Effects of altitudinal gradient on benthic macroinvertebrate assemblages in two hydrological periods in a Neotropical Andean river

Raúl F. García-Ríos; Dieison A. Moi; Oscar E. Peláez

doi:10.25260/EA.20.30.1.0.995

Authors

Raúl F. García-Ríos Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ecologia de Ambientes Aquáticos Continentais (PEA), Universidade Estadual de Maringá (UEM), Maringá, Paraná, Brazil.
Dieison A. Moi Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ecologia de Ambientes Aquáticos Continentais (PEA), Universidade Estadual de Maringá (UEM), Maringá, Paraná, Brazil.
Oscar E. Peláez Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ecologia de Ambientes Aquáticos Continentais (PEA), Universidade Estadual de Maringá (UEM), Maringá, Paraná, Brazil.

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.25260/EA.20.30.1.0.995

Abstract

The altitudinal gradient and the hydrological dynamics affect the establishment and distribution of organisms in Andean rivers. Benthic macroinvertebrates, an essential component of lotic ecosystems, are useful to assess the influence of the altitudinal gradient and changes in environmental characteristics. We analyzed the effects of altitudinal gradient on benthic macroinvertebrates assemblages in the Chillón River (Lima, Perú), and tested two hypotheses: 1) taxa richness decreases with increasing altitude, while dominance increases, and 2) altitude is the primary driver of variation in community composition. We found 47 taxa, being the class Insecta (Arthropoda) the richest and the densest in both hydrological periods. Taxa richness had a negative linear relation with altitude, while dominance had a positive linear relation. The RDA showed that communities varied along the altitudinal gradient. Our results showed that altitude is the main driver of variation in taxa composition; however, more studies must be carried out to understand what factors are essential in organism’s distribution and how they operate in Andean lotic ecosystems.

https://doi.org/10.25260/EA.20.30.1.0.995

Author Biographies

Raúl F. García-Ríos, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ecologia de Ambientes Aquáticos Continentais (PEA), Universidade Estadual de Maringá (UEM), Maringá, Paraná, Brazil.

Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ecologia de Ambientes Aquáticos Continentais - PEA, rango: estudiante de maestría.

Dieison A. Moi, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ecologia de Ambientes Aquáticos Continentais (PEA), Universidade Estadual de Maringá (UEM), Maringá, Paraná, Brazil.

Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ecologia de Ambientes Aquáticos Continentais - PEA, rango: estudiante de doctorado.

Oscar E. Peláez, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ecologia de Ambientes Aquáticos Continentais (PEA), Universidade Estadual de Maringá (UEM), Maringá, Paraná, Brazil.

Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ecologia de Ambientes Aquáticos Continentais - PEA, rango: estudiante de doctorado.

References

Acosta, R. 2009. Estudio de la Cuenca altoandina del río Cañete (Perú): Distribución altitudinal de la comunidad de macroinvertebrados bentónicos y caracterización hidroquímica de sus cabeceras cársticas. Tesis Doctoral. Universitat de Barcelona.

Acosta, R., B. Ríos-Touma, M. Rieradevall, and N. Prat. 2009. Propuesta de un protocolo de evaluación de la calidad ecológica de ríos altoandinos (CERA) y su aplicación a dos cuencas en Ecuador y Perú. Limnetica 28:35-64.

Allan, J. D., A. S. Flecker, S. Segnini, D. C. Taphorn, E. Sokol, and G. W. Kling. 2006. Limnology of Andean piedmont rivers of Venezuela. Journal of the North American Benthological Society 25:66-81. https://doi.org/10.1899/0887-3593(2006)25[66:LOAPRO]2.0.CO;2.

APHA, WEF, AWWA. 2012. Standard Methods for the Examination of Water and Wastewater. 22th Edition. American Public Health Association. Washington, D.C.

Balian, E. V., H. Segers, C. Lévèque, and K. Martens. 2008. The Freshwater Animal Diversity Assessment: an overview of the results. Hydrobiologia 595:627-637. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-007-9235-6. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-007-9246-3. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-8259-7_61.

Borkent, A., and G. R. Spinelli. 2007. Neotropical Ceratopogonidae (Diptera: Insecta). Aquatic Biodiversity in Latin America (ABLA). Vol. 4. Pensoft, Sofia-Moscow.

Brown, L. E., D. M. Hannah, and A. M. Milner. 2007. Vulnerability of alpine stream biodiversity to shrinking glaciers and snowpacks. Global Change Biology 13:958-966. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2486.2007.01341.x.

Carrera, P., and G. Gunkel. 2003. Ecology of a high Andean stream, Rio Itambi, Otavalo, Ecuador. Limnologica 33:29-43. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0075-9511(03)80005-1.

