Assessing physical surrogates for biodiversity: Do tributary and stream type classifications reflect macroinvertebrate assemblage diversity in running waters?

Landscape classifications are increasingly being used in conservation planning and biodiversity management, although there is a dearth of studies actually showing concordant patterns between such classifications and biodiversity. We studied the utility of tributary and stream type classifications in accounting for the variability of invertebrate biodiversity in a boreal drainage system. We found that only weak, although significant, differences existed between the studied three tributaries and four stream types in macroinvertebrate assemblage structure, species distributions, and taxonomic richness. Further, the classification strengths, calculated as mean within-group-similarity minus mean between-group-similarity of assemblage structure, were rather low, suggesting that the a priori physical classifications did not effectively describe variability in macroinvertebrate assemblage structure. The low classification strengths likely resulted from the facts that: (i) most stream macroinvertebrate taxa show individualistic responses to environmental gradients; (ii) many taxa occur either across all stream types; or (iii) only sporadically in a given stream type; and (iv) only a few species show high fidelity to a given stream type. However, the significance of the differences in macroinvertebrate assemblage structure and taxonomic richness, as well as a bunch of effective indicator species for different stream types, suggest that such classifications could be used as a preliminary scheme for the conservation planning of running waters. This reasoning is also supported by the evidence from other studies that have found stream size and the distance to upstream lakes to shape considerably the biodiversity of various groups of stream organisms, although no single organism group is likely to show a perfect match with any classification scheme.     

Soil macroinvertebrate fauna of a Mediterranean arid system: Composition and temporal changes in the assemblage

Temporal variability is a key factor to understand the structure of belowground communities. Seasonal and annual variations are especially relevant in unpredictable desert ecosystems, where macroinvertebrates are poorly known, despite constituting an important group of soil organisms. In the present study, we analyse the composition and temporal (seasonal and annual) variations of soil macroinvertebrates in an arid area of southern Spain. During two years, macroinvertebrates were sampled in litter and belowground levels by means of soil cores. Results show that the assemblage was dominated by arthropods, especially Formicidae and Coleoptera. The assemblage differed between litter and belowground levels. In litter, detritivores dominated the community, while belowground fauna showed a similar proportion of detritivores and herbivores and a low percentage of predators. Litter and belowground assemblages showed seasonal variations in richness, abundance, biomass and composition, although variations were more marked in litter than belowground. Patterns of seasonal variation also differed between the two study years for both litter and belowground invertebrates. The seasonal and annual variability of the assemblage has potentially important implications for community dynamics in the study system, since the changes in species composition and trophic structure of soil invertebrate assemblages may affect species interactions and food web dynamics over time. Therefore, integrating temporal variability is likely to be crucial to understand soil community dynamics and food webs, especially in heterogeneous, variable systems as deserts.     

Does natural acidity mediate interactions between introduced brown trout, native fish, crayfish and other invertebrates in West Coast New Zealand streams?

The presence of introduced brown trout (Salmo trutta) on the distribution of native crayfish (Paranephrops planifrons), native galaxiid fishes (Galaxias spp.) and invertebrate fauna was investigated in 18 West Coast New Zealand streams (8 with trout and 10 without trout) differing in chemical characteristics. Gut contents of trout, crayfish and eels were also examined to evaluate whether competition or predation could be linked to the patterns found. Abundances of crayfish and galaxiids were significantly lower in streams with trout, but in streams without trout, substrate size was one of the most important factors determining crayfish abundance. In contrast to crayfish, other macroinvertebrates were more abundant in trout streams than streams without trout and significantly more taxa were found in streams with trout. Macroinvertebrate abundance was related to environmental factors, such as pH, substrate, depth and total nitrogen. Gut content analysis showed an overlap in diet (mostly invertebrates) between trout and eels. Crayfish, however, had a more omnivorous diet where detritus was the most frequently occurring food material. Differences in chemical characteristics marked the streams with and without trout. Thus, trout were not present in streams with pH < 6.0. Crayfish and galaxiids were present in streams with pH ranging from 4.1 to 7.9, and those with pH < 6.0 may function as trout-free refuges where larger populations of these species may persist. However, other macroinvertebrate taxa may be more negatively affected by acidification than by trout. By protecting naturally acidic, brown water streams, New Zealand crayfish and galaxiid fish populations can be conserved within geographic areas where trout are present.     

