Effects of episodic acidification on macroinvertebrate assemblages in Swiss Alpine streams

1. Despite long‐standing ecotoxicological evidence that episodes of acidification in streams are important biologically, there is still uncertainty about their effects on invertebrate communities. We surveyed 20 streams in an acid sensitive Alpine area (Canton Ticino, Switzerland), where episodes are driven by snowmelt in spring and by rainstorms at other times of the year. Samples of water and macroinvertebrates were collected in pre‐event conditions (winter and summer) and during periods of high flow (spring and autumn). 2. Using pH, [Ca²⁺] and [Alⁿ⁺], streams were clustered into six acid–base groups that were either well buffered (groups 4–6), soft‐water with stable pH (group 3), or poorly buffered with low pH at high flow (groups 1 and 2). 3. Severe episodes occurred during snowmelt, when the group 1 streams became acidic with pH down to 5.0 and [Alⁿ⁺] up to 140 μg L^?1. pH declined to 6.2 in streams of group 2, but remained > 6.6 in groups 3–6. 4. Detrended canonical correspondence analysis showed that the streams sensitive to episodes (groups 1 and 2) had different invertebrate assemblages from well‐buffered sites (groups 4 and 5) or soft‐water stable streams (group 3), with faunal differences largest following spring snowmelt. Empididae, Isoperla rivulorum, Rhithrogena spp. and Baetis spp. were scarce in streams sensitive to episodes (groups 1 and 2). By contrast, Amphinemura sulcicollis was scarcer in hard‐water streams (groups 4–6). Taxonomic richness was lower in the episodic streams of group 1 than in other streams. 5. Together, these results indicate clear biological differences between acid‐sensitive streams with similar low‐flow chemistry but contrasting episode chemistry. Severe episodes of acidification appear to affect macroinvertebrate assemblages in streams in the southern Swiss Alps.     

Impact of mild experimental acidification on short term invertebrate drift in a sensitive British Columbia stream

We report daytime drift behavior of lotic macroinvertebrates following short term (12 h) additions of HCl or HCl plus AlCl₃ to a circumneutral softwater (alkalinity ca. 100 µeq 1^-1) mountain stream in British Columbia, Canada. Addition of HCl (pH reduced from 7.0 to 5.9) resulted in an overall tripling of invertebrate drift density with rapid (< 1 h) increases in chironomid Diptera and Trichoptera. Small Ephemeroptera also entered the drift at high densities, but were delayed about 6 h. Addition of AlCl₃ (0.71 to 0.95 mg 1^-1 total Al³⁺) in HCl (stream pH reduced to 5.9) resulted in an overall 6-fold increase in invertebrate drift, with rapid increases by Ephemeroptera and delayed responses by chironomids and Trichoptera. These results suggest that the behavior of several macroinvertebrates from low alkalinity, unacidified streams can be altered by simulations of short-term, mild acidic deposition events. Further, the magnitude and timing of entry into the drift varies among taxonomic groups with the presence or absence of low concentrations of aluminum ions.     

The macroinvertebrate communities of streams draining a small granitic catchment exposed to acidic precipitations (Vosges Mountains,northeastern France)

The physico-chemical characteristics and the macroinvertebrate communities of six streams draining a small granitic catchment located in the Vosges mountains (northeastern France) have been studied. Among the streams, five were affected by acidification and characterised by low pH (mean pH: 4.90 to 5.90), low HCO _inf3 ^sup– concentrations (mean concentration: 0–16 µeq l^–1) and elevated aluminium concentrations (mean concentration: 154–278 µg l^–1). Only one stream was typical of waters draining granitic bedrock (mean pH: 6.90; mean aluminium concentration: 79 µg 1^–1; mean HCO _inf3 ^sup– concentration: 152 µeq l^–1).The macroinvertebrates communities of the acidified streams were strongly affected compared to the non-acidified one. Richness, abundance and diversity (Shannon index) were significantly lower when acidification occurred. All the major taxonomic groups were affected, but Molluscs and Ephemeroptera were the most acid-sensitive or organisms, whereas Plecoptera and Oligochaetes were dominant. However, recolonization of acidified streams was possible during summer low flow when the global water quality slightly increased.

