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Faunistic assemblages of natural springs in different areas in the Swiss National Park: a small-scale comparison

  • SMALL WATER BODIES
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Abstract

Springs are spatially restricted and insular ecotones. In the Alps, topography enhances this isolation. Springs are to a certain extent inhabited by organisms which are adapted to the relatively constant environmental conditions in springs. We examined thirty-six springs in eight different areas in the Swiss National Park (SNP) to understand if the macroinvertebrate assemblages of high-elevation springs are isolated or interconnected communities. We quantitatively and qualitatively sampled the macroinvertebrate assemblages of the springs and monitored environmental parameters. The similarity of the macroinvertebrate assemblages of the springs within and the dissimilarities between the different areas were relatively high; a clear spatial isolation was not evident. The differences of macroinvertebrate assemblages in different areas were explained by substrate parameters: springs in areas at lower altitudes were characterized by organic substrates and many water mite species. High-elevation springs were characterized by coarse inorganic substrates and Trichoptera of the genus Drusus. For spring conservation, it is important to decide on an individual basis if the loss of a single spring will have severe consequences for spring biodiversity.

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Acknowledgements

We acknowledge numerous people who helped with the fieldwork. Thanks to Lukas Forlin, Susanne Felder and Lisette Kaufmann for providing their data. We thank Peter Martin for identifying the Acari and Verena Lubini for verifying the EPT-Taxa. Many thanks also to the Swiss National Park for logistic advice and information on the springs, in particular R. Haller and C. Schlüchter. Thanks are owed to the Swiss Acadamy of Sciences for some financial support. We also thank Lara Schmidlin, who improved the English and made helpful comments on the manuscript, and two anonymous reviewers, who further helped to improve the manuscript.

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  1. Biogeography Research Group, Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Basel, St. Johanns-Vorstadt 10, Basel, 4056, Switzerland

    Stefanie von Fumetti & Lucas Blattner

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  1. Stefanie von Fumetti
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  2. Lucas Blattner
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Correspondence to Stefanie von Fumetti.

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Guest editors: Mary Kelly-Quinn, Jeremy Biggs & Stefanie von Fumetti / The Importance of Small Water Bodies: Insights from Research

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von Fumetti, S., Blattner, L. Faunistic assemblages of natural springs in different areas in the Swiss National Park: a small-scale comparison. Hydrobiologia 793, 175–184 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-016-2788-5

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