Aquatic macroinvertebrate trophic guilds, functional feeding groups, and water quality of an andean urban river

Abstract

In the Anthropocene, man has imposed his activities above the natural processes of ecosystems. Rivers have undergone major changes associated with urban centers, so monitoring them is important to determine their status and suitability to provide environmental services. Studies applying the community ecology approach, such as energy flow in aquatic macroinvertebrate assemblages, may be appropriate to determine their status and functioning. This study characterized an Andean river that runs across the city of Ayacucho (Peru). Water physicochemical parameters and biotic quality indices were used and compared with the abundance of trophic guild components and functional feeding groups to demonstrate that the latter are at least equally suitable to estimate water quality. The river section studied ranged from 2640 to 2900 m a.s.l. and was monitored in the wet and dry seasons. Six monitoring stations were established according to the extent of the influence of the urban center. Water physicochemical variables and macroinvertebrate abundances were determined. A Surber net was used for multihabitat sampling; macroinvertebrates were identified to genus level (in most cases) and counted to estimate relative abundances. Trophic guilds (detritivore, predator, herbivore) were formed using the genus data from identification according to the information available in Argentina, Colombia, Ecuador, Bolivia, and Peru. Functional feeding groups were set based on the classification of families. The sensitivity of trophic metrics was assessed by relating them to environmental variables and the Andean Biotic Index (ABI), the Biological Monitoring Working Party adapted for Colombia (BMWP/Col.), and the Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, Trichoptera (EPT) indices. Environmental variables and biotic indices increased significantly in the most impacted stations, where the abundance of most taxa decreased. The components of trophic guilds and functional groups varied, and those feeding on fine particles increased in sites with a higher urban impact. The metrics based on trophic characteristics were highly correlated with the BMWP/Col and ABI indices. Therefore, these indices can be used to estimate river water quality and provide information on its functioning.

Assessment of functional feeding groups (FFG) structure of aquatic insects in North- western Rif - Morocco

“…In particular, Collector-gatherers increased significantly with the growing pollution rate from rural disturbance, whereas collector-filterers exhibited the opposite pattern ( Bere et al 2016 ). Thus, the presence and abundance of trophic guild components and functional feeding groups are determined by the availability of certain food supplies ( Carrasco-Badajoz et al 2022 , Cummins et al 2022 ). However, a higher predator population is linked to a greater availability of prey species (collectors) within the ecosystem.…”

Water quality assessment methods of the highland Andean rivers: A scoping systematic review

“…However, water could be used for irrigation, livestock watering, and aquatic life ambient freshwater. The results show that a small land-use change of almost 15 % from natural paramo vegetation to agricultural uses in these ecosystems impairs water quality, limiting its uses, and the need to harmonize small-scale livelihoods in the paramo with the sustainability of ecosystem service provision Limited to the production activity 6 SC Carrasco-Badajoz, C. et al [ 67 ] Aquatic macroinvertebrate trophic guilds, functional feeding groups, and water quality of an Andean urban river 2022 Urban river based on trophic guilds and functional feeding group yields a similar or better diagnosis than quality indices based on taxonomic approach at the family level, besides providing information on its trophic functioning. Environmental variables and biotic indices increased significantly in the most impacted stations, where the abundance of most taxa decreased.…”

“…However, in this context, some indexes based on bioindicators proposed by different developed countries but adapted to different South American countries, an evident lack can be reflected among them, as pointed out in the study by Carrasco-Badajoz, C. [ 67 ], where there are differences between the BMWP-Col, ABI, and EPT indices, where he finds errors between them in their water quality results, which in the same way is mentioned by Meneses-Campo, Y et al [ 70 ], where he concludes that despite using the adapted indices such as BMWP-Col and ABI, he finds the latter more sensitive for the analysis of water quality of two Colombian rivers, reflecting more accurate results. On the other hand, Pimentel, HF et al [ 72 ] attribute better water quality assessment characteristics using the ABI index than the EPT index.…”

Ecological Status of a Tropical Inland Water Using Macroinvertebrate Feeding Groups and Sediment Characteristics

“…As such, monitoring of water quality has become highly necessary as a result of these constant increases in anthropogenic and other stress factors. Several studies have used the feeding relationships among the FFGs of macroinvertebrates and sediment characteristics in the temperate region [8,9]. Little is known about how feeding interactions and sediment qualities are altered by by human activities in tropical Africa.…”