Diversity and distribution of the freshwater Harpacticoida (Crustacea: Copepoda) in rupestrian fields

Abstract

The proposed study aims to understand the Harpacticoida fauna distribution in rocky fields. In particular we intend to use the families Parastenocarididae and Canthocamptidae in order to help elucidating the relationship between the distribution patterns of these organisms and the geographical distance between rocky fields, the genesis of the watershed, the presence of dividers, and the occurrence of rocky fields in different freshwater ecoregions. The questions to be answered are contained in the scope of the project "Biodiversity of freshwater microcrustaceans in rocky fields", which in turn has as its prior objective the expansion of Brazilian biodiversity's knowledge on the rocky fields environments inserted in Cerrado, recognized as the most threatened Brazilian biome. The project is in its second year of implementation. It is supported by MCT / CNPq and FAPESP (process number 2010/52318-6) and integrates the "National System of Biodiversity Research - SISBIOTA BRAZIL". (AU)