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Résumé Les caractéristiques physico-chimiques et les peuplements de macroinvertébrés benthiques de six ruisseaux drainant un bassin versant granitique du massif vosgien ont été étudiés. Parmi les cours d'eau, cinq sont caractérisés par des faibles valeurs moyennes de pH (4.90 à 5.90), et d'alcalinité (HCO _inf3 ^sup– : 0–16 µeq l^–1) et par des concentrations moyennes en aluminium élevées (154–278 µg l^–1) Seul un ruisseau apparaît typique du massif (pH: 6.90; aluminium: 79 g l^–1 et HCO _inf3 ^sup– : 152 µeq l^–1).Les peuplements de macroinvertébrés des ruisseaux acidifiés sont sévèrement affectés. La richesse, l'abondance et la diversité (indice de Shannon) sont alors significativement plus faibles que dans le cours d'eau non acidifié. Tous les groupes faunistiques majeurs sont touchés, mais les Mollusques et les Ephémèroptères sont les organismes les plus sensibles à l'acidification, tandis que les Plécoptères et les Oligochètes sont dominants. Toutefois, il a été mis en évidence une recolonisation possible des rivières acidifiées par certaines espèces, durant la période d'étiage estivale quand la qualité de l'eau s'améliore.

     

An enigmatic heteronemertean from the Gulf of Mexico

The effects of acid (HNO3) on drift and survival of benthic invertebrate communities were assessed in stream microcosms over a 7-day exposure period. Communities were obtained from the Cache la Poudre River, Colorado, using artificial substrates colonized in the stream for 30 days and then transferred to stream microcosms. Streams receiving the highest acid concentration (pH 4.0) contained significantly fewer individuals ( F = 378.42, p < 0.0001) and taxa ( F = 7.8, p = 0.0123) at the end of the experiment compared to the other two treatments (pH 5.5, 6.5) and the control (pH 7.4). Reduced macroinvertebrate abundance resulted primarily from reduced abundance of mayflies (Ephemeroptera) which were particularly sensitive. Comparisons of Plecoptera, Trichoptera, and Diptera abundances showed no statistically significant differences among treatments. Analysis of invertebrate drift samples, collected after 2, 6, 18, and 42 h exposure, revealed that percent drift in the most acidic streams was nine times that of control streams. Ephemeroptera was the only aquatic insect order to exhibit a significant drift response, and timing and magnitude of responses varied among mayfly taxa. Differences in sensitivity to acid among aquatic insect orders observed in our experimental streams were similar to those reported from field studies in other regions. Effects of acid on drift and survival of benthic invertebrate communities were also similar to effects of heavy metals, one of the primary water quality concerns in the Rocky Mountain region. These results suggest a general pattern of responses to chemical stressors in benthic communities from Rocky Mountain streams. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

新薛河溪流生境底栖动物群落结构季节动态

明确底栖动物在时空尺度上的自然变化规律对有效评估和保护水生态系统十分重要。基于2012年季节调查数据,对新薛河典型生境底栖动物群落季节动态进行了研究。共鉴定底栖动物108种,隶属5门10纲74属。短脉纹石蛾、长钝直突摇蚊、拟长跗摇蚊、Neozarelia sp.为研究区域优势分类单元,相对丰度分别为25.1%、9.8%、9.0%、8.6%;各季节间优势分类单元组成差异较大,3个季度共同优势物种仅短脉纹石蛾1种。密度、物种丰度、香农指数表现为4月和12月显著高于10月;均匀度指数10月份最高。非度量多维标度排序表明,不同季节底栖动物群落结构差异显著;对照河段(D河段)群落结构季节间差异相对较小。指示物种法分离出了新薛河及各河段代表性物种41种,但B河段未分离出指示物种;双向聚类分析进一步明确了指示物种的指示属性(特有或者相对丰度最高)。     

