Biological and ecological traits of benthic freshwater macroinvertebrates: relationships and definition of groups with similar traits

Abstract

Summary Relating species traits to habitat characteristics can provide important insights into the structure and functioning of stream communities. However, trade‐offs among species traits make it difficult to predict accurately the functional diversity of freshwater communities. Many authors have pointed to the value of working with groups of organisms as similar as possible in terms of relationships among traits and have called for definition of groups of organisms with similar suites of attributes. We used multivariate analyses to examine separately the relationships among 11 biological traits and among 11 ecological traits of 472 benthic macroinvertebrate taxa (mainly genera). The main objective was to demonstrate (1) potential trade‐offs among traits; (2) the importance of the different traits to separate systematic units or functional groupings; and (3) uniform functional groups of taxa that should allow a more effective use of macroinvertebrate biological and ecological traits. We defined eight groups and 15 subgroups according to a biological trait ordination which highlighted size (large to small), reproductive traits (K to r strategists), food (animal to plant material) and feeding habits (predator to scraper and/or deposit feeder) as ‘significant’ factors determining the ordination of taxa. This ordination partly preserved phylogenetic relationships among groups. Seven ecological groups and 13 ecological subgroups included organisms with combinations of traits which should be successively more adequate in habitats from the main channel to temporary waters, and from the crenon to the potamic sections of rivers, and to systems situated outside the river floodplain. These gradients corresponded to a gradual shift from (1) rheophilic organisms that lived in the main channel of cold oligotrophic mountain streams to (2) animals that preferred eutrophic habitats of still or temporary waters in lowlands. The groups with similar ecological traits had a more diverse systematic structure than those with similar biological traits. Monitoring and assessment tools for the management of water resources are generally more effective if they are based on a clear understanding of the mechanisms that lead to the presence or absence of species groups in the environment. We believe that groups with similar relationships among their species traits may be useful in developing tools that measure the functional diversity of communities.

Taxonomic, phylogenetic and functional diversity of leeches (Hirudinea) and their suitability in biological assessment of environmental quality

“…Charvet et al (2000), Usseglio-Polatera et al (2000), and Gayraud et al (2003) indicate the enhanced usefulness of functional diversity in the biological assessment of different European watercourses when compared with other measures of diversity of benthic animals. Roque et al (2014) found noticeable differences between traditional diversity measures and distinctness in prediction abilities to different environmental variables.…”

“…Faith and Baker, 2006) and functional diversity based on the analysis of the biological traits of benthic animals (e.g. Usseglio-Polatera et al, 2000;Statzner et al, 2005). These components of diversity provide certain additional value to theoretical and applied ecology (Mason et al, 2005;Schweiger et al, 2008).…”

Effects of catchment disturbance on stream invertebrates: comparison of different habitats (vegetation, benthic and interstitial) using bio-ecological groups.

“…between different catchments, Usseglio-Polatera et al 1999, or upstream-downstream of an organic pollution, Usseglio-Polatera et al 2000), but always in the surface assemblages. In this study, we used this approach for interstitial fauna with poor results, certainly because major constraints that shape interstitial assemblages (e.g.…”

Freshwater sponges (Porifera, Demospongiae) in a benthic filter feeding community at the Guanacaste Dry Forest, Costa Rica

“…35. USSEGLIO-POLATERA et al (2000), on their assay of grouping benthic freshwater macroinvertebrates following common biological/ecological traits had Porifera and Bryozoa clustered together on account of they being filter feeders, sessile and producers of asexual resistant bodies. On the other hand STUART & KLUMPP (1984), upon a study of particle-size selection and foodresource partitioning among marine benthic filter feeders which commonly depend on the suspended particulate organic material in the media (an ascidia, 3 bivalves and a sponge) demonstrated that: "a mixed assemblage of sponges and bivalves may be able to utilize the suspended material more efficiently than a single-species population, due to recycling of some of the particles".…”