Ecologia de bentos: uma semente no sedimento do laboratório de limnologia da UFRJ

Abstract

Studies related to the Ecology of Benthic Organisms are dedicated to organisms that inhabit the sediment and bottom substrates, consolidated or not, of continental freshwater aquatic ecosystems, such as rivers, headwater streams, lakes and reservoirs. This paper presents a synthesis on the importance of the contribution of Prof. Francisco de Assis Esteves, head of the UFRJ Limnology Lab, to the higher education personnel training and scientific production in the field of Ecology of Benthic Organisms in Brazil. We evaluated, qualitatively and quantitatively, the curriculo vitae of Prof. Esteves and his mentees on CNPq Lattes and Scopus databases. We evaluated the training of graduate students since the creation of the UFRJ Limnology Lab in the late 1980s and the scientific production (books, book chapters and scientific papers published in national and international journals), areas of activity, scientific journals and graduate programs associated with mentees of Prof. Esteves. The scientific contribution raised was classified into three major thematic areas: (i) Spatial-Temporal Distribution of Populations and Assemblages, and Structure of Benthic Communities; (ii) their participation in Ecological Processes (e.g., Nutrient Cycling, Bioturbation and Organic Matter Decomposition, Trophic Interactions and Ecological Stoichiometry); and (iii) their use as Water Quality Bioindicators and in Multimetric Indices. Subsequently, a retrospective examination of published scientific papers was carried out to characterize the research scenario related to the ecology of benthic organisms and to explore the interconnections between the different research themes found. A topic modeling was carried out to track the evolution of themes in scientific papers published from 1996 to 2021. We identified the main lines of research developed in the period and projected perspectives for new approaches for the next 20 years considering the political-environmental scenario in Brazil and in the perspective of global environmental changes. The seed planted in the UFRJ Limnology Lab by Prof. Francisco de Assis Esteves grew, fructified and has dispersed new seeds to different regions of Brazil.