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Long-term study of reservoir cascade in south-eastern Brazil reveals spatio-temporal gradient in fish assemblages

Author:
Loures, Raquel Coelho, Pompeu, Paulo Santos
Source:
Marine & freshwater research 2018 v.69 no.12 pp. 1983-1994
ISSN:
1323-1650
Subject:
basins, fish, habitats, herbivores, introduced species, inventories, lotic systems, migratory behavior, migratory species, monitoring, species richness, water power, watersheds, Brazil
Abstract:
In reservoir cascades, effects on fish assemblages are expected to strengthen over time and transfer from one reservoir to an adjacent one. To test this, fish-assemblage data from 23 years of monitoring in the Araguari reservoir cascade system, upper Paraná River basin, were analysed. The results showed a clear reduction in richness of native and migratory fish species and an increase of non-native species, following reservoir formation. Migratory species richness was higher in reservoirs that presented habitats similar to lotic stretches or tributaries upstream of the impounded area. There was a clear tendency for native species to decline and non-native fish species to increase, in a downstream direction. Fish assemblages became increasingly dissimilar as reservoirs became more distant from each other (longitudinal gradient) and were dominated by small and medium-sized species. Alongside longitudinal position, reservoir area, age and the presence of herbivorous non-native fish were found to be important predictors of variation in fish-assemblage structure. Results from the present study help clarify the potential accumulated impacts of reservoir cascades on fish diversity, which must be carefully considered in river-basin inventories for hydropower plants, and reinforce the importance of long-term monitoring, considering longitudinal and lateral dimensions of the basin.
Agid:
6263566