The Application of Chironomid Pupal Exuviae Technique-CPET for Ecological Analysis in a Neotropical Large River System.

MONTALTO, LUCIANA; PAGGI, ANALÍA C.; MESTRE, ANA PAULA

NEOTROPICAL ENTOMOLOGY

ENTOMOLOGICAL SOC BRASIL

Lugar: BRASIL; Año: 2017

1519-566X

This field ecological study, based onthe chironomid pupal exuviae technique (CPET), is new for the Paraná River andproposes an efficient tool to be used in future ecological approaches andbiomonitoring. Drifting of pupal exuviae in a river?floodplain system of theMiddle Paraná River floodplain was represented by 34 Chironomidae taxa, beingthe characteristic association obtained from the CPET: Lopescladius, Onconeura, Paralauterborniella, Polypedilum, and Harnischiacomplex.Taxonomic richness was not significantly different between the river?floodplainsystem and the hydrologic phases. On the other hand, diversity, dominance, total densityand density of dominant taxa were different between the longitudinal and lateraldimensions but not between hydrologic phases, with a greater diversity in the main channel of theriver and higher density and dominance in floodplain habitats. The species turnover is the dominant process instructuring studied assemblages in spatial and temporal analysis, increasing inthe floodplain habitats, and in low water phase.The results obtained showed that drifting exuviae in the longitudinalaxis were coming from different assemblages and environments of a wider area(regional), while exuviae recorded in the connections of the floodplainenvironments in the lateral dimension could reflect the local assemblages. We demonstrated the ecological value of CPET studiesto interpret the attributes of Chironomidae assemblage in river-floodplainsystems of large rivers in an integrated way.