Functional diversity of benthic macroinvertebrates regarding hydrological and land use disturbances in a heavily impaired lowland river

Leiva, Marta; Marchese, Mercedes; Lorenz, Guido; Diodato, L.

doi:10.1016/j.limno.2021.125940

Cited by 7 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 68 publications

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“…Examination of community-weighted mean (CWM) trait values provided further insight into specific traits affected by hydrological regulation [62]. Indeed, the assessment…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Functional Traits Drive the Changes in Diversity and Composition of Benthic Invertebrate Communities in Response to Hydrological Regulation

Marino,

Bona,

Fenoglio

et al. 2024

Water

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Of all the environmental elements that influence the biological communities of rivers, water flow characteristics are undoubtedly the most important. Unfortunately, natural hydrological characteristics are increasingly threatened by human activities, especially in alpine or high mountain areas where there are numerous hydropower plants. In this study, we analysed the impact of hydrological alterations on the macroinvertebrate community of a lowland river in NW Italy. Specifically, we analysed the macroinvertebrate communities of an unaffected site by comparing them with those of a site subject to hydrological alteration. We adopted an approach that is not only taxonomic but also functional, allowing us to study a component of biodiversity that is generally less known. Our results show that the flow-altered site hosted a benthic community with lower species and functional diversity than the control site. Interestingly, we also detected a number of significant differences between the summer and autumn samples. In particular, examination of community-weighted mean (CWM) trait values reveals significant variation in body size, voltinism, substrate, locomotion, feeding habits and other traits between sites and seasons. The integration of taxonomic and functional approaches provides a comprehensive understanding of how human-induced hydrological variations can affect aquatic biodiversity and ecological functions.

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“…Examination of community-weighted mean (CWM) trait values provided further insight into specific traits affected by hydrological regulation [62]. Indeed, the assessment…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Examination of community-weighted mean (CWM) trait values provided further insight into specific traits affected by hydrological regulation [62]. Indeed, the assessment of community-weighted mean (CWM) trait values for 37 individual traits exposed statistically significant differences between sites and seasons for 21 traits.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Functional Traits Drive the Changes in Diversity and Composition of Benthic Invertebrate Communities in Response to Hydrological Regulation

Marino,

Bona,

Fenoglio

et al. 2024

Water

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Bubbling trouble: Effects of supersaturated water on benthic macroinvertebrates

Velle,

Isaksen,

Lennox

et al. 2024

Ecohydrology

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The saturation of total dissolved gases (TDG) in water remains around 100%. Certain circumstances can lead to TDG values exceeding 100%, resulting in TDG supersaturation (TDGS). TDGS above about 110% can be toxic to animals that rely on water for gas exchange. However, saturation beyond 200% can occur in freshwater downstream of dams and hydroelectric power plants. Despite its impact, TDGS is often overlooked as a hazard to aquatic life, particularly for benthic macroinvertebrates. This study aimed to examine the effects of TDGS on nine species of benthic macroinvertebrates. We used replicated tank studies to manipulate TDGS levels from 100% to 120% and investigated the overall survival and species‐specific effects on survival and buoyancy. We also present a summary on the effects of TDGS on invertebrate species previously tested. The results indicate that seven of nine species exhibited increased buoyancy when exposed to TDGS, causing them to float on the water surface. Additionally, a Cox Proportional Hazards model revealed a significant effect of TDGS on the survival of the macroinvertebrates. The sensitivity towards TDGS varied greatly among species of benthic macroinvertebrates, and significant species‐specific effects were only observed for Isoperla grammatica, Baetis rhodani and Asellus aquaticus. Among these, the two latter species showed clear dose‐related effects caused by TDGS, enabling the assessment of LT50 (time required to kill half of the tested population). B. rhodani was most sensitive with a LT50 of 3.7 days at 119% TDGS. Both species had visible air bubbles under the exoskeleton. Our findings highlight that direct and indirect effects on benthic macroinvertebrates can occur even at low to moderate levels of gas supersaturation, likely causing reduced density, decreased species diversity and altered species composition. The emerging evidence strongly supports the implementation of regulations on TDGS in freshwaters.

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Changes in basal resources mediate the effects of Eucalyptus spp. afforestation on macroinvertebrate functional diversity in subtropical lowland streams

Barrios,

Ríos-Touma,

Moi

et al. 2024

Aquat Sci

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Functional diversity of benthic macroinvertebrates regarding hydrological and land use disturbances in a heavily impaired lowland river

Cited by 7 publications

References 68 publications

Functional Traits Drive the Changes in Diversity and Composition of Benthic Invertebrate Communities in Response to Hydrological Regulation

Functional Traits Drive the Changes in Diversity and Composition of Benthic Invertebrate Communities in Response to Hydrological Regulation

Bubbling trouble: Effects of supersaturated water on benthic macroinvertebrates

Changes in basal resources mediate the effects of Eucalyptus spp. afforestation on macroinvertebrate functional diversity in subtropical lowland streams

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