Endozoocoria entre organismos aquáticos: a importância das aves para a dispersão de plantas, invertebrados e peixes

Abstract

The wide distribution of freshwater species sessile or with low locomotion capacity inhabitants isolated continental aquatic systems has always been an ecological puzzle. Passive dispersal through a transport vector is the main explanation for understanding the dispersal among these wetlands, and waterbirds play an important role in this process. In the Neotropical region, studies on the dispersal promoted by waterbird are scarce. In this thesis, studies are presented addressing the importance of waterbird for the dispersal of plants, invertebrates and fish in the neotropical region. Field data collections and ex situ experiments were carried out. Regarding plant diaspores, it was possible to identify the dispersal depends on the interaction between the bird species and the season. Still on plants, it was proved that an entire angiosperm (Wolffia columbiana) survives the passage through the digestive tract of two species of Anatidae, representing a dispersal mode previously unknown. On invertebrates, the dispersal promoted by birds is associated with the bird species, with no effect of the season or sample weight. Finally, it has been proven that killifish (Rivulidae) eggs continue their development and hatch even after being ingested and expelled by a bird, representing an unknown dispersal means to a vertebrate. In this thesis, it is demonstrated that the endozoochory promoted by waterbirds is fundamental to understand the dispersal dynamics of aquatic organisms in neotropical wetlands.