Diet of Astyanax Species (Teleostei, Characidae) in an Atlantic Forest River in Southern Brazil
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223 Vol.45, N. 2 : pp. 223 - 232, June 2002 ISSN 1516-8913 Printed in Brazil BRAZILIAN ARCHIVES OF BIOLOGY AND TECHNOLOGY AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL Diet of Astyanax species (Teleostei, Characidae) in an Atlantic Forest River in Southern Brazil Fábio Silveira Vilella*; Fernando Gertum Becker and Sandra Maria Hartz Laboratório de Ecologia de Vertebrados; Departamento e Centro de Ecologia; Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul; Av. Bento Gonçalves, 9500; Caixa Postal 15007; CEP 91501-970; Porto Alegre - RS - Brasil ABSTRACT Feeding habits of six species of Astyanax from river Maquiné are described. Fishes were sampled bi-monthly from November/95 to September/96 in two zones of the river. Items were identified, counted and had their abundance estimated according to a semi-quantitative scale. Frequency of occurrence, alimentary importance index (IFI) values and a similarity analysis of diets for each species-river zone sample were examined. All the species were considered typically omnivorous, with insects and vegetal matter being the most important items in their diet. These species could act as seed dispersers, particularly for macrophytes. Intra-specific spatial differences were not observed in comparisons of samples from two diferent regions of the river, except for A. fasciatus. The presence of Podostemaceae macrophytes in the mid-course of the river seemed to be important both as an autochthonous food resource and as habitat for several organisms preyed by the Astyanax species. Key words: Diet, seed dispersal, fish, Astyanax, Atlantic Forest, Brazil INTRODUCTION pH, temperature and food resources (Menezes et al., 1990; Uieda and Kikuchi, 1995). The Atlantic Forest includes a large region in Fishes are probably the less known vertebrates in eastern Brazil, from the state of Rio Grande do the Atlantic Forest, partly due to a lack of Norte (north) to Rio Grande do Sul (south). It is taxonomic and systematic information, but also one of the most biodiverse and endangered because there are not many field studies (Rosa and ecosystems in the world (Myers et al. 2000). Menezes, 1996). Most ecological investigations Threats to the Atlantic Forest ecosystems include are restricted to the states of São Paulo and Rio de the degradation of natural streams and rivers Janeiro (Uieda, 1984; Sazima, 1986; Costa, 1987; caused by loss of riparian vegetation, erosion, Menezes et al., 1990; Sabino and Castro, 1990 and siltation, organic and chemical pollution, sand Uieda et al., 1997). mining, damming and introductions of exotic Several fish species represent important links species (Menezes et al., 1990; Faria and Marques, between aquatic and terrestrial trophic webs 1999). Many stream fishes have been particularly (Gelwick and Matthews, 1996) as predators or affected by alterations in the forest ecosystem preys, but can also act as seed dispersers because it influenced light incidence, turbidity, (Goulding et al., 1988; Crampton, 1999). The role * Author for correspondence Brazilian Archives of Biology and Technology 224 Vilella, F. S. et al. of fish as predators or seed dispersers can be 1995; Esteves, 1996; Hartz et al., 1996; Uieda et investigated by stomach content analysis. al., 1997; Fugi, 1998 and Luiz et al., 1998) and it In the Atlantic Forest, the relationship between seems be consensual that Astyanax are fish and the forest has rarely been studied opportunistic feeders with a highly variable diet (Menezes et al, 1990; Uieda and Kikuchi, 1995). composition. Some of the most common species in this This work describes the diet of the six Astyanax ecosystem belong to the characid genus Astyanax species found in Maquiné River, indicating their Baird and Girard, 1854, which includes many trophic roles and discussing their connections with species with Neotropical distribution and uncertain the terrestrial environment. It also examines the taxonomic situation (Jin and Toledo, 1975; hypothesis that because of the opportunistic Moreira-Filho and Bertollo, 1991; Garutti and character of these species, their diet would be Britski, 1997). There are several studies about the different in the potamal and rithral zones of the feeding habits of Astyanax species (Zaret and river, where habitat conditions and biota are Rand, 1971; Barbosa and Matsumura-Tundisi, determined by physiographic conditions (Vannote 1984; Costa, 1987; Teixeira, 1989; Arcifa et al, et al., 1980; Baptista et al, 1998a; b). 1991; Esteves and Galetti Jr., 1995; Meschiatti, N RZ 4 29,6o S 50,26o W RZ 3 10 Maquiné r. 5 RZ4 RZ3 PZ2 PZ1 PZ 2 0 altitude (x 100 m) 0 20 40 60 river length (km) BR-101 PZ 1 Figure 1 - Geographic situation of the Maquiné river drainage showing location of the sampling points (open circle = city of Maquiné). In the lower left corner, the position of the sampling points on the longitudinal profile of the river is shown. MATERIALS AND METHODS and the water runs approximately 50 km until Lagoa dos Quadros (altitude < 10 m), a freshwater The Maquiné River watershed (approximately lake in the Coastal Plain region. 