Stream macroinvertebrate communities change with grassland afforestation in central Argentina

Lotic ecosystems are highly affected by land use changes such as afforestation of natural areas for management or commercial purposes. The aim of this study was to analyze the effect of pine plantations on benthic invertebrate communities in mountain grassland streams. Additionally, we assessed if the hydrological period modifies the effect of afforestation on stream invertebrates. Three headwater streams draining grasslands (reference streams) and three draining plantations of Pinus elliottii were selected in a mountain watershed of Córdoba province (Argentina). Hydrologic and physicochemical variables were registered and benthic invertebrate samples were collected in each stream at two different hydrological periods. Total invertebrate abundance, richness and diversity were reduced in afforested streams as well as the number of indicator taxa. In addition, invertebrate functional structure (i.e. taxonomic richness and total and relative abundance of functional feeding groups, FFG) showed differences between streams with different riparian vegetation and between hydrological periods. Total abundance of all FFGs was lower in afforested streams and scrapers’ relative abundance was higher in grassland streams at the low water period. In addition, in most FFGs richness was diminished in afforested streams. Changes in light intensity, hydrology and coarse organic matter inputs produced by afforestation alter fluvial habitats and consequently the composition and trophic structure of invertebrate communities in grassland streams of Córdoba mountains.     

太湖流域上游西苕溪源头溪流中毛竹、石栎和山胡椒落叶分解比较

比较了毛竹、石栎和山胡椒叶片的理化属性,采用粗网叶袋法研究了三种落叶在太湖流域上游西苕溪中的分解过程,探讨了毛竹叶成为溪流优势外来能源后对溪流生态过程和底栖动物群落结构的影响.三种落叶的氮、磷含量及叶片厚度都存在显著差异,毛竹叶的氮含量(30.23 g/kg)远高于石栎(20.98 g/kg)和山胡椒(9.69 g/kg),其中毛竹叶的分解速率最快(k=0.00592 d-1),山胡椒(0.00297 d-1)和石栎叶(0.00212 d-1)较慢.三种落叶叶袋间的大型底栖无脊椎动物包括各取食功能团的多度和生物量无显著差异,而4次采样间的差异很显著.大型底栖动物的取食功能团中,撕食者的数量比例最高(40.3%),生物量比例为41.6%,是落叶分解的重要功能类群.撕食者中,利用阔叶筑巢的鳞石蛾Lepi-dostoma数量最多,占全部底栖动物的14%,是该溪流中主要的撕食者类群.因此,由于毛竹叶具有氮、磷含量较高、叶形较窄,以及两年进行一次换叶的特点,当毛竹叶替代其他阔叶秋季落叶的树种成为源头溪流优势外来能源后,可能会改变源头溪流中的氮磷含量、溪流外来能源的量和滞留时间以及底栖动物群落结构.     

Land-use influence on the functional organization of Afrotropical macroinvertebrate assemblages

Studies investigating the effects of human activities on the functional organization of macroinvertebrate communities in tropical streams and rivers are very limited, despite these areas witnessing the greatest loss of natural forests globally. We investigated changes in taxon richness, numerical abundance and biomass of macroinvertebrate functional feeding groups (FFGs) in streams draining different land-use types in the Sosiani-Kipkaren River in western Kenya. Twenty-one sites in river reaches categorized as forested, mixed, urban or agricultural were sampled during the dry and wet seasons. Collected macroinvertebrates were identified to the lowest taxon possible (mainly genus) and classified into five major FFGs; collector-gatherers, collector-filterers, scrapers, predators and shredders. There were significant (p < 0.05) spatial variation in habitat quality, organic matter standing stocks, total suspended solids, electrical conductivity, dissolved oxygen, temperature and nutrient concentrations across land-uses, with forested sites recording lowest values in mean water temperature, electrical conductivity and nutrients while recording highest levels in dissolved oxygen concentrations. Responses in macroinvertebrates to changes in land-use varied with richness, abundance and biomass showing differences within FFGs. Biomass-based metrics responded more strongly to change in land-use while taxon richness was the least predictive, indicating replacement of taxa within FFGs across land-use types. Higher shredder abundance, biomass and richness were recorded in forested streams which were cooler with protected riparian areas and high biomass of coarse particulate organic matter. Collector-gatherers dominated agricultural and urban streams owing to an abundance of particulate organic matter and nutrients, while scrapers responded positively to increased nutrient levels and open canopy in mixed and agricultural streams where primary production and algal biomass was likely increased. Overall, this study provides further evidence of the effects of agricultural and urban land-uses on tropical streams and rivers and contributes to the use of macroinvertebrate FFGs as indicators of ecological health.     

