Most hypotheses explaining the general gradient of higher diversity toward the equator are implicit or explicit about greater species packing in the tropics. However, global patterns of diversity within guilds, including trophic guilds (i.e., groups of organisms that use similar food resources), are poorly known. We explored global diversity patterns of a key trophic guild in stream ecosystems, the detritivore shredders. This was motivated by the fundamental ecological role of shredders as decomposers of leaf litter and by some records pointing to low shredder diversity and abundance in the tropics, which contrasts with diversity patterns of most major taxa for which broad-scale latitudinal patterns haven been examined. Given this evidence, we hypothesized that shredders are more abundant and diverse in temperate than in tropical streams, and that this pattern is related to the higher temperatures and lower availability of high-quality leaf litter in the tropics. Our comprehensive global survey (129 stream sites from 14 regions on six continents) corroborated the expected latitudinal pattern and showed that shredder distribution (abundance, diversity and assemblage composition) was explained by a combination of factors, including water temperature (some taxa were restricted to cool waters) and biogeography (some taxa were more diverse in particular biogeographic realms). In contrast to our hypothesis, shredder diversity was unrelated to leaf toughness, but it was inversely related to litter diversity. Our findings markedly contrast with global trends of diversity for most taxa, and with the general rule of higher consumer diversity at higher levels of resource diversity. Moreover, they highlight the emerging role of temperature in understanding global patterns of diversity, which is of great relevance in the face of projected global warming.

AimWe tested the hypothesis that shredder detritivores, a key trophic guild in stream ecosystems, are more diverse at higher latitudes, which has important ecological implications in the face of potential biodiversity losses that are expected as a result of climate change. We also explored the dependence of local shredder diversity on the regional species pool across latitudes, and examined the influence of environmental factors on shredder diversity.Location World-wide (156 sites from 17 regions located in all inhabited continents at latitudes ranging from 67°N to 41°S). MethodsWe used linear regression to examine the latitudinal variation in shredder diversity at different spatial scales: alpha (a), gamma (g) and beta (b) diversity. We also explored the effect of g-diversity on a-diversity across latitudes with regression analysis, and the possible influence of local environmental factors on shredder diversity with simple correlations.Results Alpha diversity increased with latitude, while g-and b-diversity showed no clear latitudinal pattern. Temperate sites showed a linear relationship between g-and a-diversity; in contrast, tropical sites showed evidence of local species saturation, which may explain why the latitudinal gradient in a-diversity is not accompanied by a gradient in g-diversity. Alpha diversity was related to several local habitat characteristics, but g-and b-diversity were not related to any of the environmental factors measured. Main conclusionsOur results indicate that global patterns of shredder diversity are complex and depend on spatial scale. However, we can draw several conclusions that have important ecological implications. Alpha diversity is limited at tropical sites by local factors, implying a higher risk of loss of key species or the whole shredder guild (the latter implying the loss of trophic diversity). Even if regional species pools are not particularly species poor in the tropics, colonization from adjacent sites may be limited. Moreover, many shredder species belong to cool-adapted taxa that may be close to their thermal maxima in the tropics, which makes them more vulnerable to climate warming. Our results suggest that tropical streams require specific scientific attention and conservation efforts to prevent loss of shredder biodiversity and serious alteration of ecosystem processes.

-Shredders play a major ecological role in temperate streams, but their numerical importance is highly variable within the tropics. Detailed studies on the diets of tropical stream invertebrates are advisable to be able to better describe and understand this variation. Here, we examined the diets of invertebrates collected from the leaf litter of three tropical streams in Colombia, using gut content analysis. Fine and coarse particulate organic matter were the main food resources for invertebrates, which could be divided into four main dietary groups: predators, shredders, specialist collectors and generalist collectors. While the specialist collectors were the most numerically abundant group (54%), shredder biomass accounted for 63% of total invertebrate biomass, suggesting that shredders play a significant ecological role in the study streams. We describe the diets of 12 out of 47 taxa that were previously unknown, which indicates that knowledge about the feeding ecology of tropical stream invertebrates is still incipient.