Crespo-Pérez, V., P. Andino, R. Espinosa, O. Dangles, and D. Jacobsen. 2016. The altitudinal limit of Leptohyphes Eaton, 1882 and Lachlania Hagen, 1868 (Ephemeroptera, Leptohyphidae, Oligoneuriidae) in Ecuadorian Andes streams: searching for mechanisms. Aquatic Insects 37:1-18. https://doi.org/10.1080/01650424.2015.1109128.

Culler, L. E., M. A. McPeek, and M. P. Ayres. 2014. Predation risk shapes thermal physiology of a predaceous damselfly. Oecologia 176:653-660. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-014-3058-8.

Death, R. G. 2008. The effect of floods on aquatic invertebrate communities. Pp. 103-121 in J. Lancaster and R. A. Briers (eds.). Aquatic Insects: Challenges to Populations. CAB International, Wallingford, UK. https://doi.org/10.1079/9781845933968.0103.

Domínguez, E., and H. R. Fernández. 2009. Macroinvertebrados Bentónicos Sudamericanos. Sistemática y Biología. Fundación Miguel Lillo, Tucumán, Argentina.

Dos Santos, D. A., C. Molineri, C. Nieto, M. C. Zuñiga, D. Emmerich, P. Fierro, P. Pessacq, B. Ríos-Touma, J. Márquez, D. Gomez, F. F. Salles, A. C. Encalada, R. Príncipe, G. C. Gómez, C. Valdovinos Zargues, and E. Domínguez. 2018. Cold/Warm stenothermic freshwater macroinvertebrates along altitudinal and latitudinal gradients in Western South America: A modern approach to an old hypothesis with updated data. Journal of Biogeography 45:1571-1581. https://doi.org/10.1111/jbi.13234.

Flowers, R. W., and C. De la Rosa. 2010. Ephemeroptera. Revista de Biología Tropical 58:63-93.

Froehlich, C. G. 1969. Studies on Brazilian Plecoptera 1. Some Gripopterygidae from the Biological Station at Paranapiacaba, State of São Paulo. Beitr Neotrop Fauna 6:17-39. https://doi.org/10.1080/01650526909360412.

Huamantinco, A., and W. Ortiz. 2010. Clave de géneros de larvas de Trichoptera (Insecta) de la Vertiente Occidental de Los Andes, Lima, Perú. Revista Peruana de Biología 17:075-080. https://doi.org/10.15381/rpb.v17i1.54.

Hussain, Q. A., and A. K. Pandit. 2012. Macroinvertebrates in streams: A review of some ecological factors. Int J Fish Aquac 4:114-123. https://doi.org/10.5897/IJFA11.045.

Jacobsen, D. 1998. The effect of organic pollution on the macroinvertebrate fauna of Ecuadorian highland streams. Archiv für Hydrobiologie 143:179-195. https://doi.org/10.1127/archiv-hydrobiol/143/1998/179.

Jacobsen, D. 2003. Altitudinal changes in diversity of macroinvertebrates from small streams in the Ecuadorian Andes. Archiv für Hydrobiologie 158:145-167. https://doi.org/10.1127/0003-9136/2003/0158-0145.

Jacobsen, D. 2004. Contrasting patterns in local and zonal family richness of stream invertebrates along Andean altitudinal gradient. Freshwater Biology 49:1293-1305. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2427.2004.01274.x.

Jacobsen, D. 2008. Low oxygen pressure as a driving factor for the altitudinal decline in taxon richness of stream macroinvertebrates. Oecologia 154:795-807. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-007-0877-x

Jacobsen, D., and K. P. Brodersen. 2008. Are altitudinal limits of equatorial stream insects reflected in their respiratory performance? Freshwater Biology 53:2295-2308. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2427.2008.02050.x.

Jacobsen, D., S. Rostgaard, and J. J. Vásconez. 2003. Are macroinvertebrates in high altitude streams affected by oxygen deficiency? Freshwater Biology 48:2025-2032. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-2427.2003.01140.x.

Jacobsen, D., R. Schultz, and A. Encalada. 1997. Structure and diversity of stream invertebrate assemblages: the influence of temperature with altitude and latitude. Freshwater Biology 38:247-261. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-2427.1997.00210.x.

Khamis, K., D. M. Hannah, L. E. Brown, R. Tiberti, and A. M. Milner. 2014. The use of invertebrates as indicators of environmental change in alpine rivers and lakes. Science of the Total Environment 493:1242-1254. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2014.02.126.

Kuhn, J., P. Andino, R. Calvez, R. Espinosa, L. Hamerlik, S. Vie, O. Dangles, and D. Jacobsen. 2011. Spatial variability in macroinvertebrate assemblages along and among neighbouring equatorial glacier-fed streams. Freshwater Biology 56:2226-2244. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2427.2011.02648.x.

