Our everyday pollution: Are rural streams really more conserved than urban streams?

Due to the higher anthropogenic impacts, streams from urban regions are expected to suffer more damage than those from rural regions. This study investigated whether environmental changes caused by human activities negatively affect the variability in ecomorphological and dietary characteristics of...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Aquatic sciences 2021-07, Vol.83 (3), Article 47
Main Authors: Garcia, Thiago Deruza, Strictar, Larissa, Muniz, Carolina Mendes, Goulart, Erivelto
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adaptability
Anthropogenic factors
Aquatic sciences
Biomedical and Life Sciences
Creeks & streams
Diet
Ecology
Ecosystems
Environmental changes
Environmental Management
Fish
Freshwater & Marine Ecology
Human influences
Ichthyofauna
Impact damage
Land use
Life Sciences
Marine & Freshwater Sciences
Oceanography
Regions
Research Article
Rivers
Rural areas
Rural environments
Strategic management
Stream pollution
Streams
Urban areas
Variability
Vegetation
Water pollution
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Summary:Due to the higher anthropogenic impacts, streams from urban regions are expected to suffer more damage than those from rural regions. This study investigated whether environmental changes caused by human activities negatively affect the variability in ecomorphological and dietary characteristics of the ichthyofauna from ten streams (five urban and five rural). Contrary to expectations, ecomorphological characteristics and diet from the fish assemblage did not differ between urban and rural streams, even though urban streams tended to present smaller variability in traits and diet than rural ones. Human activities, though with different origins, have been negatively affecting both streams types, resulting in similar structure of the fish assemblages, that is, artificial structures, blocks, salinity, and total solids have directly influenced the ecomorphology of the fish assemblage, compromising adaptability, in view of the ichthyofauna's sensibilities for the physicochemical variables. These results reinforce the need to develop environmental management efforts to preserve and conserve stream ecosystems improving their quality, especially in degraded areas.
ISSN:1015-1621
1420-9055
DOI:10.1007/s00027-021-00798-4