Composition and trophic organization of the ichthyofauna in streams with different physical characteristics (São Paulo State, Brazil)

Abstract

The study of ichthyofauna composition and trophic organization in streams is an important tool for the assessment of the water bodies integrity. In this work, three streams within Santo Inácio River basin and their ichthyofauna were studied in order to evaluate possible variations in diet and composition due to differences in the physical characteristics of each stream. In 2013 (August and September), fishes were collected along a 100m stretch at each stream, being sampled a total of 20 species belonging to 10 families. The Barra Mansa stream consists in a straighter, narrow and shallow channel, with sandy bottom, low current and grass vegetation recovering its margins.