河流大型底栖动物对环境压力的响应:以太湖、巢湖流域为例

为了解河流大型底栖动物对环境压力的响应关系,以人类干扰程度不同的太湖流域和巢湖流域为研究区,系统调查区域内河流大型底栖动物,结合水体、沉积物理化数据及生境质量状况,运用空间分析和多元统计分析等方法,探讨了大型底栖动物多样性及典型物种对关键环境因素的响应规律.结果表明,太湖流域和巢湖流域的环境质量和大型底栖动物群落结构均差异较大,巢湖流域的生境质量优于太湖流域,巢湖流域平原区部分点位的水体营养盐(特别是氮浓度)高于太湖流域平原区.巢湖流域丘陵区的敏感型物种(主要为水生昆虫)密度远高于太湖流域丘陵区,太湖流域丘陵区的耐污型物种(寡毛纲)平均密度稍高于巢湖流域丘陵区,而巢湖流域平原区的寡毛纲霍甫水丝蚓(Limnodrilus hoffmeisteri)和苏氏尾鳃蚓(Branchiura sowerbyi)平均密度远高于太湖流域平原区.广义加性模型建立的响应关系曲线表明,栖境多样性和总氮浓度可以作为生物多样性的指示因子.铜锈环棱螺(Bellamya aeruginosa)、椭圆萝卜螺(Radix swinhoei)、河蚬(Corbicula fluminea)、霍甫水丝蚓、苏氏尾鳃蚓、黄色羽摇蚊(Chironomus flaviplumus)等特征物种与特定环境因子的响应关系显著,这些物种也可以作为环境监测的指示物种.底栖动物环境梯度的响应曲线能够定量地描述底栖动物群落对环境因子的响应关系,有利于深入了解水体水质、营养状态及生境质量与大型底栖动物群落结构的相关关系,进而预测不同人为干扰下大型底栖动物群落结构的变化趋势和演替过程.     

Reduced abundance but increased diversity of chironomid larvae under higher trophic pressure from fish in semi-permanent ponds

Fish may affect macrobenthic communities through trophic interactions and modification of habitat conditions. We compared the density, diversity and taxonomic composition of larval chironomids under low vs high fish impact, created by stocking semi-natural ponds with either young/small common carp Cyprinus carpio at low biomass densities or with high biomass densities of older/large common carp, supplemented by other cyprinids and predatory fish species.Over the study season, May–August, total chironomid abundance was considerably lower in ponds with high fish biomass than in low fish biomass ponds. In July–August larval densities declined significantly, irrespective of the fish status of the ponds. The composition of larval communities diverged between ponds with different fish status. Chironomus riparius and C. plumosus accounted for most of the observed dissimilarity. C. plumosus densities were not affected by the fish status of the pond, constituting on average >38 % of chironomid specimens in both types of ponds. C. riparius was abundant in ponds with low fish biomass (on average 30 %), but rare in ponds with high fish biomass (4 %). Other common taxa were Glyptotendipes pallens (15 % and 13 %, respectively) and Procladius sp. (14 % in ponds with low fish impact). Canonical correspondence analysis showed that fish biomass was more important in determining chironomid community composition than environmental variables indicative of pond eutrophication (total N, P, chlorophyll a and conductivity).Despite adverse effects on total abundance, chironomid diversity was higher under apparently stronger trophic pressure by fish. Fish may have relieved some chironomid species from invertebrate predation and competition with dominant Chironomus larvae. Other important drivers of chironomid assemblage and diversity patterns may include species-specific feeding modes and prey size selectivity of fish, the ability of chironomid larvae to attain size- and depth-refuge from small fish but not larger fish, and differential vulnerability of free-living and tube-dwelling larvae relative to ontogenetic niche shifts of fish.     