29.6o S 50.26o W; Figure 1) is part of the Sampling occurred in two main zones of the river: Tramandaí River basin in northeastern Rio Grande the potamal zone and the rithral zone. The potamal do Sul. The headwaters are situated in the Serra zone (PZ) is situated in the lowlands of the Coastal Geral highlands (maximum altitude around 900 m) Plain region, where the river is deeper and wider, Brazilian Archives of Biology and Technology Diet of Astyanax species (Teleostei, Characidae) 225 water transparency is low, channel bed is formed k = categorie of abundance. by sandy and silty substrates, and several types of macrophytes are abundant. In this area, a large The IFI value for each item varies from zero to volume of water flows slowly towards the river one. Rare items have values lower than 0.15, mouth and water level fluctuations usually occur additional items present values between 0.15 and within a period of weeks to months, flooding the 0.3, and main items present values equal or higher surrounding lowlands. The rithral zone (RZ) is than 0.3. situated in an area of higher altitudes and slopes. Samples from the potamal zone (PZ1 and PZ2) In this area, the river presents a riffle -pool and rithral zone (RZ3 and RZ4) were pooled for structure, with high water transparency, rocky investigating diet variations in relation to the bottoms and lower abundance and richness of different regions of the river. Diet similarity macrophytes. Water level fluctuations can occur among species and different river zone samples within a period of hours to days. was examined by cluster analysis based on a Samples were obtained every two months, from correlation matrix for de IFI. In this analysis, each November/1995 to September/1996. Four river species sample from a particular river zone (e.g. A. reaches were sampled, two in the potamal zone bimaculatus from the rithral zone or A. (PZ1 and PZ2) and two in the rithral zone (RZ3 bimaculatus from the potamal zone) was and RZ4). Fish were captured with gillnets considered an Operational Taxonomic Unit exposed for 24 hours (except RZ4), seine nets, cast (OTU). A Principal Coordinates Analysis (PCO) nets and dip nets, preserved in 10% formaline and was employed to detect which food items were then transferred to ethanol (70%.). Voucher determinant in the formation of the identified specimens were deposited at Science Museum, clusters. Both analyses were processed in the Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do software MULTIV (Pillar, 1997). In the graphical Sul (MCPUCRS). plot of the PCO analysis including all food Only full stomachs from adult specimens were categories, all the OTUs (except for A. alburnus) examined (partially full stomachs were not were clustered right on the PCO2, resulting in an considered). Food items where identified to the unclear display. We re-ran this analysis without best possible taxonomic resolution. Abundance of the food category “rests of insects” because of its each food item in a stomach was estimated by a potentially confounding effect on the process of semi-quantitative method, where abundance analysis and interpretation. The result showed no corresponded to categories representing the major alterations but improved the graphic display proportional area occupied by the item in relation of OTUs, so we used this procedure for analyzing to the total area occupied by all items. Four the data. categories were defined following Guillen and Granado (1984): 0 - absent; 1 - rare (< 25% of the area of all items); 2 - abundant (25 to 50% of the RESULTS area of all items) and 3 - very abundant (> 50% of the area of all items). Six species of Astyanax were captured during the The importance of an item in the diet of each study period: A. alburnus (Aa), A. bimaculatus species was estimated by an index of food (Ab), A. eigenmanniorum (Ae), A. fasciatus (Af), importance (IFI), which represents the relation A. scabripinnis (Ay) and Astyanax sp. (As). All between frequency of occurrence of that item species were captured regularly in both the (Hyslop, 1980) and its abundance. The IFI potamal and rithral zones, except for A. alburnus, proposed by Granado-Lorencio and Garcia -Novo which is typically a lowland species and A. (1986) is calculated as scabripinnis which is typically a headwater species. This species was not considered in the IFI = S(Xk.k) cluster and PCO analysis because of the low a - 1 number of individuals captured. Table 1 lists the food items present in the stomachs Where: of the six species in each zone of the river, with a = number of categories; the respective values for frequency of occurrence Xk = frequency of the item xi with k value and IFI. Astyanax alburnus showed the richest diet of abundance; (25 food items) among all studied species (up to Brazilian Archives of Biology and Technology 226 Vilella, F.