Abstract
Changes in the benthic macroinvertebrate community in the Arente River (a tributary of the Crati river in the Region of Calabria, Italy) were monitored monthly for 1 year through stratified sampling by habitat (pools and riffles) together with general descriptors of communities structure and the extended biotic index (EBI) to assess the potential development of community alteration following strong hydrological increases. Results suggest that flow peaks and substratum instability remarkably affect population abundance and composition of macroinvertebrate assemblages in both macro-habitats whereas their ordination is due to chemical parameters analyzed only at low water periods. Organism and taxonomic densities as well as taxonomic richness all showed an appreciable reduction simultaneously with flow increases both in pools and riffles. Early colonizers (organisms with high dispersal and drifting tendency) dominate during hydrological perturbation and post-perturbation phases. Both EBI and environmental quality values more frequently show the development of river disturbance in pools than in riffles during and after flow changes. Regression analysis clearly shows that hydrological and substrate parameters are better predictors of community parameters changes (higher r 2 values) in pool habitats than in riffles habitats suggesting that depositional environments seem more suitable than erosive ones in monitoring macrobenthic community changes and, possibly, alterations due to hydrological variations.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Abel, P. D. (1989). Water pollution biology. Chichester: Ellis Horwood.
Alabaster, J. S., & Loyd, R. (1980). Water quality criteria for freshwater fish. London: Butterworths.
Allan, J. D. (1995). Stream ecology – structure and function of running waters. London: Chapman and Hall.
APAT–CNR/IRSA (2003). Metodi analitici per le acque (Vol. I, II). Rome: Quaderni APAT 29/2003.
Barbour, M. T., Gerritsen, J., Snyder, B. D., & Stribling, J. B. (1999). Rapid bioassessment protocols for use in streams and wadeable rivers: Periphyton, benthic macroinvertebrates and fish (2nd ed.). Washington, DC: US Environmental Protection Agency; Office of Water, EPA 841-B-99-002.
Boulton, A. J., Peterson, C. G., Grimm, N. B., & Fisher, S. G. (1992). Stability of an aquatic macroinvertebrate community in a multi-year hydrologic disturbance regime. Ecology, 73, 2192–2207. doi:10.2307/1941467.
Campatoli, S., Ghetti, P. F., Minelli, A., & Ruffo, S. (1994). Manuale per il Riconoscimento dei Macroinvertebrati delle Acque Dolci Fluviali (Vol. I). Trento: Provincia Autonoma di Trento.
CNR–IRSA (2007). Notiziario dei Metodi Analitici: Macroinvertebrati Acquatici e Direttiva 2000/60/EC(WFD). N.1 Marzo 2007, ISSN: 1125-2464.
Cobb, D. G., Galloway, T. D., & Flannagan, J. F. (1992). Effects of discharge and substrate stability on density and species composition of stream insects. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, 49, 1788–1795. doi:10.1139/f92-198.
Dahl, J., Johnson, R. K., & Sandin, L. (2004). Detection of organic pollution of streams in southern Sweden using benthic macroinvertebrates. Hydrobiologia, 516, 161–172. doi:10.1023/B:HYDR.0000025264.35531.cb.
De Pauw, N., & Vanhooren, G. (1983). Method for biological quality assessment of watercourses in Flanders. Belgium Aquatic Ecology, 35, 121–133. doi:10.1023/A:1011478427152.
De Pauw, N., Gabriels, W., & Goethals, P. L. M. (2006). River monitoring and assessment methods based on macroinvertebrates. In G. Ziglio, M. Siligardi, & G. Flaim (Eds.), Biological monitoring of rivers—applications and perspectives (pp. 113–134). Chichester: Wiley.
Downes, B. J., & Lake, P. S. (1991). Different colonization patterns of two closely related stream insects (Austrosimulium spp) following disturbance. Freshwater Biology, 26, 295–306. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2427.1991.tb01736.x.
Eichenberger, E., & Schlatter, A. (1978). Mechanisms and consequences of interspecific competition between two stream insects. Journal of Animal Ecology, 59, 849–866.
Gallo, L., Battegazzore, M., De Filippis, A., Lucadamo, L., & Morisi, A. (2006). Variazioni della biomassa di perifiton epilitico e della comunità macrobentonica nel Fiume Arente. Atti del XV Congresso della Società Italiana di Ecologia Ambiente, Risorse, Sviluppo, Università degli Studi e Politecnico, Torino. http://www.xvcongresso.societaitalianaecologia.org/atti/. Accessed 12–14 Settembre 2005.
Gasith, A., & Resh, V. H. (1999). Streams in Mediterranean regions: Abiotic influences and biotic responses to predictable seasonal events. Annual Review of Ecology, 30, 51–81. doi:10.1146/annurev.ecolsys.30.1.51.
