Ecological and phylogenetic determinants of life‐history patterns among ten loricariid species

Abstract

We analysed the influence of ecological factors, phylogenetic history and trade‐offs between traits on the life‐history variation among 10 loricariid species of the middle Paraná River. We measured eight life‐history variables and classified the life‐history strategies following the equilibrium–periodic–opportunistic (EPO) model. Principal‐component analysis of life‐history traits segregated species along a gradient from small opportunistic (low fecundity, low parental investment) to large equilibrium (low‐medium fecundity, high parental investment) species. A clear periodic strategist was absent in the analysed assemblage. Variation partitioning by canonical phylogenetic ordination analysis showed both a component of variation uniquely explained by phylogenetic history (PH; 32.2%) and a component shared between PH and ecological factors (EF; 37%). The EPO model is a useful tool for predicting correlations among life‐history traits and understanding potential demographic responses of species to environmental variation. Life‐history patterns observed throughout Loricariidae suggests that this family has diversified across all three endpoint strategies of the EPO model. Our study indicates that evolutionary lineage affiliation at the level of subfamily can be a strong predictor of the life‐history strategy used by each species.

Feeding strategy and morphology as indicators of habitat use and coexistence of two loricariid fishes from a Brazilian coastal stream

“…These species were the only loricariids inhabiting the studied stream and coexisting in all collected sites (Miranda & Mazzoni 2015). Knowing that these closely related Loricariidae species have specialized similar morphology (Lujan et al 2011, Borzone Mas et al 2019, we predicted that morphology will explain dietary habits, but differences in habitat exploration should be the strategy to facilitate their coexistence.…”

Food web structure mediate positive and negative effects of diversity on ecosystem functioning in a large floodplain river

“…The Paraná River floodplain harbors 330 fish species with broad body size distribution and diverse ecomorphological characteristics (e.g. spanning 5 orders of magnitude in body weight), and life history strategies (Scarabotti et al 2011, 2017, Borzone Mas et al 2019, Abrial et al 2019). In this system, functional diversity in fish prey imposes constraints on trophic interactions, such as gape size limitation, energetic return limitation, barrier traits, and forbidden interactions (Arim et al 2010, Ortiz & Arim 2016, Izquierdo-Palma et al 2021).…”

“…The Paraná River floodplain harbors 330 fish species with broad body size distribution and diverse ecomorphological characteristics (e.g. spanning 5 orders of magnitude in body weight), and life history strategies (Scarabotti et al 2011, Borzone Mas et al 2019, Abrial et al 2019. In this .…”

Endoparasites of Hypostomus commersoni (Siluriformes, Loricariidae) from two shallow lagoons, Argentina

“…Hypostomus commersoni Valenciennes, 1836 is the species of this genus with the widest distribution range in Argentina, inhabiting all the main river networks of La Plata River basin and the Pampa Plains (Bertora et al, 2018;Cardoso et al, 2019), where its catch is very common (Sverlij et al, 2013;Scarabotti, Demonte, & Pouilly, 2017). Considering main life history traits, this species has recently been classified as equilibrium strategists (Borzone Mas, Alvarenga, & Scarabotti, 2019).…”