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Biodiversity and ecological processes in running waters of Venezuela

Abstract:

The hydrographic network of Venezuela has an average flow of 40 000 m<sup>3</sup>/s, including the large rivers of the Orinoco basins and the small mountain streams of the northern part, which support a diverse aquatic biota. To update this biota, our objectives were to (1) determine the state of knowledge on river communities and their ecological processes and (2) establish a baseline of knowledge to develop new studies on aquatic biota. To achieve these purposes, we analyzed the biological information collected from running waters during the last 3 decades. The results show that past research has mainly focused on the taxonomy, biology, and ecology of the communities of microorganisms, plankton, vegetation, macroinvertebrates, and vertebrates. A strong taxonomic and descriptive bias was observed in the studies of all groups of organisms. Ecological research was a relatively minor component and oriented towards the knowledge of various ecological processes such as productivity, population dynamics, diets, trophic dynamics, colonization, and bioassessment. The most studied organisms have been plants and vertebrates, especially fish, all with a mostly taxonomic focus. In macroinvertebrates, in addition to the taxonomic component, we found that most of the focus was on ecological research. Zooplankton was the least studied group. This review showed the need to increase studies that aquatic biodiversity and related processes, emphasizing explanatory, integrative, and predictive studies that contribute to improving the strategies and plans for restoration, conservation, preservation, and sustainability of the country’s rivers and streams.