Structure of macroinvertebrate communities in riffles of a Neotropical karst stream in the wet and dry seasons

Righi‐Cavallaro, Karina Ocampo; Roche, Kennedy F.; Froehlich, Otávio; Cavallaro, Marcel R.

doi:10.4322/actalb.02203007

Cited by 8 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 34 publications

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“…These findings confirm that the diversity of freshwater macroinvertebrates in Neotropical environments is largely understudied [10,34,68], and could be much higher than previously thought. In addition, the fact that only a small number of specimens from these taxa matched available sequences in public databases further highlights the potential for biodiversity discovery in Neotropical freshwater environments.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 86%

Hidden biodiversity in Neotropical streams: DNA barcoding uncovers high endemicity of freshwater macroinvertebrates at small spatial scales

Leon

Cornejo

Gavilán

et al. 2020

Preprint

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23 Aquatic macroinvertebrates play a crucial role in freshwater ecosystems, but their diversity 24 remains poorly known, particularly in the tropics. This "taxonomic void" represents limits our 25 understanding of biodiversity patterns and processes in freshwater ecosystems, and the scale at 26 which they operate. We used DNA barcoding to estimate lineage diversity (and the diversity of 27 unique haplotypes) in 224 specimens of freshwater macroinvertebrates at a small spatial scale 28 within the Panama Canal Watershed (PCW). In addition, we compiled available barcoding data 29 to assess macroinvertebrate diversity at a broader spatial scale spanning the Isthmus of Panama.30 Consistently across two species delimitation algorithms (i.e., ABGD and GMYC), we found high 31 lineage diversity within the PCW, with ~ 100-106 molecular operational taxonomic units 32 (MOTUs at 2% sequence divergence) across 168 unique haplotypes. We also found a high 33 lineage diversity along the Isthmus of Panama, but this diversity peaked within the PCW. 34 However, our rarefaction/extrapolation approach showed that this diversity remains under 35 sampled. As expected, these results indicate that the diversity of Neotropical freshwater 36 macroinvertebrates is higher than previously thought, with the possibility of high endemicity 37 even at narrow spatial scales. Geographic isolation is likely a main factor shaping these patterns 38 of diversity. However, local disturbances such as the rupture of the continental divide due to the 39 construction of the Panama Canal might be reshaping these patterns of diversity at a local scale.40 Although further work is needed to better understand the processes driving diversification in 41 freshwater macroinvertebrates, we suggest that Neotropical streams represent continental islands 42 of diversity. Understanding these islands of diversity is crucial in the face of increasing human 43 disturbance. 3 44 Introduction 45 Aquatic macroinvertebrates are a fundamental component of Neotropical freshwater 46 environments. They mediate important processes such as food web dynamics, energy flow and 47 nutrient cycling, and therefore play a central role in sustaining the biodiversity and functioning 48 of freshwater ecosystems [1-3]. However, the diversity of Neotropical freshwater 49 macroinvertebrates remains poorly described, and even less is known about the processes that 50 drive their diversity, and the scale at which they operate [4]. For instance, despite considerable 51 efforts by local taxonomists [e.g., 5-8], only a limited number of species are recognized (e.g. , 52 [9,10], and most of the published literature use genus and family as a standard taxonomic unit for 53 Neotropical macroinvertebrates [9,[11][12][13][14][15]. This is partially due to the complexity of these 54 communities, which are often composed of multiple life-stages existing at the interface between 55 the terrestrial and aquatic environment [16,17]. Another limitation is the low accuracy and 56 precision of traditional morpholo...

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 86%

Hidden biodiversity in Neotropical streams: DNA barcoding uncovers high endemicity of freshwater macroinvertebrates at small spatial scales

Leon

Cornejo

Gavilán

et al. 2020

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…As we consulted the ecological literature, we observed that rigid adherence to this threshold is not uncommon. We found that this threshold was commonly delineated in the methodological details of manuscripts (e.g., see Boyra et al 2004;Vizzini and Mazzola 2004;Bowen et al 2005;Heino and Mykr€ a 2006;Righi-Cavallaro et al 2010;White et al 2011), and that users sometimes increased ordination dimensionality for the explicit purpose of achieving stress values below this threshold of 0.2 (Eallonardo and Leopold 2014;Breckenridge et al 2015). Characteristic statements from the literature include ".…”

