The vulnerability of British aquatic insects to climate change

Macadam, Craig R.; England, Judy; Chadd, Richard

doi:10.1051/kmae/2022003

Cited by 4 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 47 publications

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“…Perhaps the main reason is that most protected areas have been established primarily to protect vertebrates and plants in terrestrial ecosystems. However, freshwater ecosystems are among the most threatened ecosystems in terms of biodiversity loss [3,72], especially with respect to sensitive aquatic insect orders [64,73,74], and they support 9.5% of all described animal species [75]. Based on our models, H. bacescui will lose approximately one-to two-thirds of its range depending on climate model implementation.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 87%

“…This is highly important from the perspective of habitats preferred by H. bacescui, as small streams and brooks may be affected by high air temperatures due to the close relationship between water and air temperatures [8]. In the study concerning the vulnerability of British aquatic insects, it was concluded that caddisfly species found in small lowland streams are at risk from climate change [64].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Destiny of Two Caddisfly Species under Global Climate Change

Stojanović,

Milić,

Ranković Perišić

et al. 2023

Diversity

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Climate change is considered one of the greatest threats to freshwater biodiversity. Although freshwater biodiversity is an important contributor to economic, scientific, and cultural aspects of human society, freshwater species, especially invertebrates, tend to be neglected in conservation studies. This fact also raises the question of the suitability of protected areas (PAs) for the conservation of freshwater biodiversity. In our study, we used species distribution models (SDMs) to examine the effects of climate change on the two trichopteran species Helicopsyche bacescui Orghidan and Botosaneanu, 1953 and Thremma anomalum McLachlan, 1876. We determined which areas in the Balkans and neighboring countries might be lost to or colonized by these species in the future, and tested the effectiveness of PAs for the conservation of freshwater biota. While H. bacescui will potentially lose up to 68% of its range, T. anomalum could expand its range by up to 72%. Both species tend to shift their range mainly to the Carpathian Mountains. Our results suggest that currently established PAs are insufficient to cover the potential current and predicted future ranges of the studied species. The study therefore highlights the need to combine aquatic and terrestrial systems in the future designation of protected areas.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 87%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Destiny of Two Caddisfly Species under Global Climate Change

Stojanović,

Milić,

Ranković Perišić

et al. 2023

Diversity

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“…A projected warming of >1.28°C was associated with end of the century assemblages that either had: (i) increased occurrence of Mollusca, Crustacea and Oligochaeta, but generally fewer insect groups than baseline; or (ii) increased occurrence of Odonata, Chironomidae (Diptera) and Baetidae (Ephemeroptera) insect species, but fewer Plecoptera and Ephemeroptera (except for Baetidae) and Coleoptera species than baseline. These shifts in community composition are explicable, in part, in terms of taxonomic differences in thermal tolerances (Macadam et al., 2022). Plecoptera and Ephemeroptera have lower upper thermal tolerances than other taxa, especially Mollusca (Stewart et al., 2013).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Climate warming shifts riverine macroinvertebrate communities to be more sensitive to chemical pollutants

Sinclair,

Craig,

Maltby

2024

Global Change Biology

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Freshwaters are highly threatened ecosystems that are vulnerable to chemical pollution and climate change. Freshwater taxa vary in their sensitivity to chemicals and changes in species composition can potentially affect the sensitivity of assemblages to chemical exposure. Here we explore the potential consequences of future climate change on the composition and sensitivity of freshwater macroinvertebrate assemblages to chemical stressors using the UK as a case study. Macroinvertebrate assemblages under end of century (2080–2100) and baseline (1980–2000) climate conditions were predicted for 608 UK sites for four climate scenarios corresponding to mean temperature changes of 1.28 to 3.78°C. Freshwater macroinvertebrate toxicity data were collated for 19 chemicals and the hierarchical species sensitivity distribution model was used to predict the sensitivity of untested taxa using relatedness within a Bayesian approach. All four future climate scenarios shifted assemblage compositions, increasing the prevalence of Mollusca, Crustacea and Oligochaeta species, and the insect taxa of Odonata, Chironomidae, and Baetidae species. Contrastingly, decreases were projected for Plecoptera, Ephemeroptera (except for Baetidae) and Coleoptera species. Shifts in taxonomic composition were associated with changes in the percentage of species at risk from chemical exposure. For the 3.78°C climate scenario, 76% of all assemblages became more sensitive to chemicals and for 18 of the 19 chemicals, the percentage of species at risk increased. Climate warming‐induced increases in sensitivity were greatest for assemblages exposed to metals and were dependent on baseline assemblage composition, which varied spatially. Climate warming is predicted to result in changes in the use, environmental exposure and toxicity of chemicals. Here we show that, even in the absence of these climate‐chemical interactions, shifts in species composition due to climate warming will increase chemical risk and that the impact of chemical pollution on freshwater macroinvertebrate biodiversity may double or quadruple by the end of the 21st century.

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“…Restoration of impacted sites should seek to enhance biodiversity by regenerating woodland and increasing hydrological habitat heterogeneity. Such restoration could also promote ecological resilience to climate change – a pressure to which species in headwater springs and streams are particularly vulnerable (Macadam et al, 2022).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Spring forth diversity: Specialist species contribute to the conservation value of headwater springs and streams at the landscape scale

Kabir,

Biondi,

Gething

et al. 2024

River Research & Apps

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Headwater springs and streams often occur in relatively remote areas, reducing their exposure to human influences and thus increasing their collective capacity to support high biodiversity. Their aquatic macroinvertebrate communities can include species of conservation interest, some of which are specialists associated with groundwater inputs, low water temperature or temporary flow. However, the inaccessibility of some spring and stream networks has left their communities poorly characterized, limiting our capacity to implement effective conservation strategies. We characterized the biodiversity and conservation value of macroinvertebrate communities in a network of 51 relatively inaccessible and unimpacted headwater spring and stream sites spanning multiple catchments in a single landscape type: the chalk downland of south England. At each site, we kick sampled macroinvertebrate communities and recorded environmental variables, including flow permanence. To represent each community, we calculated taxa richness, coverage‐adjusted Hill‐Shannon diversity, the local contribution to beta diversity, and an index of richness and species rarity. We used the latter three metrics to rank sites based on their biodiversity and conservation value and analyzed relationships between metrics and environmental variables. We found specialists of springs, cold waters, groundwaters and temporary flow regimes, including rare species of conservation value. Some metrics responded to environmental variables, but top‐ranking sites had highly variable environmental characteristics. We highlight the value of individual headwater streams with contrasting characteristics as contributors to ecologically heterogeneous site networks. Our results can inform landscape‐scale management strategies that protect headwaters as refuges that support biodiverse communities, including rare species, as they adapt to global change.

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The vulnerability of British aquatic insects to climate change

Cited by 4 publications

References 47 publications

Destiny of Two Caddisfly Species under Global Climate Change

Destiny of Two Caddisfly Species under Global Climate Change

Climate warming shifts riverine macroinvertebrate communities to be more sensitive to chemical pollutants

Spring forth diversity: Specialist species contribute to the conservation value of headwater springs and streams at the landscape scale

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