Macroinvertebrate functional trait responses to environmental gradients and anthropogenic disturbance in arid-land streams of North Africa

Benzina, Imène; Bachir, Abdelkrim Si; Santoul, Frédéric; Céréghino, Régis

doi:10.1016/j.jaridenv.2021.104626

Cited by 8 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 37 publications

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“…Our results indicate that in our system anthropogenic activities (i.e. agriculture and urbanization) impose additional stresses on their inhabitants that benefit smaller sized organisms, as already observed in other studies on aquatic habitats [67,68].…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 84%

“…The ECELS index is based on 5 components: littoral morphology, human activity, water characteristics, emergent vegetation and hydrophytic vegetation [36]. The index can range from 0 to 100, divided into 5 categories: bad (<30), poor (30)(31)(32)(33)(34)(35)(36)(37)(38)(39)(40)(41)(42)(43)(44)(45)(46)(47)(48)(49), moderate (50)(51)(52)(53)(54)(55)(56)(57)(58)(59)(60)(61)(62)(63)(64)(65)(66)(67)(68)(69), good (70-89) and high (≥90). Since the values of CDI increase at high disturbance, while the ECELS indices decreased (or vice versa), we inverted the ECELS values before calculating the Integrated Disturbance Index (IDI), following Ligeiro et al [35].…”

Section: Classifying Wetlands Sites According To Their Human Disturbancementioning

confidence: 99%

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Macroinvertebrate-Based Biomonitoring of Coastal Wetlands in Mediterranean Chile: Testing Potential Metrics Able to Detect Anthropogenic Impacts

Coccia

Vega

Fierro

2022

Water

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Coastal wetlands are suffering from anthropogenic alterations worldwide. Aquatic monitoring based on macroinvertebrates has been successfully used to assess the ecological condition of many aquatic systems worldwide. Nonetheless, studies are still insufficient for the coastal wetlands of the South Pacific. Here, we present a preliminary attempt to select metrics based on aquatic macroinvertebrates to incorporate into coastal wetlands biomonitoring in the Chilean Mediterranean ecoregion. We sampled 25 sites in ten coastal wetlands during the austral spring of 2019. We used an integrated index that considers both human activities at catchment and at local scales to identify sites less or more disturbed. We tested a total of 70 metrics (either traditional or new metrics) representing different aspects of community structure/composition, functions and tolerance to pollution. Two metrics were finally retained: detritivore abundance (traditional metric) and geometric mean body size (new metric). These metrics were able to detect sites impacted by human activities. Thus, they might be considered as candidate metrics for the biomonitoring of these systems and to develop future indices. Moreover, because of their generality, they might also be applicable to coastal wetlands in other Mediterranean regions, including sites where taxonomic identification is still a challenge.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 84%

Section: Classifying Wetlands Sites According To Their Human Disturbancementioning

confidence: 99%

Macroinvertebrate-Based Biomonitoring of Coastal Wetlands in Mediterranean Chile: Testing Potential Metrics Able to Detect Anthropogenic Impacts

Coccia

Vega

Fierro

2022

Water

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“…Moreover, Mediterranean streams undergo substantial hydrological alterations compared with their temperate regions. This is particularly true in North African semi-arid and arid aquatic habitats, where freshwater organisms are frequently subjected to extreme floods and drought events ( Gasith and Resh 1999 , Benzina et al 2021 ). These changes in the local environment favor some typical trade-offs, resulting in broad alterations in the functional and taxonomic structure of the aquatic biota ( Durance and Ormerod 2007 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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

