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Flow regulation by dams affecting ichthyoplankton: the case of the Porto Primavera Dam, Paraná River, Brazil

The effects of a dam closure (Porto Primavera Dam) on reproduction of the main species that use the floodplain located below a nursery area were determined. Specifically, we examined, before and after the closure of the dam, the spatial distribution of larvae and the differences in density according to life strategy (migratory and non‐migratory species). Fifteen points distributed along the channels of the Paraná, Ivinheima and Paranapanema rivers were sampled, between 1997 and 2001, (October 1997 to December 1998—pre; and between January 1999 to March 2001—post closure), during the spawning period of most fish species found in the region (October to March). Samplings were always conducted at night, using a conical‐cylindrical plankton net (0.5 mm mesh) with a flowmeter attached. There were significant differences in larvae densities between pre and post dam closure for several species. Also, there were significant differences between the pre and post‐closure periods for densities of migratory and non‐migratory species, and between sampling sites. These findings indicate decline in densities and number of taxa caught after the closure of the dam. Larvae of migratory species, formerly common in the entire study area, were registered only in points influenced by the non dammed rivers (such as the Ivinheima River), indicating that the closure of Porto Primavera caused negative impacts on fish reproduction downstream of the dam. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.