Contrasting effects of cross-ecosystem subsidies and predation on benthic invertebrates in two Pacific coastal streams

Cross-ecosystem subsidies, such as terrestrial invertebrates and leaf litter falling into water as resources for aquatic communities, can vary across environmental gradients. We examined whether the effect of terrestrial subsidy inputs on benthic invertebrates was mediated by resident coastal cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarki) in two representative streams. We experimentally manipulated the input rates (reduced, ambient) of terrestrial subsidies (terrestrial invertebrates and leaf litter) as well as the presence or absence of cutthroat trout in the two streams. The hypothesis that the reduction of terrestrial subsidies to the stream influences benthic invertebrate assemblages was supported by experimental results. The treatments of terrestrial subsidy reduction and cutthroat trout presence had a significant negative effect on benthic invertebrate community biomass and shredder biomass in East Creek with high natural terrestrial subsidy input and small amount of large wood in channel. In contrast, results from Spring Creek with low subsidy input and large amount of large wood in channel showed that only the terrestrial subsidy reduction significantly reduced the biomass of shredders. The effects of the terrestrial subsidy input and trout predation on benthic invertebrate communities varied between the two streams. Our results indicate that a subsidy effect on benthic communities can vary between nearby streams differing in canopy and habitats. This study, with the major finding of highly context-dependent effects of spatial subsidies, suggests that the interplay of resource subsidies and predators on invertebrate community assemblages can be site-specific and context-dependent on habitat features.     

Benthic macroinvertebrate communities of three tropical,warm monomictic Mexican lakes

Most studies of benthic macroinvertebrate communities are from shallow lakes or restricted to the littoral zone of deep, temperate lakes, with just a few dealing with the deep benthos. Furthermore, the deep benthic macroinvertebrate communities of tropical lakes are almost unknown. The present work describes the benthic macroinvertebrate communities of three tropical, warm monomictic lakes in “Lagunas de Montebello” National Park, Mexico, by describing the differences along the bathymetric profile, from the littoral down to the profound benthos. We studied the benthic macroinvertebrate communities in the two contrasting hydrodynamic periods of the warm monomictic lakes: a) stratification, when the hypolimnion becomes anoxic, and b) mixing, when the water column becomes oxygenated. We expected: 1) a reduction in the benthic macroinvertebrate taxonomic richness, density, and biomass from the littoral to the deep zone, 2) an impoverished benthic macroinvertebrate community while stratified (anoxia) compared to mixing (oxygenated), and 3) depletion in the taxonomic richness, density, and biomass of the profundal benthic macroinvertebrates in the tropical compared to temperate lakes. We found: 1) a decreasing trend in taxonomic richness (6 ± 2–3 ± 1 taxa), density (1868.7 ± 1069.7–349.1 ± 601.8 in. m⁻²) and biomass (277.8 ± 188.9–85.1 ± 95.6 mg C m⁻²) from the littoral to the deep zone; chironomids dominated the littoral zone, while oligochaetes dominated the deep zone. 2) Lower density and biomass but not taxonomic richness while stratified (4 ± 3 taxa; 586.2 ± 527.6 in. m⁻²; 81.6 ± 164.3 mg C m⁻²) compared to mixing (4 ± 3 taxa; 877.5 ± 1051.4 in. m⁻²; 190.1 ± 131.1 mg C m⁻²). 3) lower taxonomic richness and density but not biomass in tropical Montebello oligotrophic lakes (3 ± 3 taxa; 349.1 ± 601.8 in. m⁻²; 85.1 ± 195.6 mg C m⁻²) compared to temperate analogous (2–48 taxa; 492−83,189 8 in. m⁻²; 0.13−201.5 mg m⁻²). We conclude the early onset and long-lasting hypolimnetic anoxia restrict the benthic macroinvertebrate community radiation and diversification in tropical, oligotrophic, warm monomictic lakes.     

