O Vão do Paranã (GO) como área chave para conservação de macroinvertebrados bentônicos

Abstract

In this study we suggested the indication of the Paranã River watershed, Goiás, as a priority area for conservation of aquatic invertebrates. It was made based on the use of the benthic macroinvertebrate community as a bioindication tool. The invertebrates were collected by rapid assessment methodology, using hand nets of mesh size of 2 mm during 15 minutes of active sampling in current environments with rubble substrate. The choice of the area was made following three criteria: 1- Rarity of the taxon; 2- Representation and complementarity of sampled points; 3- Connectivity. The selected area includes stretches of river with different hydrological characteristics, which are reflected in the different compositional characteristics of the biota. The priority area for conservation proposed in this paper includes three watersheds: the rivers São Bartolomeu, Corrente and São Mateus. The indicated area is not currently protected by federal or state units of conservation and also this region suffer current expansion of anthropic activities. The information resulted from this study can serve as support for a more efficient management of the conservation of the aquatic biota of the Paranã River.