Facultad de Ciencias ResumenObjetivo. Determinar la estructura trófica del ensamblaje de insectos acuáticos asociados a ocho quebradas de la ecorregión cafetera colombiana. Materiales y métodos. Se colectaron insectos acuáticos en ocho quebradas protegidas por corredores de bosque en la cuenca del río La Vieja. Los taxa encontrados fueron asignados a grupos dietarios con base en una clasificación regional, generada a partir de la revisión del contenido estomacal de los insectos, en quebradas boscosas de la cuenca del río Otún. Resultados. En total se colectaron 2019 individuos distribuidos en 73 grupos taxonómicos, de los cuales 60 fueron clasificados en grupos dietarios. Los colectores fueron el grupo más abundante (55%), seguido por los fragmentadores (31%) y los depredadores (10%). Los raspadores sólo representaron el 0,05% de la muestra y el 3,95% restante no pudo ser clasificado por falta de información. Conclusiones. La dominancia de colectores y fragmentadores refleja la importancia de la materia orgánica particulada gruesa (hojarasca), como recurso alimentario para la entomofauna. La similitud de la estructura trófica entre esta comunidad y otras estudiadas en quebradas similares, sugiere la posibilidad de un patrón común para las quebradas andinas. Se evidenció la falta de información sobre ecología trófica de insectos acuáticos tropicales; 50% de los taxa colectados no presentaron reportes de este tipo en el trópico y para el 20% no existe información en el trópico ni en la zona templada.Palabras clave: insectos acuáticos, grupos dietarios, estructura trófica, quebradas andinas, ecosistemas tropicales. AbstractTrophic classification of aquatic insects in eight sheltered streams of the Colombian coffee ecoregion. Objective. To determine the trophic structure of the aquatic insect assembly associated to eight streams in the Colombian coffee-growing ecoregion. Materials and methods. Aquatic insects were collected in eight forested streams located in La Vieja river basin. The taxa collected were assigned to dietary groups according to a regional classification based on the gut content analysis of aquatic insects associated to forested streams of the Otún river basin. Results. 2019 individuals belonging to 73 taxa were collected and 60 were classified into dietary groups. The most abundant group was collectors (55%), followed by shredders (31%) and predators (10%). Scrapers represented only 0.05% of the sample and the remaining 3,95% could not be classified due to lack of information. Conclusions. The dominance of collectors and shredders reveals the importance of coarse particulate organic matter (leaf litter) as a food resource for the insect fauna. Similarities between the trophic structure of this community and other communities studied in similar streams, suggest the possibility of a common pattern for Andean streams. This study evidenced the lack of knowledge on trophic ecology of tropical aquatic insects; 50% of the taxa collected did not have this kind of information for the tropics and 20% had no i...

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Impacto del uso del suelo agropecuario sobre macroinvertebrados acuáticos en pequeñas quebradas de la cuenca del río La Vieja (Valle del Cauca, Colombia) Abstract: Agricultural land use impacts on aquatic macroinvertebrates in small streams from La Vieja river (Valle del Cauca, Colombia). The expansion of the agricultural frontier in Colombia has exerted significant pressure on its aquatic ecosystems during the last few decades. In order to determine the impacts of different agricultural land uses on the biotic and abiotic characteristics of first and second order streams of La Vieja river watershed, we evaluated 21 streams located between 1 060 and 1 534 m asl in the municipalities of Alcalá, Ulloa, and Cartago (Valle del Cauca, Colombia). Seven streams were protected by native vegetation buffers, eight had influence of coffee and plantain crops, and six were influenced by cattle ranching. Habitat conditions, channel dimensions, water quality, and aquatic macroinvertebrates were studied in each stream. Streams draining cattle ranching areas had significantly higher dissolved solids, higher phosphorus, higher alkalinity, higher conductivity, and lower dissolved oxygen than those covered by cropland and forests. Coarse substrates and diversity of flow regimes were significantly higher in cropland and protected streams when compared to streams affected by cattle ranching, whereas the percent of silt and slow currents was significantly higher in the latter. A total of 26 777 macroinvertebrates belonging to 17 orders, 72 families and 95 genera were collected. The most abundant groups were Diptera 62.8%, (Chironomidae 49.6%, Ceratopogonidae 6.7%), Mollusca 18.8% (Hydrobiidae 7.2%, Sphaeriidae 9.6%) and Trichoptera 5.7% (Hydropsychidae 3.7%). The Ephemeroptera, Trichoptera, and Plecoptera orders, known for their low tolerance to habitat perturbation, had high abundance in cropland and forested streams, whereas Diptera and Mollusca were more abundant in those impacted by cattle ranching. Results indicate that streams draining forests and croplands have better physical and biological conditions than those draining pastures, and highlight the need to implement protective measures to restore the latter. Rev. Biol. Trop. 62 (Suppl. 2): 203-219. Epub 2014 April 01.

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The relationship between detritivore diversity and decomposition can provide information on how biogeochemical cycles are affected by ongoing rates of extinction, but such evidence has come mostly from local studies and microcosm experiments. We conducted a globally distributed experiment (38 streams across 23 countries in 6 continents) using standardised methods to test the hypothesis that detritivore diversity enhances litter decomposition in streams, to establish the role of other characteristics of detritivore assemblages (abundance, biomass and body size), and to determine how patterns vary across realms, biomes and climates. We observed a positive relationship between diversity and decomposition, strongest in tropical areas, and a key role of abundance and biomass at higher latitudes. Our results suggest that litter decomposition might be altered by detritivore extinctions, particularly in tropical areas, where detritivore diversity is already relatively low and some environmental stressors particularly prevalent.