Glacial flood pulse effects on benthic fauna in equatorial high‐Andean streams

Equatorial glacier‐fed streams present unique hydraulic patterns when compared to glacier‐fed observed in temperate regions as the main variability in discharge occurs on a daily basis. To assess how benthic fauna respond to these specific hydraulic conditions, we investigated the relationships between flow regime, hydraulic conditions (boundary Reynolds number, Re*), and macroinvertebrate communities (taxon richness and abundance) in a tropical glacier‐fed stream located in the high Ecuadorian Andes (> 4000 m). Both physical and biotic variables were measured under four discharge conditions (base‐flow and glacial flood pulses of various intensities), at 30 random points, in two sites whose hydraulic conditions were representative to those found in other streams of the study catchment. While daily glacial flood pulses significantly increased hydraulic stress in the benthic habitats (appearance of Re* > 2000), low stress areas still persisted even during extreme flood events (Re* < 500). In contrast to previous research in temperate glacier‐fed streams, taxon richness and abundance were not significantly affected by changes in hydraulic conditions induced by daily glacial flood pulses. However, we found that a few rare taxa, in particular rare ones, preferentially occurred in highly stressed hydraulic habitats. Monte‐Carlo simulations of benthic communities under glacial flood reduction scenarios predicted that taxon richness would be significantly reduced by the loss of high hydraulic stress habitats following glacier shrinking. This pioneer study on the relationship between hydraulic conditions and benthic diversity in an equatorial glacial stream evidenced unknown effects of climate change on singular yet endangered aquatic systems. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Flexibility in feeding periodicity of a grazing mayfly in response to different concentrations of benthivorous fish

Flexibility is an important adaptive attribute of the feeding periodicity of grazing mayfly larvae because most natural environments offer a wide variation in local predation risk in terms of space, time or predator species. In this study any changes of diel feeding periodicity and consumption rates of Baetis rhodani (Ephemeroptera) were analysed in response to different densities of benthivorous fish (Barbatula barbatula, Gobio gobio) by quantifying gut fullness using the fluorescence of algal pigments. Laboratory experiments with the grazer species B. rhodani were conducted by using different concentrations of chemical fish cues. In order to assess the transferability of the results to a larger scale, the experimental results were compared with field observations in two second order streams using different densities of freely foraging benthivorous fish. During the presence of chemical fish cues in the laboratory experiments the feeding periodicity of the B. rhodani larvae were mostly diurnal while in the absence of fish chemicals nocturnal feeding was observed. The same patterns could be detected in the field during the experiments with the different fish densities. These findings indicate that the larvae were able to assess variations in the predation risk and to alter their feeding habits by making flexible behavioural adjustments. The results from the laboratory experiments further suggested that the behavioural response is controlled by fish density. Behavioural changes were observed for medium and high concentrations of the fish cues but not for a very low concentration. In the field however, the mere presence of fish seemed to be sufficient to induce the observed behavioural shifts. Although the presence of benthivorous fish seemed to cause a lower consumption rate of the B. rhodani larvae in the field, such a reduction could not be found in the laboratory experiments. A conclusion from this study is that the identification of behavioural modifications is an essential component needed for a better understanding of complex trophic interactions in benthic communities. Accurate evaluation and detailed observation of direct and indirect effects cannot be made without the consideration of such behavioural mechanisms.     

