Influência de fatores bióticos e abióticos para a diversidade e abundância de invertebrados aquáticos ao longo de uma planície inundável Neotropical.

Abstract

Weather events such as El Niño and La Niña alter the water level amplitude in floodplain systems. Some groups of benthic invertebrates, such as Chironomidae, respond to these oscillations, which makes this community an important tool in climate change studies. In addition, changes caused by climate change in aquatic environments may favor the introduction of invasive species, such as Limnoperna fortunei. This species, which is a filter feeder, feeds mainly on organisms such as phytoplankton, which can lead to a reduction in its abundance. To this end, we analyzed how weather events affect the Chironomidae community and how L. fortunei larvae densities can affect the densities of phytoplankton and protozooplankton communities in the upper Paraná River floodplain. We observed that weather events did not have a negative effect on Chironomidae community attributes and that L. fortunei larval densities were positively correlated with high phytoplankton and protozooplankton densities, due to high food supply. Another extremely importante highlight not recorded in the literature consulted, refers to the fact that hydroelectric act as envitonmental filters in the densities of L. fortunei, as the turbines damage the larvae, which affects their survival In view of this, we conclude that studies that address climate effects on species diversity and the impacts that invasive species cause on local communities are of great importance to assess current and future changes in ecosystems and thus develop management plans.