盐沼植物对大型底栖动物群落的影响

2005年5月下旬在崇明东滩中潮区相同高程上的裸地(ld)、海三棱藨草(Scirpus×mariqueter)地(hs)、芦苇(Phragmites australis)地(lw)、互花米草(Spartinaalterniflora)地(hh)里取样研究了大型底栖动物群落。ld物种数、总个体数、Shannon-Wiener指数、Margalef物种丰富度指数、平均密度和平均生物量都是最低的;平均密度在裸地和3种盐沼植物地间都存在显著差异(P<0.05,LSD检验);平均生物量在海三棱藨草地与裸地间存在极显著的差异(P<0.01,LSD检验);等级聚类分析(Cluster)表明,裸地和盐沼植物地间大型底栖动物群落差异明显。hs、lw、hh中的优势种都是底上附着型的软体动物,而ld中则以穴居型的甲壳动物占优势;hs、lw、hh、ld的面上群与面下群的比值分别为0.56、0.63、0.63、0.75。3种盐沼植物地间大型底栖动物群落相似性程度较高,但非度量多维标度(MDS)排序仍然揭示出可以区分的差异。这些差异体现了盐沼植物对大型底栖动物群落的明显影响。盐沼植物是通过直接改变生境结构或间接影响水动力和沉积物扰动等作用进而明显地影响大型底栖动物群落,盐沼植物也是影响潮间带大型底栖动物群落的重要生态因子。     

Relationships between lotic macroinvertebrate traits and responses to extreme drought

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Impact of Headwater Stream Acidification on the Trophic Structure of Macroinvertebrate Communities

In order to investigate the impact of freshwater acidification on the trophic structure of macroinvertebrate communities, we performed a study on 22 forested headwater streams characterised by different degrees of acidification (mean pH = 4.49 to 6.98). Results showed that in acidic streams all functional feeding groups were affected in terms of taxonomic richness. As far as the population density was concerned, only a few acid-tolerant taxa of shredders and predators showed an increasing abundance under acidic conditions. Trophic structure of acidified streams appeared to be deeply impacted with a large contribution of shredders and a complete disappearance of scrapers. In contrast, in circumneutral streams, we found that each functional feeding group had an almost equal share of the trophic web.     

城市溪流中径流式低坝对底栖动物群落结构的影响

调查了浙江省安吉县内具径流式低坝的城市溪流(6个样点)和参照溪流(3个样点)的底栖动物群落,目的是了解城市溪流底栖动物群落结构退化规律和径流式低坝(2—3 m)对城市溪流底栖动物群落组成与结构的影响。结果表明,参照样点的底质组成以大石块(35.92%)和卵石(33.66%)为主,城市溪流以砾石为主(57.97%)。城市溪流水温和电导率显著高于参照溪流,TN和TP高于参照溪流。底栖动物总分类单元数和EPT分类单元数显著低于参照溪流。城市溪流河道内水坝上下游之间的流速(P=0.273)和宽深比(P=3.92)无显著差异。坝下游水体中的TP高于坝上游,电导率、溶解氧、pH值和水温在坝上下游之间几乎一致。除BI指数坝下游高于坝上游外,坝上下游间底栖动物总分类单元数、EPT分类单元数以及多样性指数、优势度和均匀度指数没有显著差异。但坝下游的耐污类群比例显著高于坝上游,敏感类群比例则显著低于坝上游。与坝上游相比,坝下游捕食者比例上升和集食者比例下降。NMDS结果进一步表明,城市溪流内水坝的建设导致坝上下游底栖动物群落物种组成明显改变。     

长白山源头溪流底栖动物群落结构季节动态

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大型无脊椎动物群落指数和群落数量指数在河流水质评价中的应用

本文介绍了新西兰常用的大型无脊椎动物群落指数(MCI)和大型无脊椎动物群落数量指数(QMCI)的原理及使用方法,并利用MCI和QMCI对新西兰惠灵顿地区40条河流53个监测点进行评价.结果表明:MCI和QMCI均与河流营养指标呈极显著相关关系,可用来监测和评价水体的营养污染状况;二者快速准确地监测出惠灵顿地区河流水质总体良好,但部分河流污染严重,并分析了污染的原因.MCI与QMCI存在极显著相关关系,但MCI与营养指标间的相关关系大于QMCI,可以准确地反映出水体中营养元素的富集状况.     

