Biomonitoring in Brazil

Bob Hughes has consulted on 3 projects in Brazil since 2003. The research occurred in the 3 major ecoregions of that country: Atlantic Forest, Cerrado (savanna), and Amazon Forest.

In multiyear studies of the nonwadeable Rio Paraiba do Sul and its tributaries, together with wadeable streams draining to Guanabara Bay, he has worked with a senior professor and 2 Ph.D. and 1 M.Sc. students at the Federal Rural University of Rio de Janeiro and the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro. The major outputs of this research are Ph.D. and M.Sc. degrees by the students and 6 journal publications (Oliveira et al. 2011; Pinto et al. 2006, 2009; Terra et al. 2013a, 2013b, In Press).. Dr. Hughes’ contributions to this research included advising on survey design, sampling methodologies, data analyses, and manuscript preparation.

In a multi-university study of 40 stream sites and the receiving reservoir in each of 4 Cerrado river basins, Bob Hughes has worked with 3 professors and 9 graduate students from the Federal University of Minas Gerais, Federal University of Lavras, and Pontifical Catholic University of Minas Gerais since 2007. To date, this research has resulted in 5 Ph.D. and 4 M.Sc. degrees, 1 book (Callisto et al. 2014), and 14 journal publications (Castro et al. 2013a, 2013b; Ferreira et al. 2014, 2015; Ligeiro et al. 2013a, 2013b; Macedo et al. 2012, 2014; Martins et al. 2015; Molozzi et al. 2011; Sanches et al. In Press; Silva et al. 2014; Tupinambás et al. In Press). Several additional manuscripts involving basic macroinvertebrate and fish assemblage ecology and the use of those assemblages in assessing anthropogenic impacts on streams and reservoirs are in preparation. Dr. Hughes’ contributions to this research included advising on survey design, sampling methodologies, data analyses, and manuscript preparation, as well as field sampling.

In a multi-university multi-disciplinary study of 40 stream sites in each of 2 Amazon River sub-basins, Bob Hughes has worked with 5 professors and 9 graduate students from the Federal University of Lavras, Federal University of Amazonas, Federal University of Para, and University of Cambridge since 2010. To date 2 manuscripts have been published (Gardner et al. 2013; Oliveira et al. In Press). Additional papers involving basic macroinvertebrate and fish assemblage biogeography and the use of those assemblages in assessing anthropogenic impacts on streams are in preparation. Dr. Hughes’ contributions to this research included advising on survey design, sampling methodologies, data analyses, and manuscript preparation, as well as field sampling.

Associated Publications

Callisto, M., R.M. Hughes, J.M. Lopes, and M.A. Castro (eds.). 2014. Ecological conditions in hydropower basins. Série Peixe Vivo 2. Companhia Energética de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais.

Castro, D, R.M. Hughes, and M. Callisto. 2013a. Effects of flow fluctuations on the daily and seasonal drift of invertebrates in a tropical river. Annales de Limnologie – International Journal of Limnology 49:169-177.

Castro, D, R.M. Hughes, and M. Callisto. 2013b. Influence of peak flow changes on the macroinvertebrate drift downstream of a Brazilian hydroelectric dam. Brazilian Journal of Biology 73:775-782.

Ferreira, W.R., R. Ligeiro, D.R. Macedo, R.M. Hughes, P.R. Kaufmann, L.G. Oliveira, and M. Callisto. 2015. Is the diet of a typical shredder related to the physical habitat of headwater streams in the Brazilian Cerrado? Annales de Limnologie 51:115-124.

Ferreira, W.R., R. Ligeiro, D.R. Macedo, R.M. Hughes, P.R. Kaufmann, L.G. Oliveira, and M. Callisto. 2014. Importance of environmental factors for the richness and distribution of benthic macroinvertebrates in tropical headwater streams. Freshwater Science 33: 860-871.

Gardner, T. & 86 coauthors. 2013. A social and ecological assessment of tropical land uses at multiple scales: the Sustainable Amazon Network. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of Britain B (Biological Sciences) 368:2012066

Ligeiro R., W. Ferreira, R.M. Hughes, and M. Callisto. 2013a. One caveat when using fixed-area subsampling methods to estimate macroinvertebrate richness: a case study with Neotropical stream data. Environmental Monitoring & Assessment 185:4077-4085.

