Estudo cientométrico da fauna de peixes da bacia hidrográfica do rio Iguaçu

Abstract

The watershed of the Iguaçu River covers a vast area of the state of Paraná, is part of the Atlantic Forest biome and is divided into three hydrographic units: Alto, Médio and Baixo Iguaçu. It has remarkable ecological importance due to the geographical isolation from the various waterfalls. It has a difference of 830 m from its headwaters to its river mouth, which makes the basin have ideal characteristics for the implantation of hydroelectric power plants. Due to its great extension, the basin suffers degradation by anthropic actions, being able to be pollutants coming from the urban centers, of the industrial units or by the expansion of the agribusinesses. The ichthyofauna of the Iguaçu River basin has a high degree of endemism. The present study aimed to map, from published studies, the state of the art, the diversity of fish, in the Iguaçu river basin from 1990. The research was carried out through the "advanced search" mode in Capes' Periódicos portal, with the key words, Iguaçu, fish, conservation, management, using articles published within a stipulated period and reviewed in pairs. After the search, a form was used to categorize the articles. We analyzed 57 articles, in which an increase in the number of publications was observed in a gradual way, it was also noticed that the largest number of publications occurred in international journals. The studies performed in the Hydrographic Unit of Baixo Iguaçu stood out in relation to the other units. The tributaries of the Iguaçu River presented a greater amount of research. A total of 86 fish species were cataloged, of which 45 are native and the rate of endemism was 71% for these species, which demonstrates a great ecological importance. Among the exotic species, 41 species were registered, this number is considered a concern, because the exotic species compete for space and resources with the native ones. Studies related to the fish community in the Iguaçu River basin have been increasing gradually and this contributes to the enrichment of records in the literature.