Measuring the impact of sewage effluent on the macroinvertebrate community of an upland stream: The effect of different levels of taxonomic resolution and quantification

Abstract Benthic macroinvertebrates were sampled from four sites on upland streams in the Wentworth Falls area of the Blue Mountains, NSW. One site received effluent from a sewage treatment plant and the others were reference sites. Five replicate collections were taken from each site on four occasions at intervals of 3 months. Macroinvertebrate community data were analysed using univariate (ANOVA) and multivariate (NMDS) techniques and comparisons were made between analyses at different levels of taxonomic aggregation and using different methods of data transformation. Similar patterns were observed at both species and family levels, and even the order level showed a clear community response to effluent input. Binary (presence/ absence) data provided similar results to quantitative data for the species and family levels. However, when binary data were used at the order level, the distinctions between the reference sites became blurred. We discuss the implications of these findings for environmental monitoring.     

Classification of macroinvertebrate communities across drainage basins in Victoria, Australia: consequences of sampling on a broad spatial scale for predictive modelling

1. Spatial scale may influence the interpretation of environmental gradients that underlie classification and ordination analyses of lotic macroinvertebrate communities. This could have important consequences for the spatial scale over which predictive models derived from these multivariate analyses can be applied. 2. Macroinvertebrate community data (identified to genus or species) from edge and main-channel habitats were obtained for sites on rivers from 25 of the 29 drainage basins in Victoria. Trends in community similarity were analysed by carrying out separate multivariate analyses on data from the edge habitats (199 sites) and the main-channel habitats (163 sites). 3. Hierarchical classification (UPGMA) showed that the edge data could be placed into 11 site groups and the main-channel data into 12 site groups. 4. Ordination analysis (hybrid multidimensional scaling) showed no sharp disjunctions between site groups in either habitat; overlap was frequent. Correlation of the ordination patterns with environmental variables showed that edge communities varied longitudinally within a drainage basin and from the east to the west of Victoria. These two trends were superimposed on one another to form a single gradient on the ordination. The taxon richness of edge communities was also related to the species richness of macrophytes at a site. Main-channel communities also displayed a longitudinal and a geographic gradient, but these two gradients were uncorrelated on the ordination. 5. Community similarity only weakly reflected geographic proximity in either habitat. A preliminary subdivision of Victoria into a series of biogeographic regions did not match the pattern of distribution of site groups for the edge habitat, illustrating the difficulties of applying to lotic communities a priori regionalizations based on terrestrial features of the landscape. 6. The longitudinal gradients in the two data sets were commonly observed in data gathered at smaller spatial scales in Victoria. The other gradients (geographic, macrophyte), however, were either not consistently repeated or not evident at smaller spatial scales. At small spatial scales (i.e. within a single drainage basin) gradients were related to variables that varied over restricted ranges, e.g. mean particle size of the substratum. 7. Species richness was very variable when plotted against river slope or distance of site from source; both of these are measures of position on the longitudinal gradients. In contrast to suggestions in the literature, species richness did not show a unimodal trend on these gradients, or any other trend. 8. Environmental gradients (apart from longitudinal gradients) that underlie predictive models of macroinvertebrate distribution are reflections of the spatial scale on which the model has been constructed and cannot be extrapolated to different scales. Models must be suited to the spatial scale over which predictions are required.     

