Upstream range shifts of freshwater fishes have been documented in recent years due to ongoing climate change. River fragmentation by dams, presenting physical barriers, can limit the climatically ...induced spatial redistribution of fishes. Andean freshwater ecosystems in the Neotropical region are expected to be highly affected by these future disturbances. However, proper evaluations are still missing. Combining species distribution models and functional traits of Andean Amazon fishes, coupled with dam locations and climatic projections (2070s), we (a) evaluated the potential impacts of future climate on species ranges, (b) investigated the combined impact of river fragmentation and climate change and (c) tested the relationships between these impacts and species functional traits. Results show that climate change will induce range contraction for most of the Andean Amazon fish species, particularly those inhabiting highlands. Dams are not predicted to greatly limit future range shifts for most species (i.e., the Barrier effect). However, some of these barriers should prevent upstream shifts for a considerable number of species, reducing future potential diversity in some basins. River fragmentation is predicted to act jointly with climate change in promoting a considerable decrease in the probability of species to persist in the long‐term because of splitting species ranges in smaller fragments (i.e., the Isolation effect). Benthic and fast‐flowing water adapted species with hydrodynamic bodies are significantly associated with severe range contractions from climate change.
Future climate change and river fragmentation are predicted to threaten Andean Amazon fishes by promoting significant changes in their distribution. Range fragmentation by dams will decrease the probability to persist of most species. Highland species adapted to fast‐flowing conditions will suffer more severely from range contraction due to climate change.
Andes-to-Amazon river connectivity controls numerous natural and human systems in the greater Amazon. However, it is being rapidly altered by a wave of new hydropower development, the impacts of ...which have been previously underestimated. We document 142 dams existing or under construction and 160 proposed dams for rivers draining the Andean headwaters of the Amazon. Existing dams have fragmented the tributary networks of six of eight major Andean Amazon river basins. Proposed dams could result in significant losses in river connectivity in river mainstems of five of eight major systems-the Napo, Marañón, Ucayali, Beni, and Mamoré. With a newly reported 671 freshwater fish species inhabiting the Andean headwaters of the Amazon (>500 m), dams threaten previously unrecognized biodiversity, particularly among endemic and migratory species. Because Andean rivers contribute most of the sediment in the mainstem Amazon, losses in river connectivity translate to drastic alteration of river channel and floodplain geomorphology and associated ecosystem services.
Abstract Two new species of Bujurquina are described from the Bolivian Amazon basin. The first new species inhabits the Beni River drainage and is distinguished from its congeners in the combination ...of the following characters: longer snout, deeper head, body and caudal peduncle, shorter pectoral fin, more scales in the E1 series, discontinuous longitudinal band, bars 5 and 6 not fused, preopercular spot and coloration pattern on flank scales absent. The second new species inhabits the Mamoré and Iténez river drainages, and differs from its congeners in the combination of the following characteristics: longer and deeper head, longer snout and pectoral fin, deeper caudal peduncle, fewer scales in the E1 series and lower lateral line, preopercular spot absent, bars 6 and 7 separated from longitudinal band and discontinuous longitudinal band. An identification key for species reported from Bolivia and complementary morphological data for B. oenolaemus and B. vittata are presented.
Resumen Se describen dos especies nuevas de Bujurquina para la cuenca Amazónica de Bolivia. La primera nueva especie habita la cuenca del Río Beni y se distingue de sus congéneres en la combinación de los siguientes caracteres: hocico más largo, cabeza, cuerpo y pedúnculo caudal más bajos, aleta pectoral más corta, mayor número de escamas en la serie E1, banda longitudinal discontinua, barras 5 y 6 no fusionadas, mancha preopercular y patrón de coloración en las escamas de los flancos ausentes. La segunda nueva especie habita las cuencas de los ríos Mamoré e Iténez, y se diferencia de sus congéneres en la combinación de las siguientes características: cabeza más larga y alta, hocico y aleta pectoral más largos, pedúnculo caudal más alto, menor número de escamas de la serie E1 y de la línea lateral inferior, ausencia de la mancha preopercular, barras 6 y 7 separadas de la banda longitudinal y banda longitudinal discontinua. Se presenta una clave de identificación de las especies de Bolivia y datos morfológicos complementarios de B. oenolaemus y B. vittata.
