness was lowest at the headwater site and highest at the downstream site. During the wet season, however, species richness is greatest at the middle site, a pattern associated with migration into the site for reproduction and use of the wetland as a nursery. During the dry season, species richness is greater at the downstream site where habitat quality is sufficient to provide suitable habitat for many species. Fish movements and population dynamics in Caño Maraca respond to seasonal environmental changes, and the fish metacommunity appears influenced by species sorting (habitat selection), mass effects (source-sink dynamics), patch dynamics (interspecific differences in colonization and species interaction) as well as random factors (dry-season strandings). |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-22T20:38:04Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-59d1be2439bd4d9e8679488199276d24 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1982-0224 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-22T20:38:04Z |
| publishDate | 2018-12-01 |
| publisher | Sociedade Brasileira de Ictiologia |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Neotropical Ichthyology |
| spelling | doaj.art-59d1be2439bd4d9e8679488199276d242022-12-21T18:13:24ZengSociedade Brasileira de IctiologiaNeotropical Ichthyology1982-02242018-12-0116410.1590/1982-0224-20180074S1679-62252018000400217Fish metacommunity structure in Caño Maraca, an important nursery habitat in the Western Llanos of VenezuelaKirk O. WinemillerDonald C. TaphornLeslie C. Kelso-WinemillerEdwin O. López-DelgadoFriedrich W. KeppelerCarmen G. MontañaABSTRACT We investigated spatial and seasonal variation of fish assemblages of Caño Maraca, a creek in Venezuela’s Western Llanos, a region with strong wet-dry seasonality. Fishes were surveyed over a 19-year period at three sites along the longitudinal gradient: a headwater site with a narrow channel, a middle site with shallow channels traversing a seasonal wetland, and a lower site where the channel has higher banks. Assemblage composition and presence of species with juveniles and various life history strategies were compared during wet and dry seasons. Overall, fish species richness was lowest at the headwater site and highest at the downstream site. During the wet season, however, species richness is greatest at the middle site, a pattern associated with migration into the site for reproduction and use of the wetland as a nursery. During the dry season, species richness is greater at the downstream site where habitat quality is sufficient to provide suitable habitat for many species. Fish movements and population dynamics in Caño Maraca respond to seasonal environmental changes, and the fish metacommunity appears influenced by species sorting (habitat selection), mass effects (source-sink dynamics), patch dynamics (interspecific differences in colonization and species interaction) as well as random factors (dry-season strandings).http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1679-62252018000400217&lng=en&tlng=enAnidamientoDispersiónGradiente fluvialNeotrópicoPeces de agua dulce |
| spellingShingle | Kirk O. Winemiller Donald C. Taphorn Leslie C. Kelso-Winemiller Edwin O. López-Delgado Friedrich W. Keppeler Carmen G. Montaña Fish metacommunity structure in Caño Maraca, an important nursery habitat in the Western Llanos of Venezuela Neotropical Ichthyology Anidamiento Dispersión Gradiente fluvial Neotrópico Peces de agua dulce |
| title | Fish metacommunity structure in Caño Maraca, an important nursery habitat in the Western Llanos of Venezuela |
| title_full | Fish metacommunity structure in Caño Maraca, an important nursery habitat in the Western Llanos of Venezuela |
| title_fullStr | Fish metacommunity structure in Caño Maraca, an important nursery habitat in the Western Llanos of Venezuela |
| title_full_unstemmed | Fish metacommunity structure in Caño Maraca, an important nursery habitat in the Western Llanos of Venezuela |
| title_short | Fish metacommunity structure in Caño Maraca, an important nursery habitat in the Western Llanos of Venezuela |
| title_sort | fish metacommunity structure in cano maraca an important nursery habitat in the western llanos of venezuela |
| topic | Anidamiento Dispersión Gradiente fluvial Neotrópico Peces de agua dulce |
| url | http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1679-62252018000400217&lng=en&tlng=en |
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