Publication: Fish assemblage structure and aquatic pollution in a Brazilian stream: some limitations of diversity indices and models for environmental impact studies
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Date
2006-09-01
Advisor
Coadvisor
Graduate program
Undergraduate course
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Blackwell Publishing
Type
Article
Access right
Acesso restrito
Abstract
The aim of this study was to describe and quantify the effect of aquatic pollution on the fish assemblage structure of the Corumbatai River (Brazil), by comparing two sites with different water quality characteristics. The results revealed that abundance of individuals was low at the polluted site (B). However, the two sites did not differ significantly in species richness (total and average). This fact contradicts theories stating that portions where the transverse area of the channel is larger should present a higher biological richness. It was also observed that the ichthyofauna of site B had higher evenness, and, consequently, a tendency to a higher diversity than that at site A. This demonstrates that diversity estimates should be used cautiously in environmental impact studies, as they do not necessarily indicate better conditions of communities living in more preserved environments.
Description
Language
English
Citation
Ecology of Freshwater Fish. Oxford: Blackwell Publishing, v. 15, n. 3, p. 284-290, 2006.