Resilience of macroinvertebrate communities in acidified and limed streams

Benthic macroinvertebrate communities in 13 acidified South Swedish streams were sampled in 1981. The same localities were revisited in 1994 when most of the streams had been limed. Untreated streams were used as references. Species richness and proportion of predators increased between the two years. The differences are probably due to the warm and dry summer in 1994. However, the proportions of acid-sensitive species in various groups of streams were about the same the two years, indicating that liming had an insignificant effect on the return of these species. The resilience of the bottom fauna may be attributable to biotic conditions or the failure of the practiced liming methods to maintain healthy chemical conditions.     

南溪河大型底栖无脊椎动物群落结构及其季节变化

2020年8月和11月对云南南溪河水系进行了两次大型底栖无脊椎动物调查,共采样到9000余头标本,鉴定出208个物种,隶属4门7纲73科。该区域大型底栖无脊椎动物以水生昆虫为主,软体动物次之。水生昆虫中蜉蝣目、双翅目、毛翅目和蜻蜓目为优势类群。南溪河大型底栖无脊椎动物整体生物多样性较高,表现为大多数样点的生物多样性指数值处于较高水平。无论丰水期还是枯水期,大型底栖无脊椎动物在物种组成和个体数量上均以水生昆虫为主,丰水期的物种数、个体数量和密度均显著低于枯水期,但丰水期的生物量显著高于枯水期。优势物种为四节蜉科一种（Baetidae sp.1）、纹石蛾属一种（Hydropsyche sp.1）、蚋科一种（Simuliidae sp.1）、亚非蜉属一种Afromurus sp. 、扁蜉属Heptagenia sp.1,其中前四种在丰水期和枯水期均为优势种。南溪河大型底栖无脊椎动物多样性受到海拔、河道底质和干扰强度的影响,在海拔1000-1500m的地区多样性最高,淤泥质底质和重度干扰使大型底栖无脊椎动物的物种数和密度显著降低。     

湘江流域大型底栖无脊椎动物群落结构及其与环境因子的关系

采用野外调查的方法,结合Shannon多样性指数、Margalef物种丰富度指数、Pielou群落均匀度指数和冗余分析(RDA),研究了湘江流域底栖动物群落结构、多样性及其与环境因子的关系。结果表明,底栖动物3门、6纲、15目、31科、43种。其中节肢动物22种,占51.16%;软体动物16种,占37.21%;环节动物5种,占11.63%。底栖动物优势种中的霍甫水丝蚓(Limnodrilus hoffmeisteri)、方格短沟蜷(Semisulcospira cancellata)和椭圆萝卜螺(Radix swinhoei)在流域内的分布具有显著的空间差异性(P﹤0.05)。底栖动物丰度和生物量在秋季最高、冬季最低。底栖动物丰度的空间差异、季节差异均显著(P0.05),生物量的空间差异和季节差异均不显著。底栖动物群落的Shannon-Wienner指数(H')、丰富度指数(dM)和均匀度指数(J)的平均值分别为1.5145、2.0635和0.7041;湘江航电枢纽的物种多样性最高,松柏最低。RDA分析表明,重金属Cu和Cr是影响湘江流域底栖动物群落结构的关键因子,其次为石油类、Se、p H、氟化物、CODMn、COD和Zn。从种类水平看,椭圆萝卜螺可以作为湘江重金属Cr的指示物种,霍甫水丝蚓对重金属Zn敏感,格氏短沟蜷(Semisulcospira gredleri)耐受重金属Cu,耐污种类多足摇蚊(Polypedilum sp.)与COD、石油类环境轴呈正相关,前突摇蚊(Procladius sp.)与CODMn环境轴呈正相关;敏感种类扁蜉(Heptageniidae sp.)、带角螺(Angulyagra annulatus)与氟化物、COD呈负相关,四节蜉(Baetidae sp.)、闪蚬(Corbicula nitens)与CODMn呈负相关;不耐重金属类群的日本沼虾(Macrobrachium nipponense)、纹石蛾(Hydropsychidae sp.)与Cu、Cr环境轴呈负相关。     