Temporal response of stream benthic macroinvertebrate communities to the synergistic effects of anthropogenic acidification and natural drought events

1. We evaluated whether the surprisingly weak biological recovery associated with declines in acid deposition were related to drought‐induced re‐acidification of streams. We used test site analysis (TSA) to characterise temporal changes (1995–2003) in the degree and nature of impairments to stream benthic macroinvertebrate (BMI) communities influenced by acid deposition and drought. 2. The BMI communities in four historically impacted test streams were compared with communities in 30 minimally impacted reference streams. Six multivariate (e.g. ordination axes scores) and four traditional (e.g. % Diptera) summary metrics were used to describe BMI communities. Using all metrics simultaneously (i.e. Mahalanobis or generalised distance), the TSA provided a single probability that a test community was impaired. If a test community was significantly impaired, a further analysis was done to identify the metric(s) important in distinguishing the test community from reference condition. 3. Results of the TSAs indicated that the generalised distances between test communities and the reference condition were inversely related to stream water pH (n = 36). The TSAs also indicated ordination metrics based on BMI abundance were important in distinguishing significantly impaired communities from reference conditions. Temporal trends indicated that there has been short‐term recovery of these BMI communities, but that overall improvements have been hampered by acid or metal toxicity associated with drought‐induced re‐acidification of the streams. 4. Our use of a variety of summary metrics to obtain a single statistical test of significance within the context of the reference‐condition approach provided a simple and unambiguous framework for evaluating the biological condition of test sites.     

Effects of forest fire on headwater stream macroinvertebrate communities in eastern Washington,U.S.A.

1. Recent increases in fire frequency in North America have focused interest on potential effects on adjacent ecosystems, including streams. Headwaters could be particularly affected because of their high connectivity to riparian and downstream aquatic ecosystems through aquatic invertebrate drift and emergence. 2. Headwater streams from replicated burned and control catchments were sampled in 2 years following an intense forest fire in northeastern Washington (U.S.A.). We compared differences in benthic, drift and emergent macroinvertebrate density, biomass and community composition between five burned and five unburned catchments (14–135 ha). 3. There were significantly higher macroinvertebrate densities in burned than control sites for all sample types. Macroinvertebrate biomass was greater at burned sites only from emergence samples; in benthic and drift samples there was no significant difference between burn and control sites. 4. For all sample types, diversity was lower in the burned catchments, and the macroinvertebrate community was dominated by chironomid midges. 5. Compared to the effects of fire in less disturbed ecosystems, this study illustrated that forest fire in a managed forest may have greater effects on headwater macroinvertebrate communities, influencing prey flow to adjacent terrestrial and downstream aquatic habitats for at least the first 2 years post‐fire.     

Spring benthic macroinvertebrate communities of selected streams in the High Caucasus (Azerbaijan SSR)

Investigations on invertebrate fauna were carried out at fifteen sites in some chosen streams of the Caucasus (Azerbaijan SSR) in March 1970. Seventy-five taxa of invertebrates were found in the investigated streams. Chironomidae constituted the most numerous group at all sites, Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, and Simuliidae being other important components of the fauna. On the basis of percentage structure of dominance in the examined streams four types of faunistic communities were distinguished. The most common one was the type characteristic of high mountain streams and rivers with Diamesa sp. (gr. latitarsis) predominant. Nevertheless, in springtime this community was characterized by a greater number of taxa and a greater abundance of specimens as compared with the summer period. It may be thus assumed that the spring period in high mountain streams and rivers is more conducive to the development of the invertebrate fauna.     