汉江上游干流和秦岭南麓典型支流的底栖动物群落特征及水质生物评价

汉江上游是丹江口水库的水源区,其生态环境状况对保障汉江全流域及南水北调中线生态安全起着举足轻重的作用.本研究于2017年11月和2018年4月对汉江上游干流及源于秦岭南麓的5条典型支流开展了系统调查,旨在摸清汉江上游干支流的底栖动物群落特征,以及评价其水质状况.共采集到大型底栖动物240种,其中水生昆虫209种,软体动物13种,环节动物9种,其他类群9种.其中四节蜉Baetis sp.在各条河流中均为优势种,此外其他优势种还有拟细裳蜉Paraleptophlebia sp.、细蜉Caenis sp.、扁蜉Heptagenia sp.、花翅蜉Baetiella sp.、直突摇蚊Orthocladius sp.、纹石蛾Hydropsyche sp.、蜉蝣Ephemera sp.、带肋蜉Cincticostella sp.、高翔蜉Epeorus sp.、似波摇蚊Sympotthastia sp.和真开摇蚊Eukiefferiella sp..从各类群的密度来看,水生昆虫在汉江及五条支流中均占有绝对优势,占总密度的90.8%～98.9%,而在生物量上,除汉江干流中软体动物占绝对优势外,水生昆虫在各支流中均占绝对优势,占总生物量的47.0%～98.9%.就功能摄食类群的密度而言,直接收集者在汉江干支流中均为最主要功能摄食类群,而从生物量方面来看则表现出差异性,捕食者是金水河和旬河中最主要功能摄食类群,刮食者为汉江干流和月河中最主要功能摄食类群,直接收集者是金钱河中最主要功能摄食类群,滤食者为湑水河中最主要功能摄食类群.冗余分析结果表明,流速、总磷和电导率为影响汉江干支流底栖动物分布的关键环境因子.采用底栖动物生物指数(BI)和Shannon-Wiener指数进行水质生物评价,结果显示除汉江的极个别断面、湑水河和月河下游及旬河的中下游河段处于轻-中度污染状态外,其他调查河段均处于清洁状态.本研究结果可为汉江上游流域生态管理和科学保护提供依据.     

澜沧江下游补远江大型底栖动物群落结构的时空分布及其影响因素

自然流淌的支流在维持建坝河流水生生物多样性中起着重要作用。补远江是澜沧江下游的重要一级支流,保持了较为天然的河流状态,人类活动干扰相对较少,是流域土著鱼类保护区和水生生物重要栖息地。在澜沧江流域水电开发的背景下,掌握补远江大型底栖动物群落结构的时空分布及其影响因素,对澜沧江乃至西南河流的水生生物多样性保护和恢复具有重要参考意义。于2019年4月(旱季)和2019年10月(雨季)对补远江的大型底栖动物进行了详细调查,共检出大型底栖动物150个分类单元,隶属于5门7纲68科,其中水生昆虫121种,软体动物20种,蛭类3种,寡毛类2种,甲壳类2种,涡虫、线虫各1种。毛翅目和蜉蝣目为全流域优势类群。补远江底栖动物密度和生物量在旱季和雨季均表现为上游大于中下游,物种丰富度和Shannon-Wiener多样性指数在雨季显著高于旱季。功能摄食类群中,滤食者(41.09%)和收集者(31.81%)占绝对优势,其次为刮食者(11.00%)、捕食者(11.21%),撕食者(4.89%)较少。Mantel检验分析表明,河宽(RW)、硝态氮(NO₃^--N)、化学需氧量(COD_Mn)是影响补远江大型底栖动物群落结构的主要环境因子;不同功能摄食类群所受到的环境影响因素不同。生物指数(BI)和生物监测工作组记分(BMWP)系统评价显示,补远江大部分样点处于良好及以上水平,少数样点处于中等及以下水平,总体水生态状况良好。     

Connections between hydrodynamics, benthic landscape and associated fauna in the Balearic Islands, western Mediterranean

Linking the abiotic and biotic traits of ecosystems is a critical step towards understanding their structure and functioning. Here we attempt to determine the connections between the hydrodynamics, benthic landscape and the associated fish communities on the coastal continental shelf off the Balearic Islands (western Mediterranean). Specifically we investigate the role the hydrodynamics play in shaping the benthic landscape, and whether the hydrodynamics affect the composition and structure of demersal fish communities. A realistic numerical model was used to establish the hydrodynamic characteristics of the area. The study area showed high hydrodynamic variability on a medium spatial scale (tens of km) in terms of mean water velocity (ū). Principal component analysis was used to determine the main gradients of macro-epibenthic variability. Redundancy analysis (RDA) was used to model the effect of the hydrodynamics on macro-epibenthic species. RDA was also used to model the effect of the hydrodynamics and macro-epibenthos on the abundance of the associated fish fauna, and on its biomass at a community level using biomass spectra classes. The results showed that the hydrodynamics had a significant influence on the distribution of both macro-epibenthic species and the associated fish species. The latter was also influenced by the macro-epibenthos. Fish size appeared to be a key attribute for the distribution of species across gradients of ū and macro-epibenthic change. Our findings can be applied in ecosystem-based fisheries management, as they show that it is necessary to take into account both the biotic and abiotic traits of the habitats when the habitat use and requirements of the associated species are defined.     

