Aquatic Faunal Survey of a Peruvian Amazon Floodplain

University Of Florida, Gainesville FL

Investigators

Abstract

0215388 Albert and Crampton Amazonian floodplains are among the most species-rich aquatic ecosystems on earth, and contain a large proportion of specialized and endemic species. This three-year project will survey and document the aquatic fauna of a poorly known, megadiverse and vulnerable region in the Peruvian Amazon. The project represents a unique combination of expertise in Neotropical aquatic zoology, involving international collaboration among scientists in the USA, Argentina, Brazil, Peru, Spain, and Venezuela. The personnel will conduct a detailed inventory of the aquatic animals, including fishes and numerous invertebrate groups, of the Pacaya Samiria National Reserve in Peru. This reserve is the largest contiguous area of protected floodplain in the Neotropics (21,500 square kilometers). The project will survey the principal aquatic floodplain habitats: floating meadows, open waters, lakes and river channels. These surveys will embrace seasonal and annual changes in the fauna in order to sample all habitats. Collecting efforts will emphasize habitats that provide critical low water refuge and/or reproductive substrate for most aquatic floodplain animals. The project will provide specimens and data to taxonomic experts in several institutions worldwide. This Project was prompted by an invitation from leading Peruvian governmental and university scientists to conduct the first intensive aquatic survey of the Pacaya Samiria National Reserve. The proposed survey matches the goals and priorities of the National Science Foundation's Biotic Surveys and Inventories program and Peruvian Ministry of the Environment, in terms of focus, scale, and urgency. The aquatic fauna of the Pacaya Samiria Reserve is almost completely unknown, and there are no extensive systematic collections or electronic databases of aquatic animals from anywhere in the Peruvian Amazon floodplains. The Pacaya Samiria Reserve also retains a relatively intact forest and aquatic ecosystem in comparison to unprotected sites closer to urban centers. This Project will provide training to local and U.S. students and faculty colleagues and thus benefit the conservation, scientific, and education communities.