Lake, P. S. 2003. Ecological effects of perturbation by drought in flowing waters. Freshwater Biology 28:1161-1172. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-2427.2003.01086.x.

Legendre, P., and E. D. Gallagher. 2001. Ecologically meaningful transformations for ordination of species data. Oecologia 129:271-280. https://doi.org/10.1007/s004420100716.

Loayza-Muro, R. A., M. L. de Baat, E. J. Palomino, P. Ku Perus, M. H. S. Kraak, W. Admiraal, and J. A. J. Breeuwer. 2013. Metals and altitude drive genetic diversity of chironomids in Andean streams. Freshwater Biology 59:56-63. https://doi.org/10.1111/fwb.12245.

Lytle, D. A., and N. L. Poff. 2004. Adaptation to natural flow regimes. Trends in Ecology and Evolution 19:94-100. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tree.2003.10.002.

Manzo, V. 2005. Key to the South America genera of Elmidae (Insecta: Coleoptera) with distributional data. Studies on Neotropical Fauna and Environment 40:201-208. https://doi.org/10.1080/01650520500140619.

Manzo, V., and M. Archangelsky. 2008. A key to known larvae of South American Elmidae (Coleoptera: Byrrhoidea), with a description of the mature larva of Macrelmis saltensis Manzo. Annales de Limnologie - International Journal of Limnology 44:63-74. https://doi.org/10.1051/limn:2008023.

Merritt, R. W., K. W. Cummins, and M. B. Berg. 2008. An Introduction to the Aquatic Insects of North America. Fourth Edition. Kendall/Hunt. Co.

Muhlfeld, C. C., J. J. Giersch, F. R. Hauer, G. T. Pederson, G. Luikart, D. P. Peterson, C. C. Downs, and D. B. Fagre. 2011. Climate change links fate of glaciers and an endemic alpine invertebrate. Climatic Change 106:337-345. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10584-011-0057-1.

Myers, N., R. A. Mittermeier, C. G. Mittermeier, G. A. B. da Fonseca, and J. Kent. 2000. Biodiversity hotspots for conservation priorities. Nature 403:853-858. https://doi.org/10.1038/35002501.

Oksanen, J., F. G. Blanchet, M. Friendly, R. Kindt, P. Legendre, D. McGlinn, P. R. Minchin, R. B. O'Hara, G. L. Simpson, P. Solymos, M. H. H. Stevens, E. Szoecs, and H. Wagner. 2017. vegan: Community Ecology Package. R package version 2.4-4. URL: CRAN.R-project.org/package=vegan.

R Development Core Team. 2017. R: a language and environment for statistical computing. R Foundation for Statistical Computing, Vienna, Austria. URL: www.R-project.org.

Rahbek, C. 2005. The role of spatial scale and the perception of large-scale species-richness patterns. Ecology Letters 8:224-239. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1461-0248.2004.00701.x.

Ríos-Touma, B. 2008. Comunidades de macroinvertebrados en un río altoandino: importancia del microhábitat, dinámica de la deriva, papel de la materia orgánica y relevancia de la ovoposición. Tesis Doctoral. Universitat de Barcelona.

Ríos-Touma, B., A. C. Encalada, and N. Prat. 2012. Leaf litter dynamics and its use by invertebrates in a high-altitude Andean stream. International Review of Hydrobiology 94:357-371. https://doi.org/10.1002/iroh.200811161.

Särkinen, T., R. T. Pennington, M. Lavin, M. F. Simon, and C. E. Hughes. 2012. Evolutionary islands in the Andes: persistence and isolation explain high endemism in Andean dry tropical forests. Journal of Biogeography 39:884-900. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2699.2011.02644.x.

Simpson, B. 1983. A historical phytogeography of the Andean flora. Revista Chilena de Historia Natural 56:109-122.

Sømme, L., and K. E. Zachariassen. 1981. Adaptations to low temperature in high altitudes insects from Mount Kenya. Ecological Entomology 6:199-204. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2311.1981.tb00606.x.

Tilman, D. 1999. The ecological consequences of changes in biodiversity: a search for general principles. Ecology 80:1455-1474. https://doi.org/10.2307/176540. https://doi.org/10.1890/0012-9658(1999)080[1455:TECOCI]2.0.CO;2.

Tilman, D., P. B. Reich, J. Knops, D. Wedin, T. Mielke, and C. Lehman. 2001. Diversity and productivity in a long-term grassland experiment. Science 294:843-845. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1060391.

Villamarín, C. P. 2008. Estructura y composición de las comunidades de macroinvertebrados en ríos altoandinos de Ecuador y Perú. Diseño de un sistema de medida de la calidad del agua con índices multimétricos. Tesis Doctoral. Universitat de Barcelona.