Caracterização ecológica da ictiofauna estuarina do Parque Estadual do Cocó (Fortaleza-CE)

Abstract

The Cocó River estuary is inserted in the Cocó State Park (PEC) in the city of Fortaleza, with intense urbanization and effects of anthropic actions on its watercourse. In this Ecosystem, the Laboratory of Aquatic Ecology and Conservation of the Federal University of Ceará (LEAC – UFC) collected between 2017 and 2018 data on composition, abundance and functional attributes of the ichthyofauna in order to characterize ecological aspects of this faunal group. To evaluate the distribution of the taxonomic and functional composition of the ichthyofauna temporally and spatially in three zones of the estuary (lower, intermediate and upper), ordination analyzes using non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) and the PERMANOVA test were used. Analyzes of indicator attributes were performed using envfit to identify the correlation between quantitative and qualitative attributes of the community and catch zones. The results indicate heterogeneity in the spatial distribution of the ichthyofauna with differences between the zones from a functional and taxonomic point of view, and a dominance in the upper zone of species that have adaptations to tolerate hypoxia. Temporal variations in the composition of the ichthyofauna were not significant. Standard length sizes indicate an ecosystem dominated by juvenile species, highlighting the estuary's role as a nursery for marine and freshwater species. The Cocó River estuary presents an ichthyofauna with differences between the lower, intermediate and upper zones, composed of native and exotic species of commercial importance, consumed by the surrounding communities and with emphasis on the occurrences of two near threatened native species (Hippocampus reidi and Lutjanus analis) and a vulnerable one (Megalops atlanticus).