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Distribution of benthic macroinvertebrates in a tropical reservoir cascade

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Abstract

The functioning of systems arranged in cascades of reservoirs can be explained by the Cascading Reservoir Continuum Concept, providing a theoretical framework for addressing ecological processes. In this context, this study tested the following hypotheses: (i) the benthic macroinvertebrate assemblage shows a nested distribution along a reservoir cascade; and (ii) local factors explain the structure of the benthic assemblage in every reservoir along the cascade. Macroinvertebrates play essential role in aquatic systems, especially due to recycling and, in reservoirs, as important links in every food chain. Sampling was conducted quarterly between October 2006 and September 2010 in six reservoirs located in the São Francisco River, Brazil. The benthic macroinvertebrate assemblage showed nested distribution in the reservoirs, indicating that a loss of species occurs along the cascade. Each reservoir presented a different set of variables that explained the distribution of macroinvertebrates, showing the importance of local factors determining the composition and distribution of benthic assemblages in the reservoirs. Therefore, there is a clear interaction between the position of a reservoir along a cascade and the macroinvertebrate assemblages, which indicate the importance of considering this pattern during the decision-making process of constructing new dams on rivers already regulated.

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Acknowledgements

We express our appreciation to the Hydroelectric Company of San Francisco (CHESF) and Apolonio Sales Foundation for Educational Development (FADURPE) for financial support and to Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) and Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq) for the fellowship to graduate students. AAA and LCG are “Bolsista Produtividade” of CNPq. We thank Nadson R. Simões, anonymous reviewers, and Associate Editor for helpful comments to improve the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Núcleo de Pesquisas em Limnologia, Ictiologia e Aquicultura – Programa de Pós-graduação em Ecologia de Ambientes Aquáticos Continentais, Universidade Estadual de Maringá, Av. Colombo, 5790, Maringá, PR, CEP 87020-900, Brazil

    Natália Carneiro Lacerda dos Santos, Herick Soares de Santana, Rosa Maria Dias, Luiz Carlos Gomes & Angelo Antonio Agostinho

  2. Environmental Research Institute, Faculty of Science & Engineering, University of Waikato, Private Bag 3105, Hamilton, 3240, New Zealand

    Hugo Leandro Ferreira Borges

  3. Laboratório de Limnologia, Departamento de Pesca e Aquicultura, Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco, Av. Dom Manoel de Medeiros, 68, Dois Irmãos, Recife, PE, 52171-900, Brazil

    Viviane Ferreira de Melo & William Severi

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  1. Natália Carneiro Lacerda dos Santos
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  2. Herick Soares de Santana
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  3. Rosa Maria Dias
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Correspondence to Natália Carneiro Lacerda dos Santos.

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dos Santos, N.C.L., de Santana, H.S., Dias, R.M. et al. Distribution of benthic macroinvertebrates in a tropical reservoir cascade. Hydrobiologia 765, 265–275 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-015-2419-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-015-2419-6

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