Combined effects of habitat modification on trait composition and species nestedness in river invertebrates

Changes in catchment land-use and sedimentation have large ecological effects on rivers, but there is limited transferable understanding of the consequences for river conservation. In the Usk river system (Wales, UK), we assessed whether catchment-scale change in land-use and patch-scale sedimentation (i) affected organisms with specific life-history traits and (ii) resulted in nested assemblages with species-poor sites occupied mostly by sub-sets of organisms from richer sites.Reaches in catchments converted to agriculture had nested species assemblages characterised by greater representation of organisms with small body size, shorter life cycle and effective dispersal capacity. In contrast, richer sites in semi-natural catchments supported taxa with longer life cycles. Patch-scale sedimentation was also accompanied by nested patterns in which depauperate patches supported taxa mostly with shorter life cycles, small size and detrital feeding habits. Sediment-free patches were richer and characterised by larger taxa, poor dispersers and predators. Trait diversity was reduced by habitat modification at both scales.We conclude that habitat modification in this river catchment has led to the systematic drop-out at two different scales of specific groups of organisms with particular trait character. Large-scale agricultural intensification appears to have removed larger, longer-lived invertebrates that probably require stable conditions, and we advocate further studies to appraise whether such organisms are at risk more globally from land-use conversion. This river case study is one of the first to combine nestedness analysis with biological trait assessment and it might help in developing transferable methods to predict the conservation impacts of land-use change.     

Effects of woody debris, microtopography, and organic matter amendments on the biotic community of constructed depressional wetlands

To increase wetland acreage and biodiversity, Delaware agencies constructed >220 depressional wetlands. During construction, agencies included amendments thought to increase biodiversity. Because the efficacy of amendments is unknown, we investigated their effects on macroinvertebrate and vegetative communities. We selected 20 standardized wetlands (five contained coarse woody debris (CWD) and microtopography amendments (land surface ridges and furrows), five had neither, five had CWD only, and five had microtopography only). Additionally, 12 wetlands had received organic matter amendments (i.e., straw). Insect richness (P = 0.010; r² = 0.16), insect biomass (P = 0.023; r² = 0.13), intolerant insect biomass (P = 0.033, r² = 0.03), Ephemeroptera biomass (P = 0.027; r² = 0.12), and Odonata biomass (P = 0.046; r² = 0.10) increased with CWD volume. Obligate plant percent cover increased with microtopographic variation (P = 0.029; r² = 0.120). Although organic matter amendments did not increase percent soil organic matter (t_13.7 = −1.16, P = 0.264), total (P = 0.027; r² = 0.12), native (P = 0.036; r² = 0.11), and facultative (P = 0.001; r² = 0.24) plant richness increased with percent soil organic matter. To enhance biodiversity, constructed wetlands should contain CWD, but additional research is needed to understand the benefits of microtopography and organic matter amendments.     

基于底栖动物多样性恢复的减脱水河段生态流量核算

本文以澜沧江支流景谷河引水式电站形成的过渡区减脱水河段为研究区域，根据底栖动物的丰度、生物多样性对适宜栖息地水深、流速的需求，采用栖息地模拟法建立景谷河减脱水过渡区生态流量核算方法。结果表明，研究河段69.0%的底栖动物种类在边滩中出现，47.30%在浅濑中出现，因此，边滩和浅濑是维持底栖动多样性的最优生境类型。模拟了13种工况下底栖动物最适栖息地面积的变化情况，最终确定景谷河减水河段底栖动物最适的生态流量需求为3.0-4.0m3/s。本文为以水生生物实际需求为目标的生态流量核算奠定了基础。