CONTRIBUTION OF C3 AND C4 AUTOTROPHIC SOURCES FOR JUVENILE CHARACIFORMES IN THE AQUATIC HERBACEOUS PLANTS IN THE SOLIMÕES RIVER, CENTRAL AMAZON, BRAZIL

• Autor(a) principal: Silva-Prado, Gilcideya
• Data de Publicação: 2019
• Outros Autores: Leite, Rosseval Galdino, Forsberg, Bruce Rider
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Biota Amazônia
• Texto Completo: https://periodicos.unifap.br/index.php/biota/article/view/4686
• topic: peixe; isótopos estáveis; teia alimentar; várzea; dieta

Understanding the factors that control production of commercially important fishes in the Amazon are necessary to effectively manage fisheries resources in the region. The first step of this understanding demands the identification of plants that contribute to the energy flow in fish’s food web. The objective of this study was to investigate which group of plants supports the production of Characiformes during their juvenile life phase, in which these fish inhabit an environment formed by C3 and C4 plants. A carbon isotope analysis was conducted for juvenile Characiformes collected from herbaceous aquatic stands of the Solimões River floodplain. The diet of these fishes was also analyzed to identify possible trophic links. The results indicate that although C3 plants are the main energy sources of juveniles, the juvenile stage is that the sampled species have higher contribution from group of C4 plants. A diet analysis revealed that juveniles of Brycon amazonicus, Mylossoma duriventre and Triportheus angulatus consume energy sources through invertebrate herbivores, while Semaprochilodus insignis fed the sources directly on detritus. The dependence of juvenile fish diets on both C3 and C4 plants suggests that the maintenance of herbaceous aquatic environment is extremely important for fish communities in Amazonian floodplains.Keywords: Fish; stable isotopes; food web; floodplain; diet.