Oecologia Australis 23(4):940-950, 2019 https://doi.org/10.4257/oeco.2019.2304.17 e e t t , , e y s CHARACTERIZATION OF THE BIOTIC (MACROPHYTES AND MACROINVERTEBRATES) AND ABIOTIC FACTORS OF PANTANAL PONDS IN THE MIRANDA RIVER FLOODPLAIN Emerson Machado de Carvalho¹*, Nathaskia Silva Pereira², Mônica Ansilago², Ana Paula Lemke 3 & Jelly Makoto Nakagaki³ ¹ Universidade Federal do Sul da Bahia, Centro de Formação em Tecno-Ciências e Inovação, IHAC, Campus Jorge Amado, Rodovia Itabuna, Km 39, Ferradas, CEP 45613-204, Itabuna, BA, Brazil. ² Universidade Federal da Grande Dourados, Faculdade de Ciências Biológicas e Ambientais, Programa de Pós- Graduação em Ciência e Tecnologia Ambiental, Rod. Dourados-Itahum, Km 12, Cidade Universitária, CEP 79804-970, Dourados, MS, Brazil. ³ Universidade Estadual do Mato Grosso do Sul, Centro de Pesquisa em Biodiversidade, Rod. Dourados–Itahum, Km 12, Cidade Universitária, CEP 79804-970, Dourados, MS, Brazil. E-mails: carvalho.em@gmail.com (*corresponding author); nathaskia.spn@gmail.com; monica_ansilago@hotmail. com; anapaulalemke@yahoo.com.br; jellyuems@gmail.com Abstract: The Pantanal has an exuberant biodiversity that is constantly regulated by the dynamics of the climate and by the food pulses. The objective of this work was to characterize and evaluate the biotic (macrophytes and macroinvertebrates) and abiotic factors (pH, temperature, dissolved oxygen, conductivity, total dissolved solids, water turbidity, chlorophyll a and pheophytin-a) of Pantanal ponds depending on the dry or rainy season. Therefore, fve ponds with diferent characteristics were analyzed and fve samples of water were collected during the dry and rainy season. For sampling of the macrophytes and collection of the macroinvertebrates we used hand nets (area of 0,09m 2 , opening of 5000 μm). This was done in order to observe seasonal diference in pH, chlorophyll-a and pheophytin-a and spatial diferences between dissolved oxygen, electrical conductivity, turbidity, chlorophyll a and pheophytin-a was observed. The aquatic macrophyte Eichornia azurea (Commelinales, Ponteridaceae) showed high dominance and relative vegetation cover in at least three ponds, which was also related to higher values of macroinvertebrate biomass. On the other hand, the ponds that presented low dominance or absence of E. azurea presented high diversity of aquatic macrophytes. However, these intrinsic biological characteristics of the ponds altogether with the abiotic parameters demonstrated that there are distinct patterns in the dynamics of these ecosystems during the drought and food regimes. Keywords: biodiversity; environmental characterization; hydrology; Neotropical fora; wetlands. INTRODUCTION Considered one of the largest foodplains in Latin America, the Pantanal complex, or simply the Pantanal is placed in the center of South America, in Upper Paraguay basin, occupying Brazilian territory and a small part of the Bolivian and Paraguayan territory (Silva et al. 2009). Its area corresponds to about 140 thousand km 2 , with 65% of its territory in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul and 35% in Mato Grosso (Pott 2004, Marengo et al. 2015). Pantanal is an area of great scenic beauty and a showcase