Environmental gradients determining the distribution of benthic macroinvertebrates in Lake Takkobu, Kushiro wetland, northern Japan

Abstract

Effects of environmental variables on the distribution of benthic macroinvertebrates inhabiting sediments were studied at 25 sites along the shoreline of Lake Takkobu in the Kushiro wetland of northern Japan in summer 2003. During the last decade, the lake's status has undergone a drastic shift from clear water dominated by submerged macrophytes to turbid water dominated by phytoplankton. The canonical correspondence analysis showed that four environmental variables explained the significant variation in the macroinvertebrate species composition: submerged plant biomass, bottom sediment organic matter content (OMC), distance from the mouth of the Takkobu River, and bottom-layer pH. Five species of Chironomidae [Chironomus sp. (except plumosus group), Psectrocladius sp., Corynoneura sp., Parachironomus sp. arcuatus group, and Zavreliella sp.] occurred in sites with relatively lower pH and a high submerged plant biomass, whereas three species of Tubificidae (Tubifex tubifex, Aulodrilus limnobius and Aulodrilus sp.) and two of Chironomidae (Nanocladius sp. and Monodiamesa sp.) occurred in sites with high pH and little vegetation. The three Tubificidae species also preferred organic-rich sediments. Irrespective of aquatic vegetation, Sphaerium sp. (Bivalvia) and Monodiamesa sp. (Chironomidae) occurred in low-OMC sites, whereas Tanypus sp. (Chironomidae) preferred high-OMC sites. The number of macroinvertebrate taxa showed the highest correlation with the number of submerged plants, suggesting that macroinvertebrate species richness was related mostly to submerged plant species diversity in this lake. The quantity and species richness of submerged plants and OMC are thus important determinants of the community structure of macroinvertebrates inhabiting sediments in Lake Takkobu.

Development of a benthic macroinvertebrate biotic index to evaluate wetland health in Northeastern Thailand

“…We also found a high degree of tree cover in the riparian zone and the presence of submerged plants in the reference sites, with Trichoptera and Ephemeroptera exhibiting greater richness and biodiversity at the references sites than the impaired sites. These findings support the results of previous studies, such as those by Battle and Golladay (1999), Chipps et al (2006) and Takamura et al (2009).…”

Using alpha, beta, and zeta diversity in describing the health of stream‐based benthic macroinvertebrate communities

“…bacteria, algae, etc.) in addition to groups of welldefined indicator taxa (Hooper et al 2003, Takamura et al 2008, Pignata et al 2013. What our results illustrate then is the potential for creating a more generalizable framework for assessing the health of communities using both established measures of diversity, such as a and b, as well as comparisons of larger ensembles of communities enabled by the f diversity framework.…”

The relative importance of dispersal and the local environment for species richness in two aquatic plant growth forms

“…Aquatic macrophytes are a key component for sustaining freshwater biodiversity because they provide habitats for other aquatic organisms (Scheffer 2004, Takamura et al 2009). Distribution and species richness of macrophytes have been traditionally explained by local factors such as the physico‐chemical state of the water (including pH and water transparency), sediment types, surface area and water depth (Kunii 1991, Rorslett 1991, Geurts et al 2008).…”