An ecological trait matrix of Neotropical freshwater fishes
- James S. Albert
- Vitor Pimenta Abrahão
- Daniel R. Akin
- Jonathan G. Allen
- Marcelo Costa Andrade
- Mariangeles Arce
- Jonathan W. Armbruster
- Ricardo C. Benine
- Maxwell J. Bernt
- Maria Elina Bichuette
- José Luís Olivan Birindelli
- Pedro H. N. Bragança
- Marcelo R. Britto
- Paulo Andreas Buckup
- Michael D. Burns
- Bárbara Calegari
- Fernando Geraldo de Carvalho
- Tiago Pinto Carvalho
- Lílian Casatti
- Wilson Luiz da Costa Junior
- William G. R. Crampton
- Robson da Costa Ramos
- Ronielson G. da Silva
- Fernando César Paiva Dagosta
- Joshua Egan
- Luis Alfredo Rosario Fernández
- Jessé M. Figueiredo-Filho
- Daniel Fitzgerald
- João Pedro Fontenelle
- Eric B. Haddad
- Matthew A. Kolmann
- Tomas Hrbek
- Francisco Langeani
- Pablo César Lehmann Albornoz
- Rafael P. Leitão
- Flávio César Thadeo de Lima
- Marina Vianna Loeb
- Carlos Alberto Santos de Lucena
- Paulo H. F. Lucinda
- Nathan K. Lujan
- Luiz Roberto Malabarba
- Wilfredo Antonio Matamoros
- Bruno Francelino de Melo
- ANDRE LUIZ NETTO-FERREIRA
- Carla Simone Pavanelli
- Fernando Mayer Pelicice
- Edson H. L. Pereira
- Xavier Plasencia
- MRMarcelo Salles Rocha
- Fábio Fernandes Roxo
- Vivianne Sant' Anna
- Oscar Akio Shibatta
- Veronica Slobodian
- Madlen Stange
- Victor Alberto Tagliacollo.
- Milton Tan
- Kevin T. Torgersen
- Kirk Owen Winemiller
- Roberto Esser dos Reis
Scientific Data · 2025 · Nature Portfolio
2 views · 0 downloads
Abstract
The Neotropical freshwater fish (NFF) fauna constitutes the most diverse continental vertebrate assemblage on Earth, with more than 6,345 species distributed across South America, Central America, and the Greater Antilles. These species display a bewildering array of ecophysiological and behavioral traits, or ecotraits, used to exploit habitat and food resources across geographical, climatic, and seasonal gradients. Despite intensive taxonomic and systematic studies, the literature on ecological preferences and tolerances of NFF species is scattered and incomplete, and we have previously lacked a centralized database. Here we present the first comprehensive dataset of ecotraits for the NFF fauna using published data and expert knowledge from the community of Neotropical ichthyologists. This ecomatrix includes adult modal values for 42 ecotraits scored for all valid NFF species, including body size, four of habitat utilization related to water chemistry, 21 of physical habitat structure, 10 of diet (i.e. trophic guilds), and six other behavioral traits. This ecomatrix is a foundation for future studies on the ecology and conservation of Neotropical aquatic biodiversity.