Section: The Trouble With Stressmentioning

confidence: 98%

The trouble with stress: A flexible method for the evaluation of nonmetric multidimensional scaling

Dexter

Rollwagen‐Bollens

Bollens

2018

Limnology & Ocean Methods

135

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Nonmetric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) is a powerful statistical tool which enables complex multivariate data sets to be visualized in a reduced number of dimensions. Users typically evaluate the fit of an NMDS ordination via ordination “stress” (i.e., data distortion) against a commonly accepted set of heuristic guidelines. However, these guidelines do not account for the mathematical relationship which links ordination stress to sample size. Consequently, researchers working with large data sets may unnecessarily present ordinations in an intractable number of dimensions, subdivide their data, or forego the use of NMDS entirely and lose the benefits of this highly flexible and useful technique. In order to overcome the limitations of these practices, we advocate for an alternative approach to the evaluation of NMDS ordination fit via the usage of permutation‐based ecological null models. We present the rationale for this approach from a theoretical basis, supported by a brief literature review, and an example usage of the methodology. Our literature review shows that NMDS analyses often far exceed the number of observations under which the original stress guidelines were formulated—with a significant increasing trend in recent decades. Adoption of a permutation‐based approach will consequently provide a more flexible and quantitative evaluation of NMDS fit and allow for the continued application of NMDS in an era of increasingly large datasets.

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“…The fact that rain seasonality did not result in shifts in the structure and composition of macroinvertebrate communities in Rio das Velhas catchment is consistent with other reports for Brazilian rivers (Melo and Froehlich, ) but not for karst Brazilian streams, which can be justified by rapid increases of flow after rains that might lead to the removal of benthic fauna (Righi‐Cavallaro et al ., ). Indeed, the existing literature from Brazil is not coherent on this topic.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Defining and Testing Targets for the Recovery of Tropical Streams Based on Macroinvertebrate Communities and Abiotic Conditions

et al. 2013

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Here, we set target values to measure the ecological improvement of streams, based on invertebrate communities, riparian vegetation, instream habitat conditions and water chemistry. The study area is a large tropical catchment (Rio das Velhas, Minas Gerais, Brazil) affected by pastures, mining areas and a large urbanized area but also includes natural protected areas. Two stream types were found in the catchment, based on stream size, elevation, climate and geology with significantly different macroinvertebrate communities. In spite of a marked wet/dry seasons' climatic pattern, that does not result in the segregation of communities. Four classes of global degradation (IV—bad to I—good condition) were defined based on the available abiotic information, corresponding to a gradient in structure and biotic metrics of macroinvertebrate communities, matching the current knowledge on taxa sensitivity to pollution and general disturbance. Class I corresponds to target conditions to be achieved under restoration programmes. Using this approach, we were able to detect an improvement of abiotic conditions in four urban streams that benefited from enhancement measures in 2007–2008. However, invertebrate communities improved clearly in only one site (biotic metrics and community structure). Our study highlighted that good water quality alone is not enough and that only the combined effect of water quality, riparian vegetation and instream habitat condition enhancement resulted in the improvement of invertebrate communities. An important limiting factor for macroinvertebrate communities' recovery may be the distance to source populations. We concluded that the combined use of biological and abiotic target values for measuring the recovery of streams is needed to fully achieve an ecological restoration. This approach can also be valuable in the regular monitoring of streams to assess stream degradation. Target values based on other biological elements, such as fishes and algae, and functional processes could also contribute to define more global and realistic goals. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

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Structure of macroinvertebrate communities in riffles of a Neotropical karst stream in the wet and dry seasons

Cited by 8 publications

References 34 publications

Hidden biodiversity in Neotropical streams: DNA barcoding uncovers high endemicity of freshwater macroinvertebrates at small spatial scales

Hidden biodiversity in Neotropical streams: DNA barcoding uncovers high endemicity of freshwater macroinvertebrates at small spatial scales

The trouble with stress: A flexible method for the evaluation of nonmetric multidimensional scaling

Defining and Testing Targets for the Recovery of Tropical Streams Based on Macroinvertebrate Communities and Abiotic Conditions

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