Hydrological Season Can Have Unexpectedly Insignificant Influences on the Elevational Patterns of Functional Diversity of Riverine Macroinvertebrates

Abstract

Spatial biodiversity is a key issue in biogeography for the explorations of biological origin and diversification. However, seldom studies have addressed the temporal changes in spatial patterns of biodiversity. We explored the taxonomic and functional diversities of riverine macroinvertebrates in central China, with the elevational gradient, in different seasons in a normal climate year (i.e., no extreme anomalies in the annual precipitation or average annual temperature). The air temperature and streamflow discharge were decreased monotonically with the increase of elevation both in the dry and wet seasons. In addition, the total nitrogen had no significant change with the increase of elevational gradient in the dry season but showed a monotonically decreasing pattern in the wet season. The total phosphorus showed a monotonically decreasing pattern with the elevational gradient in the dry season but had no significant change in the wet season. The spatial pattern of taxonomic diversity of macroinvertebrates along the elevational gradient showed complex patterns, but the functional diversity had either the unimodal or monotonically decreasing pattern. In addition, the functional diversity with the elevational gradient had similar patterns between the dry and wet seasons. Further analysis of the elevational pattern in different seasons is an important basis for understanding the status quo of functional diversity and formulating countermeasures for biodiversity conservation.

Research Status and Future Agenda in Small Hydropower from the Perspective of Sustainable Development Goals

“…In catchments covered by snow and ice, the river system may shift from a period of glaciation to a rainy season. This leads to increased runoff in winter and decreased runoff in summer. , The total potential for SHP generation will be subject to decline in the new situation due to climate change. Conservation measures for freshwater ecosystems where SHP is located, as well as energy policies and the overall performance of SHP, will need to be further optimized accordingly.…”

Incorporating phylogenetic conservatism and trait collinearity into machine learning frameworks can better predict macroinvertebrate traits

“…Functional traits have been shown to serve as important characterizations of community or ecosystem function in response to various disturbances (Tilman et al, 1997;Petchey et al, 2004;Verberk et al, 2013). Furthermore, researches based on species traits can provide more information than studies merely on classical taxonomy (Barnett et al, 2007;Luo Q. et al, 2022). So, the focus of related research has also shifted from taxonomic diversity to functional diversity (Renault et al, 2022).…”