Influência do barramento de um rio neotropical sobre as comunidades de peixes, zooplâncton e a qualidade da água

Abstract

Damming for purposes of electric energy production have been explored for several decades, with the rivers of the Neotropical region being very affected by such projects. In this study, we intend to evaluate the influence of damming Cantu river on fish and zooplankton communities and on the physical, chemical and biological characteristics of water quality, as well as to verify the relationship between communities and water quality before and after damming. The results showed that, after damming, fish and zooplankton communities were restructured, and that the parameters evaluated for water quality also showed differences and influence on the communities. The most influential characteristics were water temperature, transparency, turbidity and chlorophyll-a concentration. Therefore, we conclude that comparative studies between periods (pre and post damming) for reservoir formation purposes should be maintained to identify such changes and to promote mitigation measures to the impacts.