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Coexistence patterns between native and exotic juvenile Loricariidae in a Neotropical floodplain: an approach to resource partitioning

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Abstract

The diet and distribution of native (Hypostomus ancistroides, Hypostomus sp.) and exotic juvenile Loricariidae fish (Hypostomus cochliodon, Loricariichthys platymetopon, Pterygoplichthys ambrosettii) from a Neotropical floodplain were analyzed, aiming to understand if these factors contribute to coexistence. Sampling was conducted from 2002 to 2015 in two biotopes (river and lake) of the Ivinheima River basin, Brazil. In the river, abundance was similar between species, whereas, in the lake, P. ambrosettii differed from the other species, showing high abundance. Diet analysis revealed a predominance of detritus, plant material, and algae. Pterygoplichthys ambrosettii and L. platymetopon presented distinct diets. By contrast, the three Hypostomus consumed the same resources. We found trophic differences between the two biotopes. Niche breadth and overlap showed that similarity in the diet cannot explain species coexistence, but the high availability of the consumed items supports resource partitioning, promoting coexistence. However, the high population size of P. ambrosetti suggests a possible competitive relationship, potentially harming native species. The results suggest the importance of monitoring sympatric species in fish assemblages, especially where exotic species have been successfully established.

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Funding was provided Programa integrado de Ecologia (PIE) (Grant Nos. 520026/1998-5, 558118/2009-7, 403686/2012-1) and Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (Grant Nos. 476162/2004-1, 485159/2007-4,480804/2010-9, 483324/2012-4).

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  1. Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ecologia de Ambientes Aquáticos Continentais (PEA), Departamento de Biologia (DBI), Centro de Ciências Biológicas (CCB), Universidade Estadual de Maringá (UEM), Maringá, Paraná, Brazil

    G. C. Z. Reinas & A. Bialetzki

  2. Laboratório de Ecologia de Ictioplâncton, Núcleo de Pesquisas em Limnologia, Ictiologia e Aquicultura (Nupélia), UEM, Maringá, Paraná, Brazil

    G. C. Z. Reinas, J. C. Silva & A. Bialetzki

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Reinas, G.C.Z., Silva, J.C. & Bialetzki, A. Coexistence patterns between native and exotic juvenile Loricariidae in a Neotropical floodplain: an approach to resource partitioning. Hydrobiologia 849, 1713–1726 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-022-04816-w

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