Habitat structure and diversity of ichthyofauna in an Atlantic Forest stream: a practical guide for undergraduate students in Biological Sciences Michele Andriaci Ferreira do Carmo, Walter Barrella Barrella, Ursulla Pereira Souza, Fabio Cop Ferreira

Abstract

The Atlantic Forest constitutes a biome of high biodiversity, offering areas of protection, food and shelter for several species of fish. The Itanhaém River basin is the second largest coastal basin in the State of São Paulo, characterized by high endemism due to geographic isolation and the occurrence of phylogenetically basal fish groups. Ecomorphology is the relationship between aspects of morphological variation, where different patterns can explain the morphological convergence and divergence existing in a group of fish. The objective of this work is to integrate undergraduate students into research carried out by postgraduate students in the area of ​​Stream Fish Ecology, analyzing the diversity, composition and morphological characteristics of the ichthyofauna and habitat structure in a coastal stream. An easily accessible stream will be selected in the Mambu River sub-basin, characterized by a sandy bottom and partially deforested marginal vegetation. A structural characterization of the stream will be carried out and the fish will be collected using a sieve and picker. After collection, the fish will be kept in an aquarium with water from the stream and the species will be recorded, photographed and analyzed for morphological differences related to swimming, feeding and occupation of micro-habitats in the stream. Students will write a report and an article about the activities and a board will be prepared with illustrations and some ecological aspects of the main species collected. It is expected that the concept of ecomorphology will become clear to students and that they will realize the importance of developing research that answers basic questions about the biology and ecology of stream fish.