Ghetti, P. F. (1997). Indice Biotico Esteso – I Macroinvertebrati nel Controllo della Qualità degli Ambienti di Acque Correnti. Trento: Provincia Autonoma di Trento. I Edizione.
Giller, P. S., & Malmqvist, B. (1998). The biology of streams and rivers. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Gordon, N. A., Mc Mahon, T. A., Finlayson, B. L., Gippel, J. C., & Nathan, R. J. (2004). Stream hydrology–an introduction for ecologists (2nd ed.). Chichester: Wiley.
Gore, J. A. (1996). Discharge measuraments and streamflow analysis. In F. R. Hauer, & G. A. Lamberti (Eds.), Methods in stream ecology (pp. 53–74). Academic: San Diego.
Hellawell, J. M. (1977). Biological surveillance and water quality monitoring. In J. S. Alabaster (Ed.), Biological monitoring of inland (pp. 69–88). London: Applied Science.
Hellawell, J. M. (1986). Biological indicators of freshwater pollution and environmental management. New York: Elsevier.
Hemphill, N., & Cooper, S. D. (1983). The effect of physical disturbance on the relative abundances of two filter-feding insects in a small stream. Oecologia, 58, 378–382. doi:10.1007/BF00385239.
Hershey, A. E., & Lamberti, G. A. (2001). Aquatic insect ecology. In J. H. Thorp & A. P. Covich (Eds.), Ecology and classification of North American freshwater invertebrates (2nd ed., pp. 733–775). San Diego: Academic.
Hildrew, A. G., & Townsend, G. R. (1987). Organization in freshwater benthic communities. In J. H. R. Gee & P. S. Giller (Eds.), Organization in communites: Past and present (pp. 347–71). Oxford: Blackwell.
Hilsenhoff, W. L. (1988). Seasonal correction factors for the biotic index. Great Lakes Entomologist, 21, 9–13.
Lake, P. S. (2000). Disturbance, patchiness and diversity in streams. Journal of the North American Benthological Society, 19, 573–592. doi:10.2307/1468118.
Lane, E. W. (1955). Design of stable channels. Transactions of the American Society of Civil Engineers, 120, 1234–1279.
Lenat, D. R., Smock, L. A., & Penrose, D. L. (1980). Use of benthic macroinvertebrates as indicators of environmental quality. In D. L. Worf (Ed.), Biological monitoring for environmental effects (pp. 97–112). Lexington: DC Heath.
Lucadamo, L., De Filippis, A., Mezzotero, A., Vizza, S., & Gallo, L. (2007). Biological and chemical monitoring of some major Calabrian (Italy) Rivers. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment, 146(1–3), 453–471. doi:10.1007/s10661-007-0091-7.
Mc Nair, J. N., Newbold, J. D., & Hart, D. D. (1997). Turbulent transport of suspended particles and dispersing benthic organisms: How long to hit bottom? Journal of Theoretical Biology, 188, 29–52. doi:10.1006/jtbi.1997.0453.
Merritt, R. W., & Cummins, K. W. (1996a). An introduction to the aquatic insect of North America (3rd ed.). Iowa: Kendall/Hunt.
Merritt, R. W., & Cummins, K. W. (1996b). Trophic relations of macroinvertebrates. In R. F. Hauer & G. A. Lamberti (Eds.), Methods in stream ecology (pp. 453–474). San Diego: Academic.
Milner, A. M. (1994). System recovery. In P. Calow, & G. Petts (Eds.), The rivers handbook: Hydrological and ecological principles (Vol. II, pp. 76–98). Oxford: Blackwell.
Moulton, S. R. II, Kennen, J. G., Goldstein, R. M., & Hambrook, J. A. (2002). Revised protocols for sampling algal, invertebrate and fish communities as part of the national water quality assessment program. U.S. Geological Survey. Reston: Virginia, Open-File Report 02-150.
Newbury, R. W. (1996). Dynamics of flow. In F. R. Hauer & G. A. Lamberti (Eds.), Methods in stream ecolog (pp. 7–92). San Diego: Academic.
Newbury, R. W., & Gaboury, M. N. (1994). Stream analysis and fish habitat design. Gibsons: Newbury Hydraulics.
Peckarsky, B. L. (1986). Colonization of natural substrates by stream benthos. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, 43, 700–709. doi:10.1139/f86-085.
Pettigrove, V. (1988). The importance of site selection in monitoring the macroinvertebrate communities of the Yarra river, Victoria. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment, 14, 297–313. doi:10.1007/BF00677923.
Petts, G. E., & Bravard, J. P. (1996). A drainage basin perspective. In G. E. Petts & C. Amoros (Eds.), Fluvial hydrosystems (pp. 13–36). London: Chapman and Hall.
Plafkin, J. L., Barbour, M. T., Porter, K. D., Gross, S. K., & Hughes, R. M. (1989). Rapid bioassessment protocols for use in streams and rivers: Benthic macroinvertebrates and fish. Washington, D.C.: US Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Water Regulations and Standards, EPA 440-4-89-001.
