A trait database for southern African freshwater invertebrates

Odume, Oghenekaro Nelson; Akamagwuna, Frank Chukwuzuoke; Ntloko, Pindiwe; Dallas, Helen F.; Nnadozie, Chika Felicitas; Barber-James, Helen M.

doi:10.2989/16085914.2022.2142505

Cited by 4 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 41 publications

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“…For example, the smallest region (New Zealand, 270,000 km 2 ) had the most similar TPGs, whereas the largest region (North America, 24,710,000 km 2 ) had the most different TPGs. The notable variability between Southern African TPGs may be an artefact of the relatively low number of described stream insect taxa to date (Odume et al., 2023).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…We used five trait datasets that list information on the stream insect traits for Australia (Kefford et al., 2020), Europe (Schmidt‐Kloiber & Hering, 2015; Usseglio‐Polatera et al., 2000a, 2000b), North America (Twardochleb et al., 2021; Vieira et al., 2006), New Zealand (Philips & Smith, 2018) and Southern Africa (Odume et al., 2023). If data gaps occurred (e.g.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Similarity of stream insect trait profiles across biogeographic regions

Kunz,

Kefford,

Usseglio‐Polatera

et al. 2024

Diversity and Distributions

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AimHabitat templet theory predicts that the functional niches of species evolved in response to selection pressures imposed by each species' spatial–temporal environment. Consequently, similar environmental conditions should lead to convergence in the biological trait composition of biogeographically independent assemblages. Given their high diversity and ubiquitous occurrence, stream insects represent an ideal group to test convergence. Such an analysis should provide insight into both how spatially variable stream insect traits are and how transferable trait–environment relationships are across large spatial scales. We tested two hypotheses: (1) functional niches of stream insects are similar across Australia, Europe, North America, New Zealand and Southern Africa, and (2) the variability in trait profiles of stream insects is positively related to climatic variability within regions.LocationAustralia, Europe, North America, New Zealand and Southern Africa.MethodsWe used trait datasets from each region to compare functional niches and to delineate groups of insects with similar trait profiles (hereafter, trait profile groups or TPGs) in each region. We identified the traits most important in separating TPGs. Finally, we assessed if trait profile variability between TPGs was associated with climatic variability within each region.ResultsWe found that functional niches of families largely overlapped across the regions examined, except for partial deviations of some Australian families, but that only two trait combinations characterized TPGs across all regions. Feeding mode and respiration traits consistently drove the separation of families into TPGs. The variability of trait profiles slightly increased with increasing climatic variability.Main ConclusionsAlthough our study did not allow to demonstrate mechanisms, it is the first to show large similarities between stream insect functional niches across different biogeographic regions, which might be an indication of their convergence. An important factor shaping stream insect assemblages over these large scales might be climate, indicated by the higher trait profile variation in regions with more diverse climates.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Similarity of stream insect trait profiles across biogeographic regions

Kunz,

Kefford,

Usseglio‐Polatera

et al. 2024

Diversity and Distributions

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“…Following aquatic invertebrate identification, taxa were classified according to their different traits (functional feeding groups, habitat preference, dispersal mode, mode of respiration, aquatic life stage and hydraulic preference) by using the South African Macroinvertebrate Trait Database and appropriate guides (Fry, 2021;Odume et al, 2018Odume et al, , 2023) (see Appendix Table S1). Aquatic invertebrate families were further classified according to their sensitivity or tolerance to environmental change (change in flow and habitat), water quality and/or pollution.…”

Section: Aquatic Invertebrate Traitsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…As a result, species will only survive in a habitat if they possess the appropriate combinations of traits (Akamagwuna et al, 2022;Mondy & Usseglio-Polatera, 2014;Odume et al, 2023). Traits can therefore be used in both short-and long-term biomonitoring and ecological research to assess various anthropogenic effects (de la Fuente et al, 2018;Mondy et al, 2016;Odume, 2020;Townsend & Hildrew, 1994).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of river regulation on aquatic invertebrate community composition: A comparative analysis in two southern African rivers

de Necker,

van Rooyen,

Gerber

et al. 2024

Ecology and Evolution

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While natural floods play a crucial role in shaping the composition of aquatic communities, the most rivers worldwide are regulated or dammed for anthropogenic purposes, resulting in alterations to the biological and chemical composition of these ecosystems. Studies have demonstrated various negative effects of river regulation on aquatic invertebrate communities globally. However, there is a scarcity of research in Africa, despite its vulnerability to anthropogenic impacts. This study aimed to compare aquatic invertebrate communities in the Phongolo River, an impacted regulated river, and the Usuthu River, a less impacted unregulated river, in South Africa. It further aimed to ascertain whether Lake Nyamithi, a naturally saline lake receiving water from both of the aforementioned systems, exhibited a stronger similarity to one of the two rivers in terms of its aquatic invertebrate composition. Aquatic invertebrate and water samples were collected from 2012 to 2018 over several surveys. The Usuthu River demonstrated a diverse and sensitive aquatic invertebrate community, emphasising its high conservation value. The Phongolo River demonstrated effects of anthropogenic impact, with taxa more resilient to changes in water quality and flow compared to the Usuthu River. Mismanagement and excessive water use may lead to the loss of any remaining sensitive aquatic invertebrate communities in this river. The presence of invasive molluscan in the Phongolo River and Lake Nyamithi also poses a threat to the native aquatic invertebrate communities. These invasive species are currently absent from the Usuthu River although other invasive species, such as the Australian redclaw crayfish, are found in both river systems. Lake Nyamithi displayed a unique aquatic invertebrate community, distinct from both rivers and their floodplains. This study provides important baseline information on the Usuthu River's aquatic invertebrates and emphasises the need to maintain adequate water flow in rivers and floodplains to protect biodiversity and sensitive species.

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“…Matches improved for species-level identification but were still not better than assigning scores at random. Using expert opinion to assign dispersal scores to coarse taxonomic groups predominates in all of the databases we examined [9,36,50,51], despite at least two obvious problems. First, all these databases use the term 'traits' to describe these dispersal measures, but traits are species-level characteristics [8,52] and can also vary within populations [53].…”

Section: (C) Expert Opinionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Bigger is not necessarily better: empirical tests show that dispersal proxies misrepresent actual dispersal ability

Lancaster,

Downes,

Kayll

2024

Proc. R. Soc. B.

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Tests for the role of species’ relative dispersal abilities in ecological and biogeographical models rely heavily on dispersal proxies, which are seldom substantiated by empirical measures of actual dispersal. This is exemplified by tests of dispersal–range size relationships and by metacommunity research that often features invertebrates, particularly freshwater insects. Using rare and unique empirical data on dispersal abilities of caddisflies, we tested whether actual dispersal abilities were associated with commonly used dispersal proxies (metrics of wing size and shape; expert opinion). Across 59 species in 12 families, wing morphology was not associated with actual dispersal. Within some families, individual wing metrics captured some dispersal differences among species, although useful metrics varied among families and predictive power was typically low. Dispersal abilities assigned by experts were either no better than random or actually poorer than random. Our results cast considerable doubt on research underpinned by dispersal proxies and scrutiny of previous research results may be warranted. Greater progress may lie in employing innovative survey and experimental design to measure actual dispersal in the field.

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A trait database for southern African freshwater invertebrates

Cited by 4 publications

References 41 publications

Similarity of stream insect trait profiles across biogeographic regions

Similarity of stream insect trait profiles across biogeographic regions

Effects of river regulation on aquatic invertebrate community composition: A comparative analysis in two southern African rivers

Bigger is not necessarily better: empirical tests show that dispersal proxies misrepresent actual dispersal ability

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