Invertebrate colonization of leaves and roots within sediments of intermittent Coastal Plain streams across hydrologic phases

Ecological flows between habitats are vital for predicting and understanding structure and function of recipient systems. Ecological flows across riparian areas and headwater intermittent streams are likely to be especially important in many river networks because of the shear extent of these interfaces, their high edge-to-width ratio, and the alternation of wet and dry conditions in intermittent channels. While there has been substantial research supporting the importance of riparian-stream linkages above-ground, comparatively less research has investigated below-ground linkages. We tested the hypothesis that riparian roots are colonized by invertebrates as a food source within stream beds of intermittent headwater streams. We compared benthic invertebrate assemblages colonizing three types of buried substrates (leaves, roots, and plastic roots) among three intermittent Coastal Plain streams, each with a different riparian management treatment (clearcut, thinned, and reference), over a 1-year period. Invertebrate density was significantly lower in root litterbags than in plastic roots litterbags, but neither differed from densities in leaf litterbags. Total invertebrate abundances, however, were significantly higher in leaf and root litterbags compared to abundances in plastic root litterbags. Invertebrate biomass and richness did not vary among substrates, but invertebrate density, abundance, and richness all declined from the wet phase (September–December) through the dry phase (June–August). Meiofauna and aquatic dipterans were the primary colonizing invertebrates during the wet phase. Relative abundance of terrestrial taxa increased during the dry phase, but their absolute abundance remained lower than aquatic taxa during the wet phase. Invertebrate composition did not differ among substrate types, but was significantly different among streams and time periods. Cumulative number of dry days, degree days, and redox depth all strongly correlated with assemblage structure as indicated by ordination scores. Our results suggest that subsurface invertebrates respond to leaves and roots as food sources, but assemblage composition is not substrate specific. Colonization of leaves and roots within stream beds by aquatic and terrestrial taxa supports the idea that headwater intermittent streams are important interfaces for the reciprocal exchange of energy and materials between terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.     

淠河流域河源溪流鱼类空间分布格局及主要影响因素

淠河是安徽省内淮河右岸最大的支流,也是淮河中游重要的水源地.为了解淠河流域河源溪流鱼类的空间分布格局及其主要影响因素,本研究于2015年4—5月对6条河源溪流鱼类及其环境因子进行了调查.研究结果表明,6条溪流共采集鱼类19种,其中杂食性种类占57.9%,肉食性和植食性种类分别占26.3%和15.8%.所有种类中,宽鳍鱲(Zacco platypus)是主要优势种,绿太阳鱼(Lepomis cyanellus)为研究区域首次报道的外来入侵种.就6条溪流各样点的平均值而言,淠河西部3条溪流鱼类种类数及个体数均明显高于东部3条溪流,但重量却并没有类似趋势.Sorensen相似性分析表明,6条溪流鱼类组成具有较高相似性,且相对较小值主要位于高、低海拔溪流之间.除趋势对应分析二维空间排序与相似性分析结果一致.Pearson相关分析表明,影响鱼类种类数的主要是局域栖息地参数(包括海拔、流速、底质、水深、河宽和电导率)和溪流的空间位置参数(溪流级别、流量量级和下游量级);影响鱼类个体数和重量的均仅有局域栖息地参数中的底质因素.本研究结果可为淠河流域鱼类的保护和管理提供重要的基础资料.     

