Acta Limnologica Brasiliensia
https://actalb.org/article/doi/10.1590/S2179-975X1721
Acta Limnologica Brasiliensia
Original Article

Generalist populations formed by generalist individuals: a case of study on the feeding habits of a Neotropical stream fish

Populações generalistas formadas por indivíduos generalistas: um caso de estudo sobre os hábitos alimentares de um peixe de riacho Neotropical

Rafaela Carvalho Neves; Pedro Paulino Borges; Jaquelini de Oliveira Zeni; Lilian Casatti; Fabrício Barreto Teresa

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Abstract

Abstract:: Aim: We described the diet of the generalist stream fish Knodus chapadae and we tested if the environmental conditions are associated with population’s diet and individual specialization.

Methods: We analyzed the stomach contents of 287 individuals from 29 streams from the Brazilian savanna (Cerrado).

Results: The instream physical habitat structure, physiochemical conditions, and adjacent land use explained partially the variation in the diet of populations, but not the variation in the individual specialization. Thus, the diet changes observed at populational level were driven by changes in the average composition of the diet of individuals that, in turn, remained generalists along the environmental gradient.

Conclusions: Our results show that the trophic opportunism described for small characids was also observed in K. chapadae, whose diet shifts according to changes in environmental conditions. Furthermore, the opportunism expressed at the individual level can explain the trophic plasticity observed on the studied species.

Keywords

Characidae, diet, intraspecific variation, individual specialization, trophic niche

Resumo

Resumo:: Objetivo: Descrevemos a dieta do peixe de riacho generalista, Knodus chapadae, e testamos se as condições ambientais explicam a dieta das populações e a especialização individual.

Métodos: Para isso, analisamos o conteúdo estomacal de 287 indivíduos de 29 riachos da savana brasileira (Cerrado).

Resultados: As variáveis da estrutura interna do hábitat, condições físico-químicas e o uso do solo explicaram parcialmente a variação na dieta das populações, mas não explicaram a variação na especialização individual. Então, as mudanças na dieta observadas no nível populacional foram decorrentes da mudança na composição média da dieta dos indivíduos que, por sua vez, permaneceram generalistas ao longo do gradiente ambiental.

Conclusões: Nossos resultados mostram que o oportunismo trófico descrito para pequenos caracídeos foi encontrado também em K. chapadae, cuja dieta muda de acordo com as características ambientais. Além disso, o oportunismo expresso em nível individual pode explicar a plasticidade trófica que é observada na espécie estudada.
 

Palavras-chave

Characidae, dieta, variação intraespecífica, especialização individual, nicho trófico

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Submitted date:
03/16/2021

Accepted date:
08/23/2021

Publication date:
09/21/2021

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