In Ecosystem Ecology, we study interactions between living and non-living components of environments. A central aspect is the conversion of sunlight into food for plants and algae and from these to animals and microorganisms. The forest on the banks of the streams regulates the incidence of light on the water and the supply of leaves. Tropical regions, such as Brazil, have forests with different characteristics from the colder temperate regions. Most research on the influence of forests on the diet of stream animals focuses on temperate regions, questioning its applicability in the tropics. The project explores how the forest on the banks of tropical streams influences the diet of aquatic animals (based on algae or leaves), the organization of food relationships and their vulnerability to environmental changes. We will use promising approaches and analyses in Ecology to achieve this goal.