Artisanal mining and erosion of metalbearing soils can contaminate aquatic ecosystems and affect the health of riparian human populations, through metal bio-accumulation processes and fish ...consumption. Concentrations of eight trace metals (Cd, Cr, Co, Cu, Pb, Hg, Ni, Zn) and a metalloid (As) were measured in the muscle tissue of different edible fish species collected from markets of two cities along the Beni River banks, in the Bolivian Amazon. Relationships between the size of fish belonging to different trophic levels (carnivores, omnivores, detritivores and herbivorous) from four different fishing zones were analyzed. The most relevant results corresponded to the detritivore group, whose members exhibited significant positive correlations between the fish size and the concentration of three metals (cadmium, cobalt and nickel).
Furthermore, a 3 × 3 scenario-risk analysis was performed to assess local risk for human health. This was done by relating three different scenarios of local fish consumption collected from literature (maximum, average and minimum) and three different levels of trace element concentrations (95th, 50th and 5th percentile) derived from the present study and the Minimal Risk Levels suggested by the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. Results of these calculations determined the amount of fish muscle per contaminant that could be consumed per day without risking human’s health. Finally, Target Hazard Quotients were calculated for each trace element, aiming to indicate the potential exposure to each one and the concentration at which no adverse effects are expected.
The obtained results made clear that mercury is the only trace element that represents an important health risk to humans within the studied region, considering most of the combinations in the 3 × 3 analysis. Chronic mercury intoxication could occur when consumption of fish in Riberalta or Rurrenabaque exceeded 83 g/day in females and 110 g/day in males.
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•Concentration of selected trace elements were examined in edible fish.•Carnivorous fish species showed the highest concentrations of mercury.•Biomagnification of methylmercury is present in the trophic webs of the Beni River.•Only Mercury presented a potential health risk to humans.•Chronic Hg poisoning can occur at low rates of fish ingestion for females and males.
Metal pollution; Mercury; Health risk; Artisanal mining; Trace elements; Bolivia.
Developing institutional arrangements for supporting sustainable fisheries has been a critical challenge for the governance of common-pool resources, especially in transboundary regions. In this ...paper, we analyze the impact of governance arrangements on a small-scale fishery system on the Brazil-Bolivia border in the Amazon region. Data collection involved documental analysis, literature review and conduction of semi-structured interviews with fishers and environmental protection/regulatory agencies' staff. We present an exploratory qualitative analysis of the interactions between the fishery system's attributes (biological, environmental, technical and governance), examining institutional arrangements among diverse stakeholders. Results reveal that the small-scale fishery characteristics and the relationships between resources and stakeholders has contributed to stock maintenance and overall sustainability of the fishery system. Nevertheless, we also found that the governance structure is fragile due to weak institutional arrangements within and between countries, resulting in increased vulnerability of the fishery system to imminent threats.
Desde la última década, el creciente interés por parte de científicos y autoridades nacionales ha dado lugar a avances considerables en el conocimiento de los peces de Bolivia, llegando a una lista ...de más de 900 especies. Esta riqueza representa el 6% de todas las especies de agua dulce descritas en el mundo, haciendo de Bolivia uno de los países con mayor diversidad de peces. Este libro, primero de su categoría en Bolivia, presenta una compilación de informaciones sobre una centena de especies de peces, entre las más conocidas o notables, incluyendo fotos, informaciones sobre sus rasgos biológicos y mapas de distribución. Está dirigido a quienes quieren descubrir o conocer más sobre los peces de Bolivia y la biodiversidad en general. Esperamos que el presente trabajo resalte la necesidad de preservar la singularidad que representan las aguas bolivianas con su diversa fauna, y que ayude al pueblo boliviano a conocer mejor y valorar su patrimonio natural.