Ligeiro R, R.M. Hughes, P.R. Kaufmann, D.R. Macedo, K.R. Firmiano, W.R. Ferreira, D. Oliveira, A.S. Melo, and M. Callisto. 2013b. Defining quantitative stream disturbance gradients and the additive role of habitat variation to explain macroinvertebrate taxa richness. Ecological Indicators 25:45-57.

Macedo, D.R., R.M. Hughes, R. Ligeiro, W.R. Ferreira, M. Castro, N.T. Junqueira, D.R.O. Silva, K.R. Firmiano, P.R. Kaufmann, P.S. Pompeu and M. Callisto. 2014. The relative influence of multiple spatial scale environmental predictors on fish and macroinvertebrate assemblage richness in cerrado ecoregion streams, Brazil. Landscape Ecology 29:1001-1016.

Macedo, D.R., R. Ligeiro, W.R. Ferreira, N.T. Junqueira, B.O. Sanches, D.R.O. Silva, C.B.M. Alves, R.M. Hughes, P.R. Kaufmann, P.S. Pompeu, G.B. Santos, and M. Callisto. 2012. Adaptação e validação de um protocolo de avaliação biológica e de habitats físicos no estudo de assembléias de peixes e macroinvertebrados bentônicos em bacias hidrográficas no cerrado brasileiro. Ação Ambiental 47(13):15-18.

Martins, I.S., B. Sanches, P.R. Kaufmann, R.M. Hughes, G.B. Santos, J. Molozzi, and M. Callisto 2015. Ecological assessment of a southeastern Brazil reservoir. Biota Neotropica 15(1):1-10

Molozzi, J., J.S. França, T.L.A. Araujo, T.H. Viana, R.M. Hughes, and M. Callisto. 2011. Diversidade de habitats físicos e sua relação com macroinvertebrados bentônicos em reservatórios urbanos. Iheringia Série Zoologia 101(3):191-199.

Oliveira Jr., J.M.B., Y. Shimano, T.A. Gardner, R.M. Hughes, P. de Marco Jr. and L. Juen. In Press. Neotropical dragonflies (Insecta: Odonata) as indicators of environmental quality in the Eastern Amazon. Austral Ecology.

Oliveira, R.B.S, D.F. Baptista, R. Mugnai, C.M. Castro, and R.M. Hughes. 2011.Towards rapid bioassessment of wadeable streams in Brazil: development of the Guapiaçu-Macau Multimetric Index (GMMI) based on benthic macroinvertebrates. Ecological Indicators 11:1584-1593.

Pinto, B.C.T., F.G. Araujo, V.D. Rodriguez, and R.M. Hughes. 2009. Local and ecoregion effects on fish assemblage structure in tributaries of the Rio Paraíba do Sul, Brazil. Freshwater Biology 54:2600-2615.

Pinto, B.C.T., F.G. Araujo, and R.M. Hughes. 2006. Effects of landscape and riparian condition on a fish index of biotic integrity in a large southeastern Brazil river. Hydrobiologia 556:69-83.

Sanches, B.O., R.M. Hughes, D.R. Macedo, M. Callisto, and G.B. Santos. In Press. Spatial variations in fish assemblage structure in a southeastern Brazil reservoir. Brazilian Journal of Biology

Silva, D., R. Ligeiro, R.M. Hughes, and M. Callisto. 2014. Visually determined stream mesohabitats influence benthic macroinvertebrate assessments in headwater streams. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment 186:5479-5488.

Terra, B.D.F., R.M. Hughes, and F.G. Araujo. In Press. Fish assemblages in Atlantic Forest streams: the relative influence of local and catchment environments on taxonomic and functional species. Ecology of Freshwater Fish.

Terra, B.D.F., R.M. Hughes, and F.G. Araujo. 2013a. Sampling sufficiency for fish assemblage surveys of Atlantic Forest streams, southeastern Brazil. Fisheries 38:150-158.

Terra, B.D.F., R.M. Hughes, M.R. Francelino, and F.G. Araujo. 2013b. Assessment of biotic condition of Atlantic Rain Forest streams: a fish-based multimetric approach. Ecological Indicators 34:136-148.

Tupinambás, T.H., P.S. Pompeu, C.V. Gandini, R.M. Hughes, and M. Callisto. 2015. Fish stomach contents in benthic macroinvertebrate assemblage assessments. Brazilian Journal of Biology 75:157-164.