Composition and distribution of Darwinulidae no vale aluvial do alto rio Parana, Brasil

The occurrence and abundance of darwinulid ostracods, as well as environmental factors influencing these patterns, were investigated in the alluvial valley of the upper Parana River. Ostracods were sampled from several substrates, like littoral sediments and pleuston, which included several aquatic...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published inBrazilian journal of biology Vol. 69; no. 2; pp. 253 - 262
Main Authors Higuti, J, Lansac-Toha, F.A, Velho, L.F.M, Pinto, R.L, Vieira, L.C.G, Martens, K
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Association of the Brazilian Journal of Biology 01.05.2009
Online AccessGet full text

Cover

Loading…
More Information
Summary:The occurrence and abundance of darwinulid ostracods, as well as environmental factors influencing these patterns, were investigated in the alluvial valley of the upper Parana River. Ostracods were sampled from several substrates, like littoral sediments and pleuston, which included several aquatic macrophytes species, from 31 localities (lentic and lotic) belonging to different riverine systems. Eight darwinulid species were found, representing all genera from this family. Alicenula serricaudata, Vestalenula pagliolii, and Penthesilenula brasiliensis were the most common species. Cluster analysis based on the composition and abundance of darwinulid communities revealed the presence of five associations. Darwinula stevensoni, Vestalenula botocuda, and Penthesilenula aotearoa were almost exclusive to lotic environments. A Mantel multiple test showed that the occurrence and distribution of darwinulid ostracods were significantly related to types of habitat and systems, but not to abiotic variables. It thus seems that the hydrodynamic fluctuations of these environments are probably more important to darwinulid distribution than the limnological characteristics.
ISSN:1519-6984
1678-4375