INVESTIGADORES
COLLINS Pablo Agustin
capítulos de libros
Título:
Metapopulations of decapods in the floodplain of Parana River, South America
Autor/es:
WILLINER V.; GIRI F.; COLLINS P.
Libro:
Floodplains: Physical Geography, Ecology and Societal Interactions
Editorial:
Nova Science Publishers, Inc.
Referencias:
Lugar: Hauppauge, New York USA ; Año: 2011; p. 179 - 199
Resumen:
The Río de La Plata basin is one of the largest aquatic systems in South America with an area of more than three million square kilometers. In this, the Parana River is the most important subbasin with particular characteristics. Morphologically and dynamically is a floodplain river characterized by high diversity of environments, characterized by the flood pulse. These present different degrees of connection both spatially and temporally. The particularity of these macrosystem is that affects the populations’ dynamics, being the individuals adaptive to the pulse variations. In the metapopulations theory, the environment is seen as a network of patches in which species occur as discrete local populations. These are characterized by a dynamic in which the connections between populations by migration represent an important factor in conservation genetic heterogeneity. The relationships between the populations, for example de gene flow, depend on fluctuations in the system, among other variables of the pulse. Decapods fauna are represented by four families, Sergestidae, Palemonidae, Aeglidae and Trichodactylidae which have characteristics in their way of life adapted to the pulse. In addition the population dynamics in the basin depend on the degree of connection of environments in the whole system. For example there is an environment with less influence of the pulse, as are some streams, where crabs of the genus Aegla are present throughout the year. On the other hand some species of prawns, like Palaemonetes argentinus, that live in environments more related to the main channel (or large rivers) show migration and periods of absence in some places. Crabs are also migratory and in some cases depend on the species habits. Trichodactylus borellianus, which inhabit in water hyacinth roots, present passive movements in the systems depending of the macrophytes migrations, this dispersal ability would be less to prawns. The Parana River basin is a particular macrosystem governed mainly by the flood pulse that regulates the population dynamics of the species that lived associated to the freshwater habitats.