The effect of turbidity state and microhabitat on macroinvertebrate assemblages: a pilot study of six shallow lakes |
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Authors: | Email author" target="_blank">Frank?Van de MeutterEmail author Robby?Stoks Luc?De?Meester |
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Institution: | (1) Laboratory of Aquatic Ecology, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Ch. de Bériotstraat 32, B-3000 Leuven, Belgium |
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Abstract: | Shallow lakes can occur in two alternative stable states, a clear-water state and a turbid state. This is associated with
separate assemblages of fish, zooplankton and plants. Little is known about whether macroinvertebrate assemblages differ across
both stable states. This study investigated this in a connected set of three turbid and three clear-water shallow lakes. To
overcome confounding effects of differences in spatial structure of macrophytes in turbid and clear-water lakes, we sampled
three microhabitats that occurred in both alternative stable states: open water, sago pondweed (Potamogeton pectinatus) and reed (Phragmites australis). Univariate analyses indicated no differences in the number of organisms, taxon richness or diversity between turbid and
clear-water lakes. Multivariate analysis, however, showed significant differences in the macroinvertebrate community structure
of both stable states. Nine taxa explained a significant amount of the variation between both lake types, of which seven preferred
the clear-water lakes. The number of organisms and the taxon richness were higher in reed than in the other microhabitats,
but diversity and evenness did not differ among the microhabitats. Multivariate analyses could separate all three microhabitats.
Eight taxa, mainly detritus feeders and collector–gatherers, explained most of the variation in the data and preferred the
reed microhabitat. The effects of stable state (6.8% explained variance) and microhabitat (13.1% explained variance) on the
macroinvertebrate assemblages were largely independent from each other (1.5% shared variance). Although macroinvertebrates
are not implemented in the initial theory of stable states, our results show clearly different assemblages across both stable
states. |
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Keywords: | alternative stable states macroinvertebrates Phragmites australis Potamogeton pectinatus turbidity |
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