El Yaagoubi,

El Alami,

Harrak

et al. 2023

BDJ

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The involvement of trait-based approaches is crucial for understanding spatial patterns, energy flow and matter transfer in running water systems, which requires consistent knowledge of the functional structures of aquatic communities, with the advantage of combining physical properties and behavioral mechanisms of food acquisition rather than the taxonomic group. The present study indicated how functional feeding groups may be used as a proxy for classical taxonomic evaluation, as well as the potential interest in incorporating them as indicators of anthropogenic stressors. The composition and abundance of the functional feeding groups of aquatic insects were examined from September 2021 to August 2022 along the Western Rif Region. Benthic samples were collected from nine sampling points in the studied area using a Surber sampler with a mesh size of 500 µm and a diameter of 20*20 cm. The stations included in this work were chosen for their accessibility as well as their position on the hydrographic systems. The abundance of sampled aquatic organisms in the whole study area revealed 5,342 individuals belonging to 60 families and seven orders of aquatic insects, classified into five feeding functional groups. In terms of abundance, Collector-gatherers (Ephemeroptera and Diptera) were the most abundant trophic group at most of the sites, with a proportion of 38.47%. Predators (Coleoptera, Hemiptera and Odonata) were the second group at all sites, followed by Collector-filters, accounting for 39.53%, 28.14% and 22.37% respectively, while Scarpers and Shredders had the lowest representation across all sites with 4.16%. The high number of registered Collectors could be related to their ability to feed on a diverse range of food items compared to the remaining trophic guilds. According to the Canonical Correspondence Analysis results, physicochemical (i.e. T, pH, BOD5, Cl- and NO3-) and hydromorphological (i.e. current velocity and depth) variables were amongst the key predictors of shaping the functional structure of aquatic biota during this investigation. It is highly recommended to carry out suitable measures to largely attenuate anthropogenic pressures in order to preserve the integrity of freshwater bodies and their biota.

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“…There have also been studies on trait-based biomonitoring approaches in Australia [43] and New Zealand [44]. Trait-based biomonitoring approaches have also been successfully explored and developed in freshwater systems in North America [45,46]) and Latin America [47], and to lesser degrees in Africa [25,[48][49][50][51][52][53][54].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Odonata, Coleoptera, and Heteroptera (OCH) Trait-Based Biomonitoring of Rivers within the Northwestern Rif of Morocco: Exploring the Responses of Traits to Prevailing Environmental Gradients

El Yaagoubi,

Edegbene,

El Haissoufi

et al. 2024

Ecologies

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This study aimed to determine the impact of various pressures on the functional composition of OCH (Odonata, Coleoptera, and Heteroptera) in streams within the northwest Rif region of Morocco. We examined how OCH traits respond to human-induced pressures in selected stream sites in Morocco’s northwestern Rif region. OCH specimens were collected from 36 sites using a Surber sampler with dimension of 20 × 20 cm and mesh size of 500 µm over the course of two years, from 2021 to 2023. We measured physico-chemical and hydraulic parameters such as temperature, pH, DO, and NO-3. Sixty-seven trait attributes from 11 trait classes were assigned to the collected OCH taxa at the family level. Following the delineation of sites along the gradient of impacts in the study area, we categorized 7 sites as slightly impacted sites (SISs), 19 sites as moderately impacted sites (MISs), and 10 sites as heavily impacted sites (HISs). We successfully identified and categorized the traits as either vulnerable or tolerant based on RLQ models. Traits such as reproductive cycles per year and tegument respiration, which were positively correlated with SISs in the RLQ model and also positively correlated with depth and chlorine, were identified as vulnerable traits. Crawling locomotion and full water swimming were identified as tolerant traits. The distribution patterns of the OCH taxa revealed a robust correlation between the taxa and the sampling sites. Notably, taxa such as Nepidae, Naucoridae, and Corixidae exhibited widespread distribution and a strong association with the SISs. On the other hand, traits related to living macroinvertebrate food sources and reproduction in vegetation, specifically clutches, exhibited a negative correlation with total dissolved solids. Incorporating OCH functional traits into biomonitoring programs allows for a more comprehensive assessment of river ecosystems. This approach provides a nuanced understanding of how different stressors impact the community composition and overall ecological health.

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Macroinvertebrate functional trait responses to environmental gradients and anthropogenic disturbance in arid-land streams of North Africa

Cited by 8 publications

References 37 publications

Macroinvertebrate-Based Biomonitoring of Coastal Wetlands in Mediterranean Chile: Testing Potential Metrics Able to Detect Anthropogenic Impacts

Macroinvertebrate-Based Biomonitoring of Coastal Wetlands in Mediterranean Chile: Testing Potential Metrics Able to Detect Anthropogenic Impacts

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

Odonata, Coleoptera, and Heteroptera (OCH) Trait-Based Biomonitoring of Rivers within the Northwestern Rif of Morocco: Exploring the Responses of Traits to Prevailing Environmental Gradients

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