Amazon Forgotten Fishes. How the remarkable diversity of freshwater fishes is critical to people, rivers and forest
Abstract
Across the vast sweep of the Amazon Basin, thousands of rivers, streams and floodplain lakes flow in an immense, interconnected waterscape— home to an unparalleled diversity of freshwater fishes. More than 2,700 species have so far been recorded, with dozens more added each year as scientific exploration continues. This report dives beneath the surface to reveal their life histories, including their range and variety, the roles they play in the ecosystem, their adaptations and their niches. It also explores their place in human society, since millions of people across the Amazon rely on fish for food and livelihoods, and they have a unique place in the sociocultural heritage, histories and identities of Indigenous Peoples and local communities throughout the basin.
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Authors: Fernanda Silva, Guillermo Estupinan, Pedro Jiménez‐Prado, Silvia López‐Casas, Vanessa Rodríguez Flores, Adela Caridad Ruiz Arce, Allison Aldous, Andrea C. Encalada, Angélica M. Torres-Bejarano, Blanca Ríos Touma, Belisario Silva Carrera, Carlos Edwar Carvalho Freitas, Carolina Rodrigues da Costa Dória, Cécile Brugere, Céline Jezequel, Daniel Crepaldi, Daniela Rosero Lopez, David McGrath, Edwin Agudelo Córdoba, Elizabeth P. Anderson, Flavia Loures, Gabriela Echevarría, Guido A. Herrera‐R, Jansen Zuanon, Javier DEL ÁGUILA, JAVIER OSCAR ZAVALETA FLORES, Jonathan Valdiviezo‐Rivera, Jorge D. Abad, Juan David Bogotá‐Gregory, Leandro Sousa, Luis Moya, Marcelo Ândrade, Mariana Montoya, Mariana Paschoalini Frias, Mary Pleasant, Mauro Luís Ruffino, Michael Goulding, Patrícia Charvet, Raúl Pardo, Rodrigo M. Salles, Ronaldo Borges Barthem, Rosa Elena Ajiaco-Martínez, Rosa Vento, Rubí Cahuachi, Sandra Bibiana Correa, Sebastián Heilpern, Shiteng Kang, Silvia Benitez, Simone Athayde, Sui Chian Phang, Victoria Isaac
Institutions: Cornell University, Wildlife Conservation Society, Wildlife Conservation Society United Kingdom, Florida International University, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Stanford University, Universidade Federal do Ceará, Universidade Federal do Pará, Universidad de Las Américas, National Biodiversity Institute, Instituto de Telecomunicações, Mississippi State University, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia, Amazon (United States), Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Shahed University, Universidad de los Llanos, Universidade da Amazônia, World Resources Institute, University of the Americas, Shri Sathya Sai Medical College and Research Institute, ID-FISH Technology (United States), Instituto del Mar del Peru, Instituto Nacional de Biodiversidad, Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi, Universidade Independente de Angola, Instituto de Investigaciones de la Amazonía Peruana, Instituto de Pesca, Brazilian Institute of Environment and Renewable Natural Resources, Instituto Sinchi, Proyecto Español, Yahoo (United Kingdom)