Identifying and mitigating dam-induced declines in river health:Three case studies from the western United States

River health can be defined as the degree to which riverine energy source,water quality,flow regime, habitat and biota match the natural conditions.In a healthy river,physical process and form remain actively connected and able to mutually adjust,and biological communities have natural levels of diversity and are resilient to environmental stress.Both physical diversity and biodiversity influence river health.Physical diversity is governed by hydrology,hydraulics,and substrate,as reflected in the geometry of the river channel and adjacent floodplain,which create habitat for aquatic and riparian organisms.Biodiversity is governed by biological processes such as competition and predation,but biodiversity also reflects the diversity,abundance and stability of habitat,as well as connectivity. Connectivity within a river corridor includes longitudinal,lateral,and vertical dimensions.River health declines as any of these interacting components is compromised by human activities.The cumulative effect of dams and other human alterations of rivers has been primarily to directly reduce physical diversity and connectivity,which indirectly reduces biodiversity.Restoration and maintenance of physical diversity and biodiversity on rivers affected by dams requires quantifying relations between the driver variables of flow and sediment supply,and the response variables of habitat,connectivity,and biological communities.These relations can take the form of thresholds(e.g., entrainment of streambed sediment) or response curves(e.g.,fish biomass versus extent and duration of floodplain inundation).I use examples from Wyoming,Colorado,and Arizona in the western United States to illustrate how to quantify relations between driver and response variables on rivers affected by dams.     

Impact of reservoirs and channelization on lowland river macroinvertebrates: A case study from Central Europe

In order to assess and compare the ecological impacts of channelization and shallow lowland reservoirs, macroinvertebrate communities of a lowland metapotamal river below reservoirs with epilimnial release were studied. The study was carried out in the Dyje River (Czech Republic) at five sites located from 1.5 to 22.5 km downstream of the reservoir outfall. The five sites differed in the degree of channel modification from natural muddy banks to riprap regulation. Seven samples were collected during the years 1998 and 1999 at each site using a semiquantitative method. The data were processed using multivariate analyses and methods for assessing the ecological and functional structure of communities. Altogether, 261 species of benthic macroinvertebrates were recorded including several rare and threatened taxa. Based on the results of principal component analysis (PCA), most of the variability within the species data (the first PCA axis) was explained by the degree of channel modification, from natural muddy banks with aquatic vegetation to a man-made riprap. The second axis was strongly correlated with current velocity. The sites differed in species richness, total abundances, proportion of individual functional feeding groups, pattern of the distribution of the current preference groups, and values of several biotic indexes, all of which also corresponded to the degree of channel modification. Thus, the morphological man-made modifications of the river channel were found to be the main factor affecting lowland river macroinvertebrates and their biodiversity. Our results suggest that the biggest threat to benthic macroinvertebrate diversity of lowland rivers comes from channelization. The impact of reservoirs can be completely overwhelmed by the impact of channelization, especially when muddy banks with aquatic vegetation present a substantial part of habitat diversity and significantly contribute to the total species pool.     

Do hydraulic units define macroinvertebrate assemblages in mountain streams of central Argentina?

Methods to assess the physical habitat provide important tools for many aspects of river management. Hydraulic units (defined as a homogeneous patch of flow type and substrate) were described in mountain streams of Central Argentina and the distribution of macrozoobenthos in these habitat units was analyzed. Four streams from the upper Carcarañá River Basin (Córdoba, Argentina) were sampled in two hydrological periods. Hydraulic units (as substrate and flow type), current velocity, depth, macrophytes and macroalgae were assessed. Three benthic samples were taken in each hydraulic unit. A total of 12 hydraulic units were registered, which varied seasonally in their proportional abundance. The highest values of taxonomic richness, total abundance, diversity and evenness were found in the low-water period. The most heterogeneous hydraulic units (characterized by substrate of diverse grain size) presented the highest richness, diversity and evenness, whereas the highest total abundance was observed in hydraulic units with homogeneous substrate, such as bedrock or gravel sand. Canonical correspondence analysis grouped samples and taxa mainly in relation to the hydraulic units, and temporal variation in macroinvertebrate assemblages was observed. We found that the interaction between hydrological and geomorphological conditions affected benthic assemblages and that their organization is important at a mesoscale. Therefore, hydraulic units may be considered important tools in assessing stream integrity in lotic systems of central Argentina.