Abstract
The results of recent theoretical studies suggest that food webs are size-structured, with top predators coupling across different energy sources. However, evidence supporting this hypothesis is still scarce, especially in highly diverse tropical rivers. In the present study, we explored the association between body size, trophic position, and the use of allochthonous and autochthonous basal production sources in the Volta Grande rapids of the Xingu River, a major clearwater tributary of the Amazon River, during the period prior to operation of the Belo Monte Hydropower Plant (BMHP). This section of the river contains a maze of channels with rocky shoals that support dozens of endemic fishes, mollusks and other aquatic taxa that may be impacted by flow regulation by the Pimental Dam located upstream. During the low-water season, we surveyed fish, crustaceans, mollusks, sponges, aquatic and terrestrial insects, zooplankton, and basal production sources to obtain tissue samples for analysis of stable isotope ratios of carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N). The results indicated that the biomass of most aquatic organisms appears to be largely supported by riparian vegetation, highlighting the importance of the lateral connectivity between aquatic and terrestrial habitats. In contrast to expectation, we did not observe a gradual increase in the coupling of energy pathways with increasing body size and trophic position. These findings provide a baseline for the trophic ecology of this river under the natural flow regime that can be used for future impact assessments, and they also indicate that more complex food web models, potentially including additional functional traits (e.g., gut length) are needed to describe resource and habitat use in highly diverse tropical ecosystems.
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Acknowledgements
MAZG, JC, and OL were funded by Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) addressed to the Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ecologia Aquática e Pesca of the Federal University of Pará. KW acknowledges support from the US National Science Foundation (DEB 1257813 and IGERT 0654377) and the Estate of George and Carolyn Kelso via the International Sportfish Fund (KOW), and FWK acknowledges support from the Merit, Excellence, and Tom Slick fellowships from Texas A&M University. TG is funded by National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq #308528/2022-0). MCA received a grant from the “Centro de Triagem de Invertebrados” (UFPA/FADESP project #4390/ITV-DS project #R100603.CT.02). The study was funded by Norte Energia, Project P&D of the Agência Nacional de Energia Elétrica - ANEEL code PD-07427-0221/2021.
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Conceptualization: MCA, FWK, KW, TG. Developing methods: MCA, FWK. Data analysis: MCA, FWK. Preparation of figures and tables: MCA, FWK. Conducting the research, data interpretation, writing: MCA, FWK, MAZG, JWSC, OPL, RA, KW, TG.
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Andrade, M.C., Keppeler, F.W., Zuluaga-Gómez, M.A. et al. Food web structure in the Xingu River rapids prior to operation of the Amazon’s largest hydropower plant. Aquat Sci 85, 74 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00027-023-00971-x
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00027-023-00971-x