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Macrophyte rafts as dispersal vectors for fishes and amphibians in the Lower Solimões River, Central Amazon

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 April 2003

Luis Schiesari ,
Jansen Zuanon ,
Claudia Azevedo-Ramos ,
Marcelo Garcia ,
Marcelo Gordo ,
Mariluce Messias  and
Emerson Monteiro Vieira
Luis Schiesari
Affiliation:
Departamento de Zoologia, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade de São Paulo, CP 20520, 01452-990, São Paulo-SP, Brazil Present address: Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, 48109-1048, Ann Arbor-MI, USA. Email: lschiesa@umich.edu
Jansen Zuanon
Affiliation:
Coordenação de Pesquisas em Biologia Aquática, Caixa Postal 478, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia, 69083-970, Manaus-AM, Brazil
Claudia Azevedo-Ramos
Affiliation:
Núcleo de Altos Estudos Amazônicos-NAEA, Universidade Federal do Pará, 67070-100, Belém-PA, Brazil
Marcelo Garcia
Affiliation:
Departamento de Biologia, Universidade do Amazonas, 69970-000, Manaus-AM, Brazil
Marcelo Gordo
Affiliation:
Departamento de Biologia, Universidade do Amazonas, 69970-000, Manaus-AM, Brazil
Mariluce Messias
Affiliation:
UNESP-Rio Claro, PG Zoologia, Avenida 24-A, 1515, C.P. 199, 13506-900, Rio Claro-SP, Brazil
Emerson Monteiro Vieira
Affiliation:
Laboratório de Ecologia de Mamíferos, Centro de Ciências da Saúde, UNISINOS, CP 275, 93022-000, São Leopoldo-RS, Brazil
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Abstract

Large rivers have played a prominent role in biogeographic theory for their potential to act as barriers for the dispersal of terrestrial organisms,and therefore be involved in the generation of species diversity (Brown & Lomolino 1998). In this paper, we document the potential role of macrophyte rafts as a mechanism by which Amazonian rivers could act as dispersal agents rather than barriers, transferring organisms across banks and possibly across very large distances. These vectors could therefore act against speciation and towards homogenization of the local biota.

Keywords

Amazonamphibiansbiodiversitybiogeographydispersalfishesmacrophytesvárzea floodplains
Type
Brief Report
Information
Journal of Tropical Ecology , Volume 19 , Issue 3 , May 2003 , pp. 333 - 336
Copyright
© 2003 Cambridge University Press

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