Spatio-temporal patterns of co-occurrence in fish assemblages in a tropical stream, southwestern Amazon
Assembly of communities.
Ichthyofauna.
Null models.
We evaluated the spatio-temporal patterns of co-occurrence of a fish assemblage in an Amazonian sub-basin, with two hypotheses: (i) The fish assemblage is spatio-temporally structured with a non-random pattern of co-occurrence influenced by environmental conditions (hydrological period and physicochemical variables), considering that environmental factors can be decisive in the assembly of assemblies; (ii) Species with greater similarity in tolerance to environmental conditions tend to have greater co-occurrence, as the effects of environmental variables can have direct implications on the organizational composition of fish species. Fish assemblages presented an organization in spatio-temporal and temporal scales, however there is randomization. The species segregated on a seasonal scale, both in the dry and in the high season. Tolerance was correlated with the co-occurrence of species in the dry season, where species tended to segregate their physicochemical niche in this seasonal period. Anthropization may be contributing to the fact that, spatially, the assemblages are not forming deterministic patterns. The flood period was decisive in the organization patterns. During the dry season, species with dissimilar environmental requirements tend to co-occur less. The pH influenced the organization of the assembly. The physicochemical variables (pH, water temperature, dissolved oxygen) influenced the species composition.