Effects of Local Environmental and Landscape Variables on the Taxonomic and Trophic Composition of Aquatic Insects in a
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ECOLOGY, BEHAVIOR AND BIONOMICS
Effects of Local Environmental and Landscape Variables on the Taxonomic and Trophic Composition of Aquatic Insects in a Rare Forest Formation of the Brazilian Amazon A LUIZA-ANDRADE1 , LS BRASIL1, NR TORRES2, J BRITO3, RR SILVA1, LU MAIOLI4, MF BARBIRATO4, SG ROLIM5, L JUEN1,3 1
Graduate Program in Zoology, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Univ Federal do Pará/Museu Paraense Emilio Goeldi, Belém, Pará, Brasil Graduate Program in Aquatic Ecology and Fisheries, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Univ Federal do Pará, Belém, Pará, Brasil 3 Graduate Program in Ecology, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Univ Federal do Pará, Belém, Pará, Brasil 4 Environmental Management, Vale S.A. Canaã dos Carajás, Carajás, Pará, Brasil 5 Project Coordination, Amplo Engenharia e Gestão de Projetos Ltd., Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brasil 2
Keywords Habitat template, stream ecology, macroinvertebrates, iron ore mining, Amazonian savanna Correspondence A Luiza-Andrade, Graduate Program in Zoology, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Univ Federal do Pará/Museu Paraense Emilio Goeldi, Belém, Pará, Brasil; [email protected] Edited by Angelo Pallini – UFV Received 5 March 2020 and accepted 21 August 2020 * Sociedade Entomológica do Brasil 2020
Abstract In the present study, we analyzed a unique phytophysiognomy in the Amazon region, which is formed by savanna-like vegetation on iron-rich soil (known locally as canga) located within an iron-ore mining region. We used the habitat template theory to test the hypothesis that changes in the physical-chemical properties of streams and the physical structure of their habitats at in-stream and micro-basin (landscape) levels affect the taxonomic and trophic composition of immature aquatic insects. For this, we used a local environmental matrix composed of nine physical-chemical and structural habitat variables, together with the Habitat Integrity Index. We also calculated landscape metrics based on the area of the microbasin, such as relief, slope, mean current flow, and vegetation cover. We divided the aquatic insects into five functional feeding groups based on their diet and food sources. Our results indicate that changes in the trophic level of the insects of the orders Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, and Trichoptera are more easily observed than the taxonomic structure of communities. The loss of environmental integrity and vegetation cover were responsible for 84% of the variation observed in the composition of functional feeding groups (FFGs). Our study shows that aquatic insect communities in the canga and in the Amazon regions dominated by forest require specific in-stream and landscape conditions. These findings reinforce the need for the preservation of areas of canga vegetation, which not only have a unique levels of biological diversity, but are also targeted for the exploitation of their economically valuable natural resources.
Introduction In lotic systems, the presence of vegetation adjacent to the channel contributes directly to the flow of ene
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