The macro‐invertebrate fauna of a small Andean stream

Turcotte, P.; Harper, P. P.

doi:10.1111/j.1365-2427.1982.tb00635.x

Cited by 52 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 15 publications

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“…Previous work has shown that the functional feeding groups in neotropical rivers are difficult to assign because taxa commonly use at least two trophic levels (TOMANOVA et al, 2006;WANTZEN and WAGNER, 2006;TOMANOVA et al, 2007). Even though the community structure of the Piburja stream was generally similar to those reported in previous work on Andean rivers (TURCOTTE and HARPER, 1982;FLECKER and FEIFAREK, 1994;JACOB-SEN and ENCALADA, 1998), we found important differences in feeding habits when comparing the gut content analysis of those same insect taxa of Bolivia Andean ranges (TOMANOVA et al, 2006). This may be related to the plasticity of feeding habits of most aquatic tropical insects (COVICH, 1988) and the great adaptability to local conditions of the most abundant taxa.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 56%

Leaf Litter Dynamics and Its Use by Invertebrates in a High‐Altitude Tropical Andean Stream

Ríos-Touma

Encalada

Fornells

2009

International Review of Hydrobiology

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This study evaluates litter dynamics and its relation to macroinvertebrate communities (assemblages and feeding habits) at Piburja stream (3300 m, Ecuador). Annual litterfall (216 g AFDM/m2 ) was not related to rainfall, but differed significantly between months. Transport of Coarse Particulate Organic Matter (CPOM) did not differ between seasons, but retention was higher during the dry season. Thus, CPOM standing stock was higher in the dry (125.28 g AFDM/m 2 ) compared to the wet season (12.27 g AFDM/m 2 ). Macroinvertebrate richness and diversity were positively related to Coarse Benthic Organic Matter (CBOM) especially during the wet season. Gut content analysis revealed that, regardless of season, CPOM and Fine Particulate Organic Matter (FPOM) were the most important food items in the diet of most invertebrate taxa, including those that are not considered shredders or gathering collectors in the literature. IntroductionInputs of leaf litter from riparian vegetation comprise a significant source of energy and nutrients for headwaters, (SICCAMA et al., 1970;ANDERSON and SEDELL, 1979; WAL-LACE et al., 1997; GRACA, 2001) where they are incorporated into secondary production by decomposers and detritivores (GESSNER et al. 1999;GRAÇA, 2001). In temperate streams, the interactions between organic matter inputs, decomposers, detritivores and physical factors are relatively well understood and have been widely studied (ANDERSON and SEDELL, 1979;SUBERKROPP and WALLACE, 1992;SUBERKROPP and CHAUVET, 1995;WALLACE and WEBSTER, 1996;GRAÇA, 2001). In contrast, tropical streams are understudied, and there is a lack of quantitative information on the inputs, storage and cycling of allochthonous organic matter, even though these streams often drain heavily forested catchments and leaf inputs represent a major potential energy source (GRAÇA et al., 2001a;COLÓN-GAUD et al., 2008). The rates and relative importance of the different pathways through which organic matter passes through in tropical mountain streams is virtually unknown (JACOBSEN, 2008

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 56%

Leaf Litter Dynamics and Its Use by Invertebrates in a High‐Altitude Tropical Andean Stream

Ríos-Touma

Encalada

Fornells

2009

International Review of Hydrobiology

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“…Synchronicity in life cycles of some aquatic insects might be present in certain tropical areas with strong environmental seasonal changes in response to more favorable developmental conditions. Although there is evidence of synchronized life cycles in other tropical streams (JACKSON and SWEENEY, 1995), most tropical aquatic insects are present in different stages at the same time throughout the year (TURCOTTE and HARPER, 1982;JACKSON and SWEENEY, 1995). However, some studies have shown that Elmids, such as Macrelmis, have long life cycles that could last four years in rivers (STEEDMAN and ANDERSON, 1985).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Macroinvertebrate Assemblages of an Andean High‐Altitude Tropical Stream: The Importance of Season and Flow

Ríos-Touma

Encalada

Fornells

2011

International Review of Hydrobiology

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We studied the Piburja stream, a high-altitude tropical stream in Ecuador. Our main goals were to determine whether the macroinvertebrate community composition and abundance differed between seasons, reaches and velocity patches. Likewise, we aimed to examine the importance of the hydrological regime in determining these differences. Flow was significantly higher in the wet season, but the stability of flow was higher in the dry season. There was a strong increase in macroinvertebrate community metrics (richness, density and diversity) in the dry season. Seasons and velocity patches better explained the community composition. Reaches did not show differences at the community level, but some taxa showed significant differences among reaches. Our findings differed from those published in previous studies that have suggested that mountain tropical streams are non-seasonal.

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“…In temperate streams, such temporal changes in distribution may be due to changing habitat and food preferences during the life cycles of aquatic insects (Minshall, 1984). However, most aquatic invertebrates in tropical streams (Hynes, 1975;Jackson & Sweeney, 1995;Yule & Pearson, 1996) including invertebrates in Ecuadorian highland streams (Turcotte & Harper, 1982) have asynchronised life cycles, so this high temporal variability in relationships (e.g. regression slopes) is probably related to disturbance events and a continuous redistribution of the fauna.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Temporally variable macroinvertebrate–stone relationships in streams

Jacobsen

2005

Hydrobiologia

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Stones were used to sample macroinvertebrates and characterise microhabitats at monthly or bimonthly intervals in six Ecuadorian streams covering a gradient in four different stability measures and other stream characteristics. The physical variables current velocity, water depth, horizontal position, embeddedness and size were measured to characterise stone microhabitats and presumed to be affected by or related to physical impact during hydrological disturbances. My first objective was to analyse how density, the number of families and a richness measure (residuals from a power regression of families vs. individuals) were related to the physical characteristics of individual stone habitats. My second objective was to quantify temporal variability in fauna-stone relationships and to analyse if such variability was related to overall stability of stream reaches. Partial Least Squares (PLS) multiple regression analyses showed high temporal variability between sampling dates in factor loadings of specific stone micro habitat variables. In spite of this, there was a clear negative effect of depth and a positive effect of current on density and number of families. Stone size was consistently negatively related to density and positively related to number of families. Patterns were less clear for richness residuals. Simple linear regressions of fauna vs. stone parameters generally confirmed the results reached by the PLS analysis, although few of the regressions were significant. For all fauna-stone regressions the variability in slopes was much higher among sampling dates within streams (temporal variability) than among streams (spatial variability), and significant slopes were even inverted on different sampling dates. Although the coefficients of variation (CV) of slopes of a given combination of fauna parameter and stone variable from different sampling dates (n ¼ 9-11) were rarely correlated to any of the measures of stream stability, this study has demonstrated high temporal variability in fauna-stone relationships (CV's of regression slopes). Consequently, temporally un-replicated studies of such relationships do not necessarily reveal general patterns.

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The macro‐invertebrate fauna of a small Andean stream

Cited by 52 publications

References 15 publications

Leaf Litter Dynamics and Its Use by Invertebrates in a High‐Altitude Tropical Andean Stream

Leaf Litter Dynamics and Its Use by Invertebrates in a High‐Altitude Tropical Andean Stream

Macroinvertebrate Assemblages of an Andean High‐Altitude Tropical Stream: The Importance of Season and Flow

Temporally variable macroinvertebrate–stone relationships in streams

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