Estudios sobre macroinvertebrados acuáticos en América Latina: avances recientes y direcciones futuras

Abstract

Studies on Latin American freshwater macroinvertebrates: recent advances and future directions. Latin America is an active scientific research area, in particular with respect to the study of freshwater macroinvertebrates. The present serves as an introduction to a special issue that highlights recent research projects on macroinvertebrates in Latin America. As part of this introduction, we conducted a literature analysis of the last 14 years of publications from the region that highlights the steady increase in publications on macroinvertebrates. Most studies from 2000-2013 were conducted in Brazil, Colombia, Argentina, and Costa Rica, and were focused on taxonomy and different issues related to biodiversity and distribution. There was a tendency for the use of local low-impact journals, but high impact publications were also found. This special issue contributes with 18 studies conducted in eight different countries. Two major topics are covered in the special issue, the ecology and natural history of aquatic macroinvertebrates and their use in the evaluation of anthropogenic impacts to aquatic ecosystems. Based on the literature review and contributions included in the issue, we discuss research needs for the region. Identified needs include: (1) to continue emphasizing taxonomic research, (2) assess mechanisms responsible for changes in biodiversity, (3) assess the role of macroinvertebrates in ecosystem processes and function, (4) improve biomonitoring efforts beyond unimetric indices, (5) the need for an ecosystem perspective, and (6) establishing long-term studies. This special issue is an initial effort to advance our knowledge on freshwater macroinvertebrates in Latin America. Rev. Biol. Trop. 62 (Suppl. 2): 9-20. Epub 2014 April 01.

Responses of aquatic macroinvertebrates to human pressure in a tropical highland volcanic basin: Birrís River, Irazú Volcano (Costa Rica)

“…During recent decades, aquatic macroinvertebrates have been widely used as indicators of impacts on freshwater ecosystems worldwide and increasingly in Latin America (Armitage et al, 1983;Hellawell, 1986;Alba-Tercedor & Sánchez-Ortega, 1988;Rosenberg & Resh, 1993;Weigel et al, 2002;Roldán, 2003;Juárez & Ibáñez, 2003;Acosta et al, 2009;Ferreira et al 2011;Sánchez et al, 2012;Rios-Touma et al, 2014;Ramírez & Gutiérrez-Fonseca, 2014a). Although several studies have dealt with the ecology of aquatic macroinvertebrates in the Central American streams, including Wolda and Flowers (1985), Flowers and Pringle (1995), Astorga et al (1997), Ramírez and Pringle (1998), Paaby et al (1998), Umaña (1998), Boyero and Bosch (2002), Ramírez et al (2006), Stein et al (2008), Vásquez et al (2009, Chaves-Ulloa et al (2014), more research is needed to obtain the required level of knowledge about ecology and taxonomy (Springer, 2008;Ramírez & Gutiérrez-Fonseca, 2014a) to assess the effects of global change scenarios on freshwater ecosystems in the region.…”

Aquatic macroinvertebrate assemblages and ecological state of Dali sub-basin, Risaralda State, Colombia

“…Si bien la diversidad taxonómica y los factores ambientales son necesarios para conocer parte de la complejidad de los ríos, es fundamental comprender su diversidad funcional y algunos de los mecanismos que controlan o determinan estos patrones (Ramírez & Gutiérrez-Fonseca, 2014a), de tal manera que las valoraciones ecológicas tengan un concepto integral y proporcionen mayor información con el fin de definir un estado ecológico. Sin embargo, es claro que la aplicación de estos métodos a cualquier corriente requiere de una validación a escala geográfica y de un gradiente ambiental definido (Villamarín, 2012), ya que estas técnicas pueden llegar a ser sensibles a cambios sutiles en la estructura de la comunidad y en algunos casos no detectados por los índices solamente biológicos (Carvacho, 2012).…”

Life cycles of dominant mayflies (Ephemeroptera) on a torrent of the high Bolivian Andes

“…Aquatic insects, particularly of the order Ephemeroptera, are often used to help to assess water quality and are an indicator of environmental stress in continental hydrosystems (Statzner, Bis, Dolédec, & Usseglio-Polatera, 2001), but in the Tropics their biology and ecology are still poorly known (Roldán, 2001;Ramírez & Gutiérrez-Fonseca, 2014). Knowledge of the life cycle pattern of the mayflies is important to set up conservation programs to preserve water quality and to gain a better understanding of the effects of climate change and its possible impacts on these sensitive high elevation sites.…”