Unravelling the effect of multiple stressors on ecological structure of littoral lake macroinvertebrates

Abstract

Morphological alteration of shorelines and eutrophication both affect the biological integrity of European lakes. These pressures, often acting simultaneously, are difficult to tease apart. In this study, we related the number of taxa with specific habitat preference to habitat complexity across lakes of varying nutrient state. Habitat complexity at morphologically altered shorelines was significantly lower than at unaltered sites across trophic categories. A generalised linear mixed‐effects model showed decreased number of taxa with specific mesohabitat preference at morphologically simplified sites in oligotrophic and mesotrophic, but not eutrophic lakes. These results suggest: (1) an antagonistic interaction between the effect of nutrient enrichment and morphological alterations on lake littoral communities and (2) the number of macroinvertebrate habitat specialists could potentially be used to assess the effects of structural simplifications of shorelines in lakes of low to medium nutrient status. We conclude that the use of functional traits approach in aquatic ecology should foster better understanding of stressor–response relationships for combined effect of multiple stressors.

Understanding the complex dynamics of zebra mussel invasions over several decades in European rivers: drivers, impacts and predictions

“…While we found that biodiversity trends differed across countries, crustaceans, insects, and molluscs showed similar patterns, characterised by positive trends across most countries and invasion status (Supporting information). Inferring identified trends to dreissenid impacts can also be difficult, considering the magnitude of additional stressors and ecosystem complexities that can affect macroinvertebrate communities (Jurca et al 2021), especially as temporal trends of Cohen's D showed similar signals to relative abundances (%) of D. polymorpha .…”

Does littoral substrate affect macroinvertebrate assemblages in Mediterranean lakes?

“…Sediment deposition can significantly alter the composition of the bottom substrate, enriching it with organic matter. Jurca et al (2021) pointed out that there was an absence of species with specific mesohabitat preferences in eutrophic lakes, as there is a clear linkage of macrophyte presence and species richness with eutrophication. All these factors should be taken into consideration when sampling for benthic macroinvertebrates in littoral zones of lakes in order to be able to draw conclusions without the confounding effects.…”