Animal Distribution Patterns and Habitat Selection: The Arapaima in Amazon Floodplains

Abstract

Sustainably managing exploited animal populations requires a deep understanding their habitat use and landscape distribution. While factors like landscape connectivity, habitat size, and physico-chemical conditions are common predictors of animal spatial distribution how these dynamics emerge in river-floodplain ecosystems remain poorly understood. To address this gap, our research focuses on the spatial and temporal dynamics of Arapaima spp., a large fish managed by riverine communities of the Amazon Basin. Specifically, we are studying how lake characteristics and floodplain hydrological connectivity influence arapaima populations dynamics. Drawing on 23 years of count data of Arapaima population, we developed a N-mixture modeling framework to estimate population rates (e.g., survival, recruitment, migration) across lakes with varying connectivity and characteristics. Initial findings indicate that hydrological connectivity may significantly influence both the survival and migration rates of Arapaima, underscoring its significance in management planning.