Plotnikoff, R. B., & Wiseman, C. (2001). Benthic macroinvertebrate biological monitoring protocols for rivers and streams. Olympia: Department of Ecology. Environmental Assessment Program, 98504-7710.
Poff, N. L. (1992). Why disturbances can be predictable: a perspective on the definition of disturbance in streams. Journal of the North American Benthological Society, 11, 86–92. doi:10.2307/1467885.
Poff, N. L., & Ward, J. V. (1989). Implications of streamflow variability and predictability for lotic community structure: A regional analysis of streamflow patterns. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, 46, 1805–1818. doi:10.1139/f89-228.
Resh, V. H., Brown, A. V., Covich, A. P., Gurtz, M. E., Li, H. W., Minshall, W., et al. (1988). The role of disturbance in stream ecology. Journal of the North American Benthological Society, 7(4), 433–455. doi:10.2307/1467300.
Roback, S. S. (1974). Insects (Arthropoda: Insecta). In C. W. Hart Jr & S. L. H. Fuller (Eds.), Pollution ecology of freshwater invertebrates (pp. 313–376). London: Academic.
Robinson, C. T., Uehlinger, U., & Monaghan, M. T. (2003). Effects of a multi-year experimental flood regime on macroinvertebrates downstream of a reservoir. Aquatic Sciences, 65(3), 210–222. doi:10.1007/s00027-003-0663-8.
Robinson, C. T., Aebischer, S., & Uehlinger, U. (2004). Immediate and habitat-specific responses of macroinvertebrates to sequential, experimental floods. Journal of the North American Benthological Society, 4, 853–867. doi:10.1899/0887-3593(2004)023<0853:IAHROM>2.0.CO;2.
Rosenberg, D. M., & Resh, V. (1993). Introduction to freshwater biomonitoring and benthic macroinvertebrates. In D. M. Rosenberg & V. H. Resh (Eds.), Freshwater biomonitoring and benthic macroinvertebrates (pp. 1–9). London: Chapman and Hall.
Rosenberg, D. M., Rosenberg, I. J., Cobb, D. G., & Wiens, A. P. (1997). Protocols for measuring biodiversity: Benthic macroinvertebrates in fresh waters. Winnipeg: Department of Fisheries and Oceans, Freshwater Institute, 501 University Crescent, Manitoba, R3T 2N6.
Sansoni, G. (1988). Atlante per il Riconoscimento dei Macroinvertebrati dei Corsi d’Acqua Italiani. Trento: Provincia Autonoma di Trento,Centro Italiano Studi di Biologia Ambientale.
Sousa, W. (1984). The role of disturbance in natural communities. Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics, 15, 353–391. doi:10.1146/annurev.es.15.110184.002033.
Sporka, F., Vlek, H. E., Bulankova, E., & Krno, I. (2006). Influence of seasonal variation on bioassesment of streams using macroinvertebrates. Hidrobologia, 566, 543–555.
Stevenson, R. J. (1983). Effects of current and conditions simulating autogenically changing microhabitats on benthic diatom immigration. Ecology, 64, 1514–1524. doi:10.2307/1937506.
Tachet, H., Richoux, P., Bournaud, M., & Usseglio-Polatera, P. (2000). Invertébrés d’eau douce-Systématique, biologie, écologie. Paris: CNRS.
Ter Braak, C. F. J. (1987). Canonical correspondence analysis: A new eigenvector technique for multivariate direct gradient analysis. Ecology, 67, 1167–1179. doi:10.2307/1938672.
Ulfstrand, S., Nilsson, L. M., & Stergar, A. (1974). Composition and diversity of benthic species collectives colonizing implanted substrates in south Swedish stream. Entomologica Scandinavica, 5, 115–122.
Wallace, J. B., & Gurtz, M. E. (1986). Response of Baetis mayflies (Ephemeroptera) to catchment logging. American Midland Naturalist, 115, 25–41. doi:10.2307/2425834.
Wang, L., Weigel, B. W., Kanehl, P., & Lohman, K. (2006). Influence of riffle and snag habitat specific sampling on stream macroinvertebrate assemblage measures in bioassessment. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment, 119, 254–273.
White, P. S., & Pickett, S. T. A. (1985). Natural disturbance and patch dynamics: an introduction. In P. S. White & S. T. A. Pichett (Eds.), The ecology of natural disturbance and patch dynamics (pp. 3–13). New York: Academic.
Williams, D. D. (1980). Some relationships between stream benthos and substrate heterogeneity. Limnology and Oceanography, 25(1), 166–172.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Gallo, L., De Filippis, A., Mezzotero, A. et al. Assessment of the effect of hydrological variations on macrobenthic communities in pools and riffles of a Mediterranean stream. Environ Monit Assess 166, 125–137 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-009-0989-3
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-009-0989-3