The Amazon is a giant piece of "amphibian" land which is the result of complex geological and evolutionary processes. The number of living beings in such a land is difficult to estimate. The interactions between these organ isms and the environment are fascinating but barely understood. These features lured us to the Amazon in 1981. However, soon after, we realized that the dimensions of these interactions were overwhelming. This book is designed to review aspects of the physiology and biochemistry of fishes of the Amazon. The description of the pulsative nature of the environment and the distinct features of the ichthyofauna of the Amazon were central to the main goal. Nevertheless, any complete view is limited by the magnitude of the intraspecific variability coupled with the complex fluctuations of the environment. Thus, we have placed an emphasis on respiratory physiology and biochemistry. The reference list was made as complete as possible, particularly regarding special publications not readily available. We hope that this book is useful for comparative physiologists, tropical biologists, and the people interested in interactions between organ isms and their environment. We are grateful to many people who contributed to the making of this book. Our initial ideas were influenced by Drs. Arno Schwantes, Maria Lufza Schwantes, Jose Tundisi, Anna Emflia Vazzoler, and Naercio Menezes.

This book offers a concise view of the interaction of the Amazonian fishes with their environment. The sequence drives the reader from the formation of the Amazon basin and its relationship with fish diversity and variability to the adaptive strategies the fishes have developed to face the environmental heterogeneity of the Amazon. The central part of the book addresses respiratory adjustments to the low oxygen content of the Amazonian waters in all major fish groups. The discussion covers the main anatomical, morphological, physiological and biochemical adjustments in water and air breathing fishes.

The Amazon is a giant piece of "amphibian" land which is the result of complex geological and evolutionary processes. The number of living beings in such a land is difficult to estimate. The interactions between these organ isms and the environment are fascinating but barely understood. These features lured us to the Amazon in 1981. However, soon after, we realized that the dimensions of these interactions were overwhelming. This book is designed to review aspects of the physiology and biochemistry of fishes of the Amazon. The description of the pulsative nature of the environment and the distinct features of the ichthyofauna of the Amazon were central to the main goal. Nevertheless, any complete view is limited by the magnitude of the intraspecific variability coupled with the complex fluctuations of the environment. Thus, we have placed an emphasis on respiratory physiology and biochemistry. The reference list was made as complete as possible, particularly regarding special publications not readily available. We hope that this book is useful for comparative physiologists, tropical biologists, and the people interested in interactions between organ isms and their environment. We are grateful to many people who contributed to the making of this book. Our initial ideas were influenced by Drs. Arno Schwantes, Maria Lufza Schwantes, Jose Tundisi, Anna Emflia Vazzoler, and Naercio Menezes.

The Amazon and Orinoco basins in northern South America are home to the highest concentration of freshwater fish species on earth, with more than 3,000 species allotted to 564 genera. Amazonian fishes include piranhas, electric eels, freshwater stingrays, a myriad of beautiful small-bodied tetras and catfishes, and the largest scaled freshwater fish in the world, the pirarucu. Field Guide to the Fishes of the Amazon, Orinoco, and Guianas provides descriptions and identification keys for all the known genera of fishes that inhabit Greater Amazonia, a vast and still mostly remote region of tropical rainforests, seasonally flooded savannas, and meandering lowland rivers. The guide’s contributors include more than fifty expert scientists. They summarize the current state of knowledge on the taxonomy, species richness, and ecology of these fish groups, and provide references to relevant literature for species-level identifications. This richly illustrated guide contains 700 detailed drawings, 190 color photos, and 500 distribution maps, which cover all genera. An extensive and illustrated glossary helps readers with the identification keys. The first complete overview of the fish diversity in the Amazon, Orinoco, and Guianas, this comprehensive guide is essential for anyone interested in the freshwater life inhabiting this part of the world. First complete overview of the fish diversity in the Amazon and Orinoco basins Contributors include more than fifty experts Identification keys and distribution maps for all genera 190 stunning color photos 700 detailed line drawings Extensive and illustrated glossary

