Collaborative Research: Baseline Survey of the Lower Xingu River Rapids, Brazil: a Highly Diverse, Globally Unique, and Immediately Imperiled Ecosystem

亚马逊盆地就是地球？但在物种多样性、种群结构、生物地理范围、生态和进化过程等方面仍有很多未知。该项目将记录和分析巴西一条130公里长的高能量急流迷宫的水生生物多样性：下新古河急流（LXRR）和邻近的新古河。随着贝罗蒙特水电站的建成，LXRR面临着从野生状态到脱水和封闭栖息地的迫在眉睫的变化。新的鱼类、甲壳类和软体动物的综合标本收集和相关数据将用于解决分类学、进化和生态学中的关键问题，并将提供永久记录（存放在美国和巴西的博物馆）和LXRR内生活的环境基线，以评估未来的人为影响。该项目将促进对大型河流急流对热带生物多样性和生产力的贡献的理解，并将培养未来研究、保护和恢复这些栖息地所需的广泛的水生科学家。将编制一份公众可获取的在线图解指南，以鉴定低风险鱼类和无脊椎动物。资助两名博士后。培训和学习的机会将提供给高中生，本科生和研究生。

The Amazon Basin is Earth?s most biodiverse watershed, yet much remains unknown about species diversity, population structures, biogeographic ranges, and ecological and evolutionary processes. This project will document and analyze the aquatic biodiversity of a 130 km-long anastomosing maze of high-energy rapids in Brazil: the Lower Xingu River Rapids (LXRR) and adjacent stretches of the Xingu. The LXRR faces imminent change from its wild state to both dewatered and lentic, impounded habitats following completion of the Belo Monte hydroelectric dam. New comprehensive specimen collections of fishes, crustaceans and mollusks and associated data will be used to address key questions in taxonomy, evolution and ecology, and will provide a permanent record (placed at US and Brazilian museums) and environmental baseline of life within the LXRR to assess future anthropogenic impacts.This project will advance understanding of the contribution that large river rapids make to tropical biodiversity and productivity, and will train a wide range aquatic scientists needed for the future study, protection and restoration of these habitats. An on-line, publicly accessible illustrated guide to the identification of LXRR fishes and invertebrates will be created. Two postdoctoral scientists will be supported. Training and learning opportunities will be offered for high school, undergraduate and graduate students.