Riparian vegetation provides the nutrient and energy input that maintains the metabolism and biodiversity in tropical headwater streams. In the present study, it was hypothesised that ~30% of riparian plant species contribute over 70% of coarse particulate organic matter and, because tropical plants are perennial and semi-deciduous, it was expected that leaf fall would occur year round. The aims of the present study were to evaluate the composition and structure of the plant riparian zone and the input and associated benthic stock of organic matter. The riparian vegetation was composed of 99 taxa. The most abundant plant species were Tapirira obtusa, Sclerolobium rugosum, Croton urucurana, Byrsonima sp. and Inga sp. The input and benthic stock showed a seasonal pattern, with higher values recorded at the end of the dry season and at the beginning of tropical storms. The biomass contributed monthly by the vegetation ranged from 28 ± 6 g m–2 to 38 ± 11 g m–2, and the mean monthly benthic standing stock was 138 ± 57 g m–2. The results illustrate the importance of riparian vegetation as an energy source to tropical streams and how individual plant species contribute to organic matter inputs in these ecosystems.

To study the abundance and occurrence of herbivore insects on plants it is important to consider plant characteristics that may control the insects. In this study the following hypotheses were tested: (i) an increase of plant architecture increases species richness and abundance of gall-inducing insects and (ii) plant architecture increases gall survival and decreases parasitism. Two hundred and forty plants of Baccharis pseudomyriocephala Teodoro (Asteraceae) were sampled, estimating the number of shoots, branches and their biomass. Species richness and abundance of galling insects were estimated per module, and mortality of the galls was assessed. Plant architecture influenced positively species richness, abundance and survival of galls. However, mortality of galling insects by parasitoids was low (13.26%) and was not affected by plant architecture, thus suggesting that other plant characteristics (a bottom-up pressure) might influence gall-inducing insect communities more than parasitism (a top-down pressure). The opposite effect of herbivore insects on plant characteristics must also be considered, and such effects may only be assessed through manipulative experiments.

RESUMOPor possuírem ciclos de vida curtos, os macroinvertebrados aquáticos podem responder rapidamente às modificações ambientais, alterando a estrutura das suas populações e comunidades. O objetivo deste estudo foi determinar se há relação entre a composição de macroinvertebrados aquáticos associados a bancos de Eichhornia crassipes o gradiente de condutividade elétrica da água e a biomassa das raízes destes bancos. No pico da cheia de 2005, 21 bancos de macrófitas aquáticas flutuantes dominados por E. crassipes foram amostrados no rio Negro (baixa condutividade ≤ 30 mS cm -1 ), na confluência entre os rios Negro e Solimões (média condutividade > 30 mS cm -1 e ≤ 50 mS cm -1 ), e no rio Solimões (alta condutividade > 50 mS cm -1 ). Foram encontrados 1707 macroinvertebrados aquáticos, distribuídos em 14 ordens e 35 famílias. A abundância de invertebrados aquáticos foi maior em bancos na confluência das águas. O aumento da biomassa das raízes de E. crassipes levou a um aumento da abundância e da riqueza de famílias de macroinvertebrados. A abundância dos coletores-catadores, coletores-filtradores e raspadores variou com o tipo de água, e apenas a abundância dos coletores-catadores e coletores-filtradores variou em função da biomassa das raízes. A riqueza de famílias dos raspadores variou em função do tipo de água. A organização da comunidade depende do gradiente de biomassa de raízes, indicando a importância da estrutura do hábitat para o estabelecimento dos macroinvertebrados. PALAVRAS-CHAVE: Amazônia Central, rio Negro, rio Solimões.Influence of habitat on community structure of macroinvertebrate associated with roots of Eichhornia crassipes in the Lake Catalão, Amazonas, Brazil ABSTRACT Owing to their short life cycles aquatic macroinvertebrates may quickly respond to environmental modifications by changing the structure of their populations and communities. The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between the composition of aquatic macroinvertebrates associated with Eichhornia crassipes stands, the gradient of water conductivity and biomass of the roots of these stands. At the peak of the floods of 2005, 21 banks of floating aquatic macrophytes dominated by E. crassipes were sampled in the Solimões River (high conductivity > 50 mS cm -1 ), the confluence of these the rivers Solimões and Negro (medium conductivity > 30 mS cm -1 and ≤ 50 mS cm -1 ) and Negro River (low conductivity ≤ 30 mS cm -1 ). A total of 1707 aquatic macroinvertebrates were found, divided into 14 orders and 35 families. The abundance of aquatic invertebrates was higher in stands in the rivers confluence. The increased biomass of roots of E. crassipes led to an increase of abundance and richness of families of macroinvertebrates. The abundance of collector-gatherers, filter feeders and collector-scrapers varied with the type of water; only the abundance of collector-gatherers and collector-filter-varied with the root biomass. The abundance of collector-gatherers, filter feeders and collector-scrapers varied with the type of wa...

Despite the strong representativeness of streams in the Amazon basin, their role in the accumulation of coarse particulate organic carbon (CPOC), fine particulate organic carbon (FPOC), and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in transport, an important energy source in these environments, is poorly known. It is known that the arboreal vegetation in the Amazon basin is influenced by soil fertility and rainfall gradients, but would these gradients promote local differences in organic matter in headwater streams? To answer this question, 14 low-order streams were selected within these gradients along the Amazon basin, with extensions that varied between 4 and 8 km. The efficiency of the transformation of particulate into dissolved carbon fractions was assessed for each stream. The mean monthly benthic organic matter storage ranged between 1.58 and 9.40 t ha(-1) month(-1). In all locations, CPOC was the most abundant fraction in biomass, followed by FPOC and DOC. Rainfall and soil fertility influenced the distribution of the C fraction (p = 0.01), showing differentiated particulate organic carbon (POC) storage and DOC transportation along the basin. Furthermore, the results revealed that carbon quantification at the basin level could be underestimated, ultimately influencing the global carbon calculations for the region. This is especially due to the fact that the majority of studies consider only fine particulate organic matter and dissolved organic matter, which represent less than 50 % of the stored and transported carbon in streambeds.