Biology and ecophysiology of fishes of the Amazon. Ecophysiological aspects of Amazonian blackwater litterbank fish communities. Electric signalling and communication in weakly electric fishes (Gymnotiformes) of South America. Reproductive biology of piranhas (Teleostei, Characiformes). Larval development in the tambaqui (Colossoma macropomum) and the curimatã-pacú (Prochilodus marggravii). Physiological responses to hypoxia and pH changes. Surviving low oxygen levels: Lessons from fishes of the Amazon. Hemoglobin adaptations in Amazonian and temperature fish with special reference to hypoxia, allosteric effectors and functional heterogeneity. Acid excretion in Amazonian fish. The interaction between O2 and CO2 exchange in the obligate air breather, Arapaima gigas, and the facultative air breather, Lipossarcus pardalis. Ion regulation in ion poor waters of low pH. Ammonia excretion in fish adapted to an ion-poor environment. The hemoglobins of two species of the genus Hypophthalmus (Siluriformes, Hypophthalmidae). Control of ventilation in air-breathing fish. Cardiorespiratory function and aquatic surface respiration in Colossoma macropomum exposed to graded and acute hypoxia. Morpho-functional adaptations of gills in tropical fish. Ventilatory flow relative to intrabuccal and intraopercular volumes in two ecologically distinct erythrinids (Hoplias malabaricus and Hoplias lacerdae) exposed to normoxia and graded hypoxia. Aquatic respiration during hypoxia of the facultative air-breathing Holerythrinus unitaeniatus. A comparison with the water-breathing Hoplias malabaricus. Cardiovascular physiology in lungfishes. Oxygen sensing and metablic regulation: short, intermediate, and long term roles. Respiration in fishes of the Amazon: metabolic adjustments to chronic hypoxia. Cardiac energy metabolism in teleosts and marine elasmobranchs: Where do freshwater elasmobranchs fit?. Antioxidant defenses in fishes of the Amazon...

This book offers a concise view of the interaction of the Amazonian fishes with their environment. The sequence drives the reader from the formation of the Amazon basin and its relationship with fish diversity and variability to the adaptive strategies the fishes have developed to face the environmental heterogeneity of the Amazon. The central part of the book addresses respiratory adjustments to the low oxygen content of the Amazonian waters in all major fish groups. The discussion covers the main anatomical, morphological, physiological and biochemical adjustments in water and air breathing fishes.

The Amazon and Orinoco basins in northern South America are home to the highest concentration of freshwater fish species on earth, with more than 3,000 species allotted to 564 genera. Amazonian fishes include piranhas, electric eels, freshwater stingrays, a myriad of beautiful small-bodied tetras and catfishes, and the largest scaled freshwater fish in the world, the pirarucu. Field Guide to the Fishes of the Amazon, Orinoco, and Guianas provides descriptions and identification keys for all the known genera of fishes that inhabit Greater Amazonia, a vast and still mostly remote region of tropical rainforests, seasonally flooded savannas, and meandering lowland rivers. The guide’s contributors include more than fifty expert scientists. They summarize the current state of knowledge on the taxonomy, species richness, and ecology of these fish groups, and provide references to relevant literature for species-level identifications. This richly illustrated guide contains 700 detailed drawings, 190 color photos, and 500 distribution maps, which cover all genera. An extensive and illustrated glossary helps readers with the identification keys. The first complete overview of the fish diversity in the Amazon, Orinoco, and Guianas, this comprehensive guide is essential for anyone interested in the freshwater life inhabiting this part of the world. First complete overview of the fish diversity in the Amazon and Orinoco basins Contributors include more than fifty experts Identification keys and distribution maps for all genera 190 stunning color photos 700 detailed line drawings Extensive and illustrated glossary

Gills of healthy fishes are their lifeline to meet the challenges arising from their changing environment: oxygen gradient, alkalinity, temperature fluctuations and the added pollutants. The diverse and ever changing aquatic environment has a major impact on the organization of various organ-systems of fishes. This book contains seventeen chapters

Aquaculture, or fish farming is a rapidly growing industry in several parts of the world. The Amazon Basin contains at least 2500 species of fish, making it well-suited for the aqualculture business. Of these fish, none is more ecologically spectacular or economically vital than the tambaqui. It is one of the best-tasting freshwater fish, and its tendency to eat fruits and seeds makes it a prime candidate for farming. The tambaqui offers promise as a healthy, environmentally friendly food source. This text presents a portrait of an Amazonian fish as it exists in its natural habitat. More than just biology, the book demonstrates how the tambaqui symbolizes the tight ecological link between rivers and rainforests.