ABSTRACT The goliath catfish Brachyplatystoma rousseauxii has crucial economical and ecological functions in the Amazon basin. Although its life history characteristics have been studied in the ...Amazon, there is little information in the Madeira River basin, which holds genetically distinct populations and where dams were recently built. Using fish collected in Bolivia, Brazil and Peru, this study provides a validation of growth rings deposition and details the growth patterns of B. rousseauxii in the Madeira before the dams’ construction. Age structure and growth parameters were determined from 497 otolith readings. The species exhibits two growth rings per year and sampled fish were between 0 and 16 years old. In the Brazilian portion of the basin, mainly young individuals below 5 years old were found, whereas older fish (> 5 years) were caught only in the Bolivian and Peruvian stretches, indicating that after migrating upstream to reproduce, adults remain in the headwaters of the Madeira River. Comparing with previous publications, B. rousseauxii had a slower growth and 20 cm lower maximum standard length in the Madeira River than in the Amazon River. This study provides a baseline for future evaluation of changes in population dynamics of the species following dams closure.
RESUMO Brachyplatystoma rousseauxii é um bagre de importante papel econômico e ecológico na bacia amazônica. Embora existam estudos acerca de sua história de vida na Amazônia, há pouca informação para a bacia do rio Madeira, onde existem populações geneticamente distintas e recentemente foram construídas duas usinas hidrelétricas. Este estudo validou a deposição das marcas de crescimento e detalhou os padrões de desenvolvimento dessa espécie no rio Madeira, antes da construção das barragens. As coletas abrangeram os territórios brasileiro, boliviano e peruano, com estrutura etária e parâmetros de crescimento determinados a partir de 497 otólitos. Foram observadas duas marcas de crescimento por ano e indivíduos entre 0 e 16 anos. Na porção brasileira foram encontrados principalmente jovens menores de 5 anos, enquanto que os peixes mais velhos (> 5 anos) foram capturados apenas na Bolívia e Peru, indicando que após a migração reprodutiva, os adultos permanecem nas cabeceiras do rio Madeira. Comparando com estudos prévios realizados na calha principal do rio Amazonas, B. rousseauxii apresentou crescimento mais lento e comprimento padrão máximo inferior de 20 cm no rio Madeira. Este estudo fornece uma base para a avaliação futura das mudanças na dinâmica populacional desse espécie após o implementação das barragens.
The Bolivian part of the Amazon Basin contains a mega diverse and well-preserved fish fauna. Since the last decade, this fish fauna has received an increasing attention from scientists and the ...national authorities as fishes represent one of the most important sources of proteins for local human communities. However, this fish fauna still remains poorly documented. Here, we present a database for fishes from the Bolivian Amazon. To build the database, we conducted an extensive literature survey of native and non-native (exotic) fishes inhabiting all major sub-drainages of the Bolivian Amazon. The database, named Fish-AMAZBOL, contains species lists for 13 Amazonian hydrological units, covering 100% of the Bolivian Amazon and approximately 65% (722,137 km²) of the all territory. Fish-AMAZBOL includes 802 valid species, 12 of them being non-native, that have been checked for systematic reliability and consistency. To put this number in perspective, this represents around 14% of the all Neotropical ichthyofauna and around 6% of all strictly freshwater fishes inhabiting the planet. This database is currently the most comprehensive database of native and non-native fish species richness available so far for the Bolivian Amazon.
The giant osteoglossomorph fish Arapaima cf. gigas was introduced to the northern Bolivian Amazon over a half century ago and now contributes significantly to commercial fisheries. Despite this, ...little is known regarding its current distribution and invasion potential. Here, we address this knowledge gap using two complementary methods: interviewing key informants and examining fisheries landing records in the principal landing site (Riberalta). Both interviews and landing data revealed that the species represents approximately 50% of the total commercial catches, and that it now occupies approximately 340 km² of floodplain lakes in the Beni, Orthon and Madre de Dios River basins. The annual yield is estimated at 258 t, equivalent to 0.76 kg/ha/year. The current geographic distribution represents approximately one-quarter (24%) of floodplain lakes in the lower Bolivian Amazon, suggesting high fisheries potential of the species if it would also colonize the remaining Mamoré and Iténez River basins. The potential for negative ecosystem impacts of the A. cf. gigas invasion seems likely, considering the large body size, life history and feeding ecology of this species, but has not yet been clearly demonstrated. Factors that might limit further expansion are natural barriers (waterfalls) in the lower Mamoré, and periodic cold temperature conditions in the Mamoré and Iténez River basins.
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