The distribution of dragonfly nymphs across a pH gradient in south-central Ontario lakes

Pollard, J. Bruce; Berrill, Michael

doi:10.1139/z92-125

Cited by 25 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 37 publications

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“…In south-central Ontario, Pollard & Berrill (1992) found decreased anisopteran diversity and increased Leucorrhinia abundance in fishless lakes .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 91%

Lake acidity, fish predation, and the distribution and abundance of some littoral insects

Bendell¹,

McNicol²

1995

Hydrobiologia

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Densities of Corixidae (Hemiptera), larval Odonata, and large larval Trichoptera were estimated in the littoral zone of small lakes in an acid-stressed area near Sudbury, Ontario . Fish were present in some lakes and absent in others, and fishless lakes occurred across a wide range of pH . Corixidae were significantly more abundant in lakes without fish than in lakes with fish, and their numbers were not related to the pH of fishless lakes . Anisoptera (Odonata) larvae tended to be more numerous in benthic samples from fishless lakes than from lakes with fish, and their exuviae were significantly more abundant around fishless lakes . In most lakes, the assemblage was dominated by three species ; Leucorrhinia glacialis, Libellula julia, and Cordulia shurtleffi . In lakes containing white sucker, Catostomus commersoni, Gomphus spp . were most numerous . In the most acid fishless lakes, L. julia was uncommon, and L. glacialis was extremely abundant . In fishless lakes, numbers of Anisoptera larvae and exuviae were negatively correlated with pH, though species richness was positively correlated with pH . Exuviae of Zygoptera (Odonata) were more abundant around fishless lakes, irrespective of pH . Larvae of Limnephilus (Trichoptera) were most abundant in non-acid fishless lakes, and absent at pH<5 .2 . Abundances of Banksiola (Trichoptera) were negatively correlated with the pH of fishless lakes .

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“…In south-central Ontario, Pollard & Berrill (1992) found decreased anisopteran diversity and increased Leucorrhinia abundance in fishless lakes .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 91%

Lake acidity, fish predation, and the distribution and abundance of some littoral insects

Bendell¹,

McNicol²

1995

Hydrobiologia

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“…Thus, the persistence of stream salamander populations may be low in chronically acidic stream reaches, as well as in streams that suffer from acute acidic events. By comparison, fish and some invertebrates comprise the most acid sensitive of aquatic taxa, with lethal effects occurring in fish when the pH drops below 6.0 [28] and in dragonflies when pH is less than 5.8 [29]. Yet stream salamanders are not the most tolerant of aquatic organisms; some invertebrates can be extremely tolerant of acidic conditions, such as the caddis fly Ptilostomis postica , which exhibited 100% survival at experimental pH levels of 3.2 [30].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Acute toxicity of acidity in larvae and adults of four stream salamander species (Plethodontidae)

Green

Peloquin

2008

Enviro Toxic and Chemistry

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High levels of acid deposition have severely affected streamwater chemistry in the southern Appalachians. Plethodontid stream salamanders living in and around headwater streams rely on cutaneous respiration and are highly susceptible to changes in water quality. We examined the sensitivity to low pH conditions in four stream salamanders by monitoring the response to six pH treatments ranging from pH 2.75 to 6.5. To quantify acid tolerance, we determined median lethal concentrations (LC50) in 96-h laboratory bioassays. This is the first study to quantify the level of sensitivity of stream salamanders to acidic conditions, indicating that stream salamanders are acid tolerant compared with many other lotic organisms. We found that acid tolerance is a species-specific trait with intraspecific variation shaped by life stage and body size. Mortality occurred at pH levels less than 4.2. The acid sensitivity of Desmognathus quadramaculatus larvae (LC50 = pH 3.95) was highest compared to sensitivity of Eurycea cirrigera larvae (LC50 = 3.6), Gyrinophilus porphyriticus larvae (LC50 = 3.5), and Pseudotriton ruber larvae (LC50 = 3.5). Larval survival was lower than adult survival in low pH treatments for E. cirrigera (adult LC50 = 3.1) and D. quadramaculatus (adult LC50 = 3.5). Salamanders responded to sublethal exposure to acidity with lethargic movements and decreased swimming speed. These results suggest that episodic acid events that cause streamwater pH to drop near 4.2 may cause mortality or induce sublethal effects, such as slower swimming speed. Because salamander larvae are more sensitive to acidic conditions than adults, we recommend that population monitoring programs extend methodology to include reliable estimates of larval population sizes.

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“…Water quality is thought to affect firefly abundance as the direct determinant of larval habitat quality. Though many studies have found that the sensitivity to acid varies among aquatic insects (Ward 1992), from highly tolerant dragonflies (e.g., Pollard and Berrill 1992) to particularly sensitive mayflies (e.g., Courtney and Clements 1998), the positive influence of relatively high pH (range: 6.07-8.46) on firefly abundance indicated that the Genji-firefly larvae were relatively sensitive to water acidification. The positive relationship between DO (range: 6.26-9.12) and firefly abundance is consistent with the generally accepted knowledge that DO is an environmental variable of considerable importance to many aquatic insects (Ward 1992;Williams and Feltmate 1992).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Habitat Requirement of the Genji-Firefly Luciola cruciata (Coleoptera : Lampyridae), a Representative Endemic Species of Japanese Rural Landscapes

et al. 2006

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Raising public interest in nature through conserving species of high social interest is crucial in achieving effective conservation of biodiversity. In Japan, the Genji-firefly Luciola cruciata (Coleoptera Lampyridae) in biodiversity rich agricultural landscapes called the satoyama has always attracted exceptional public interest. This study provides rare information on environmental factors associated with the abundance of the Genji-firefly. Stepwise backward multiple regression revealed that firefly abundance increased with increasing pH, DO and prey abundance while decreasing with water depth and the proportion of artificially modified ditch length. These factors are thought to be influential mainly to the larval and pre-pupal periods of the firefly. The implications of the results for the conservation of the Genji-firefly are discussed, with reference to the relationship between Genji-firefly conservation and extensive biodiversity conservation in the satoyama.

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The distribution of dragonfly nymphs across a pH gradient in south-central Ontario lakes

Cited by 25 publications

References 37 publications

Lake acidity, fish predation, and the distribution and abundance of some littoral insects

Lake acidity, fish predation, and the distribution and abundance of some littoral insects

Acute toxicity of acidity in larvae and adults of four stream salamander species (Plethodontidae)

The Habitat Requirement of the Genji-Firefly Luciola cruciata (Coleoptera : Lampyridae), a Representative Endemic Species of Japanese Rural Landscapes

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