Functional diversity of fish communities in the Amacuzac River, Morelos, Mexico

Functional diversity is a component of biodiversity that allows analysis of the ecological functions of species in ecosystems. The objectiveof this research is to provide a perspective on the functional diversity of the ichthyofauna in the Amacuzac River, and the relationship of functional diversity between native and non-native species. We describe and analyze patterns of functional diversity for the fish community of the Amacuzac River (Balsas basin, Mexico) based on information for 17 fish species captured. Nineteen functional traits related to feeding, position in the water column, habitat, swimming capacity, filtering capacity and energy demand of each species in the ecosystem were characterized. Functional groups were formed based on the similarity of their functional traits, and functional groups were contrasted among sites. The site located at the downstream end of our study section had the highest functional diversity. Differences were observed in the functional diversity of native and non-native species. Eight functional groups were formed, of which four functional groups were made up of only one species, with functional group 5 having the highest number of species (5 species).