Benthic invertebrate assemblages and species diversity patterns of the Upper Paraguay River

This paper presents the first study of the benthic invertebrate assemblages of the upper section of the Paraguay River, a major tributary to the Pantanal wetland in Brazil. Thirty‐eight sites were sampled along a 200 km section below the city of Cáceres in November 2000. Sixty‐nine species and morphospecies were identified, which were dominated by Oligochaeta and Chironomidae. Mean density of benthic invertebrates varied between 72 and 10 354 m^?2 in the meandering sector of the river, 3611–49 629 m^?2 in the straight–transitional sectors, 682–5962 m^?2 in the floodplain lakes, and 1704–2208 m^?2 in floodplain channels. Highest densities were attained in sand‐gravel sediments dominated by the psammophilous oligochaete Narapa bonettoi. The Shannon diversity index ranged from 0.75 to 2.08 and was highest in floodplain lakes. Statistical analysis (UPGMA and CCA) revealed that benthic assemblages in the floodplain habitats were clearly distinct from the riverine habitats. In the river channel, the habitats were distinguished by grain size while the floodplain habitats were mostly determined by current and silt‐clay concentration (floodplain channels) or by organic matter concentration (floodplain lakes). Conservation efforts in the Upper Paraguay area should aim to maintain the flood pulse as a permanent source of spatial and temporal habitat heterogeneity. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.