Invertebrate metrics based on few abundant taxa outperform functional and taxonomic composition as indicators of agricultural impacts in Atlantic rainforest streams

No effects of macroconsumer exclusion on macroinvertebrate functional composition in Brazilian karst streams along a gradient of riparian forest loss

“…There is also a need for baseline studies and extended periods of time for observations during different seasons and years. These future studies are necessary to extend our current baseline data that will greatly improve our understanding of trophic dynamics and biotic interactions in a world increasingly modified by human activities, especially in tropical karst regions that contain high biodiversity and endemism and are threatened by accelerated landscape conversion (Feijó‐Lima et al., 2023; Kresic, 2013; Severo‐Neto et al., 2023).…”

“…The potential for changes in benthic invertebrate populations and communities following the loss of riparian vegetation can depend on the type of ecosystem, degree of food‐web connectivity, dispersal, and the species pool as well as the type and intensity of the riparian alterations in the buffer‐zone along the stream channel (Dudley et al., 2021; Feijó‐Lima et al., 2019, 2023) and the landscape composition (Dala‐Corte et al., 2020). Understanding if the loss of vegetation around streams can influence trophic relationships as well as the composition of the FFG benthic invertebrates remains an important area of research for many ecosystems facing increasing anthropogenic pressures, especially in different types of tropical streams, where intensive modification of forest to agriculture is a widespread and increasing environmental problem (Boyero, López‐Rojo, et al., 2021; Dudgeon, 2010; Foley et al., 2011).…”