硫铁矿酸性矿山废水对大型底栖动物群落结构的影响

2006年11月和2007年1月通过金属和生物指标的量化监测,就酸性矿山废水对大型底栖动物群落结构的影响及高岚河污染现状进行研究。典型对应分析表明：酸性废水对高岚河上游大型底栖动物群落结构影响最大。对高岚河大型底栖动物群落结构和功能摄食类群进行分析,研究硫铁矿酸性矿山废水对河流大型底栖动物群落的影响,结果表明：高岚河自矿源起约16km河段,大型底栖动物群落结构已经遭到严重破坏;多足摇蚊Polypedilum tritum和真凯氏摇蚊Eukiefferiellab rehmi对酸和金属均具有较强的耐受力;捕食者和刮食者对矿山酸性废水带来的污染反应最为敏感。逐步回归分析表明：大型底栖动物生物多样性受Al、Ca、Cd、Fe、Mg、Mn等金属影响最大;密度受Ca、Cr和Mg的影响最大。     

Influence of environmental variables on macroinvertebrate community structure in Lianhuan Lake

The structural characteristics of the macroinvertebrate community can effectively reflect the health status of lake ecosystems and the quality of the lake ecological environment. It is therefore important to identify the limiting factors of macroinvertebrate community structure for the maintenance of lake ecosystem health. In this study, the community composition of macroinvertebrate assemblages and their relationships with environmental variables were investigated in 13 small lakes within Lianhuan Lake in northern China. A self‐organizing map and K‐means clustering analysis grouped the macroinvertebrate communities into five groups, and the indicator species reflected the environmental characteristics of each group. Principal component analysis indicated that the classification of the macroinvertebrate communities was affected by environmental variables. The Kruskal–Wallis test results showed that environmental variables (pH, total phosphorus, nitrate, water temperature, dissolved oxygen, conductivity, permanganate index, and ammonium) had a significant effect on the classification of the macroinvertebrate communities. Redundancy analysis showed that mollusks were significantly negatively correlated with pH and chlorophyll a, while annelids and aquatic insects were significantly positively correlated with chlorophyll a and dissolved oxygen. Spearman correlation analysis showed that the species richness and Shannon''s diversity of macroinvertebrates were significantly negatively correlated with total phosphorus, while the biomass of macroinvertebrates was significantly negatively correlated with pH. High alkalinity and lake eutrophication have a serious impact on the macroinvertebrate community. Human disturbances, such as industrial and agricultural runoff, negatively impact the ecological environment and affect macroinvertebrate community structure. Thus, macroinvertebrate community structure should be improved by enhancing the ecological environment and controlling environmental pollution at a watershed scale.     

Ecological effects of ocean acidification and habitat complexity on reef-associated macroinvertebrate communities

The ecological effects of ocean acidification (OA) from rising atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO₂) on benthic marine communities are largely unknown. We investigated in situ the consequences of long-term exposure to high CO₂ on coral-reef-associated macroinvertebrate communities around three shallow volcanic CO₂ seeps in Papua New Guinea. The densities of many groups and the number of taxa (classes and phyla) of macroinvertebrates were significantly reduced at elevated CO₂ (425–1100 µatm) compared with control sites. However, sensitivities of some groups, including decapod crustaceans, ascidians and several echinoderms, contrasted with predictions of their physiological CO₂ tolerances derived from laboratory experiments. High CO₂ reduced the availability of structurally complex corals that are essential refugia for many reef-associated macroinvertebrates. This loss of habitat complexity was also associated with losses in many macroinvertebrate groups, especially predation-prone mobile taxa, including crustaceans and crinoids. The transition from living to dead coral as substratum and habitat further altered macroinvertebrate communities, with far more taxa losing than gaining in numbers. Our study shows that indirect ecological effects of OA (reduced habitat complexity) will complement its direct physiological effects and together with the loss of coral cover through climate change will severely affect macroinvertebrate communities in coral reefs.     

Utilization of autochthonous macroinvertebrate drift by a pool fish community in a woodland stream

Qualitative and quantitative drift data were collected simultaneously above and below a pool both before and after the pool was heavily electrofished. These data revealed no significant difference between drift organism densities (#/m³) above or below the pool before or after fish collection. Qualitative and quantitative fish gut analyses suggest that the sunfishes Lepomis megalotis, L. macrochirus and L. cyanellus may be feeding on drifting invertebrates as these organisms comprised 58%, 37% and 35% gut volume, respectively. A design for a long-term drift net apparatus is presented.