Aquatic Hemiptera community structure in stormwater retention ponds: a watershed land cover approach

Abstract

Stormwater ponds are increasingly common aquatic habitats whose biotic communities are largely unexplored. As anthropogenic development continues to alter the landscape, watershed land use is gaining recognition for its potential to predict species compositions in aquatic systems. This study reports species composition of five aquatic hemipteran families (Notonectidae, Corixidae, Belostomatidae, Nepidae, Pleidae) in 28 permanent, artificial stormwater ponds in watersheds with different land covers and associated contaminant input. We hypothesized that land cover variables would be significant drivers of aquatic hemipteran community structure in ponds, and that ponds with a high percentage of agricultural and lawn cover in the watershed would be characterized by the absence of species intolerant of the chemical, physical, and ultimately biotic changes associated with these watersheds. Non-metric multi-dimensional scaling (NMS) was used to identify dominant gradients of species composition and environmental variables. Pond morphology variables, watershed lawn, watershed agriculture, and predatory fish abundance were each found to have statistically significant correlations with hemipteran community structure. The abundance of Notonecta undulata, the species responsible for creating the largest (ranked) distance in species structure among ponds, was positively correlated with shallow, fishless ponds and independent of land use variables. The abundances of four species of corixids were negatively correlated with watershed agriculture, and hemipteran richness was positively correlated with watershed lawn and negatively correlated with pond surface area. Heirarchical cluster analysis revealed non-random hemipteran species assemblages in which congeneric corixid species tended to co-occur, contradicting traditional niche theory. Since artificial stormwater ponds are chemically different from natural-pond habitat and rapidly increasing in number, knowledge of which insect species are capable of thriving in this environment and their relationship to land use in the watershed is of both environmental and evolutionary interest.

Screening-level ecological and human health risk assessment of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in stormwater detention pond sediments of Coastal South Carolina, USA

“…Another, often unintended, benefit of stormwater ponds is that they serve as wildlife habitat. Previous studies have documented a variety of wildlife species utilizing these habitats, including worms, crustaceans, mussels, insects, fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals [2][3][4][5]. Because these ponds are designed to retain sediments and contaminants, wildlife inhabiting stormwater ponds are at risk to being exposed to elevated levels of contaminants [6,7].…”

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“…We also note that artificial engineered habitats may be especially valuable in the southeastern United States where isolated springs support endemic darters and reproductively specialized minnows (Goldsworthy and Bettoli 2006). And though our interest was in fish, detention ponds can also provide habitat for amphibians (Brand and Snodgrass 2009) and native invertebrates (Foltz and Dodson 2009).…”

Ecological Drivers of Cladoceran Diversity in the Central European City (Łódź, Poland): Effects of Urbanisation and Size of the Waterbody

“…A low fish density within ponds may promote a more diverse macroinvertebrate community through predation of invertebrate predators and larger invertebrate taxa (preferentially eaten by fish as they are more readily seen) (Chaichana et al, 2011) which can reduce the competition for resources and lower invertebrate predation pressure. However, previous research has demonstrated that large predatory fish populations can have a negative effect on macroinvertebrate richness in urban and rural ponds (Diehl, 1992;Nyström et al, 2001;Angélibert et al, 2004;Foltz and Dodson, 2009). It should also be acknowledged that only two of the ponds in this study were stocked for angling purposes (which has been shown to greatly reduce open water macroinvertebrate abundance and diversity (Wood et al, 2001)) and Koi carp and other common ornamental pond species in urban ponds were fed regularly potentially reducing predation on macroinvertebrate taxa.…”