Brazilian subterranean aquatic fauna: biodiversity, biology, evolution, ecology and conservation

Abstract

Brazil, with one of the richest subterranean ichthyofaunas in the world (18 out of about 100 species recorded throughout the world), interesting instances of relictual crustaceans (e.g., spelaeogriphaceans and calabozoans) and an inclination for fieldwork due to the presence of well-established autochthonous research teams, offers a great potential for biospeleological research, with important developments for conservation of the fragile subterranean ecosystems. Taking faunistic surveys in several Brazilian karst areas as a starting point, the present 4 years project encompasses a wide spectrum of different aspects of the biology of aquatic taxa with troglobitic (exclusively subterranean) derivatives. Some of these aspects, already focused in our previous studies (behaviour, chronobiology), will be studied in more detail and applying new methods, representing a relevant qualitative and quantitative leap. Others will be studied for the first time in Brazilian aquatic troglobites (respirometry, morphology of sensorial systems). Periodical trips to 12 karst areas in Bahia, Minas Gerais, Goiás, Mato Grosso, Mato Grosso do Sul and São Paulo, and some non-karst localities in the Amazon basin as well, are planned for field work aiming to investigate the natural history and population ecology of fishes and crustaceans (including mark-recapture studies for some fish), and the collection of specimens to be brought to the laboratory in São Paulo Cifro Part of these specimens will be kept active for behavioural and physiological studies, and part will be preserved for systematic (including molecular studies), anatomy and biology (diet, reproduction). Observations and collections in caves will be done during snorkeling or, in the case of deep caves, the highly specialized SCUBA speleodiving. The detection of hotspots of subterranean biodiversity is an important step in the proposition of rational conservation policies, which also must take into account the particular biology of troglobites. (AU)