Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Aquatic Hemiptera community structure in stormwater retention ponds: a watershed land cover approach

  • Primary research paper
  • Published:
Hydrobiologia Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Stormwater ponds are increasingly common aquatic habitats whose biotic communities are largely unexplored. As anthropogenic development continues to alter the landscape, watershed land use is gaining recognition for its potential to predict species compositions in aquatic systems. This study reports species composition of five aquatic hemipteran families (Notonectidae, Corixidae, Belostomatidae, Nepidae, Pleidae) in 28 permanent, artificial stormwater ponds in watersheds with different land covers and associated contaminant input. We hypothesized that land cover variables would be significant drivers of aquatic hemipteran community structure in ponds, and that ponds with a high percentage of agricultural and lawn cover in the watershed would be characterized by the absence of species intolerant of the chemical, physical, and ultimately biotic changes associated with these watersheds. Non-metric multi-dimensional scaling (NMS) was used to identify dominant gradients of species composition and environmental variables. Pond morphology variables, watershed lawn, watershed agriculture, and predatory fish abundance were each found to have statistically significant correlations with hemipteran community structure. The abundance of Notonecta undulata, the species responsible for creating the largest (ranked) distance in species structure among ponds, was positively correlated with shallow, fishless ponds and independent of land use variables. The abundances of four species of corixids were negatively correlated with watershed agriculture, and hemipteran richness was positively correlated with watershed lawn and negatively correlated with pond surface area. Heirarchical cluster analysis revealed non-random hemipteran species assemblages in which congeneric corixid species tended to co-occur, contradicting traditional niche theory. Since artificial stormwater ponds are chemically different from natural-pond habitat and rapidly increasing in number, knowledge of which insect species are capable of thriving in this environment and their relationship to land use in the watershed is of both environmental and evolutionary interest.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Subscribe and save

Springer+ Basic
$34.99 /Month
  • Get 10 units per month
  • Download Article/Chapter or eBook
  • 1 Unit = 1 Article or 1 Chapter
  • Cancel anytime
Subscribe now

Buy Now

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3

Similar content being viewed by others

Explore related subjects

Discover the latest articles, news and stories from top researchers in related subjects.

References

  • Åbjornsson, K., C. Bronmark & L. A. Hanson, 2002. The relative importance of lethal and non-lethal effects of fish on insect colonisation of ponds. Freshwater Biology 47: 1489–1495.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Allan, J. D., 2004. Landscapes and riverscapes: The influence of land use on stream ecosystems. Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics 35: 257–284.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Allan, J. D., D. L. Erickson & J. Fay, 1997. The influence of catchment land use on stream integrity across multiple spatial scales. Freshwater Biology 37: 149–161.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bare, C. O., 1926. Life histories of some Kansas “backswimmers”. Annals of the Entomological Society of America 19: 93–101.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bennett, D. V. & F. A. Streams, 1986. Effects of vegetation on Notonecta (Hemiptera) distribution in ponds with and without fish. Oikos 46: 62–69.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Binckley, C. A. & W. J. Resetarits, 2005. Habitat selection determines abundance, richness and species composition of beetles in aquatic communities. Biology Letters 1: 370–374.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Blaustein, L., 1998. Influence of the predatory backswimmer, Notonecta maculate, on invertebrate community structure. Ecological Entomolology 23: 246–252.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Blaustein, L., M. Kiflawi, A. Eitam, M. Mangel & J. Cohen, 2004. Oviposition habitat selection in response to risk of predation in temporary pools: Mode of detection and consistency across experimental venue. Oecologia 138: 300–305.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Blaustein, L., J. Blaustein & J. Chase, 2005. Chemical detection of the predator Notonecta irrorata by ovipositing Culex mosquitoes. Journal of Vector Ecology 30: 299–301.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Briers, R. A. & P. H. Warren, 1999. Competition between the nymphs of two regionally co-occurring species of Notonecta (Hemiptera: Notonectidae). Freshwater Biology 42: 11–20.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Briers, R. A. & P. H. Warren, 2000. Population turnover and habitat dynamics in Notonecta (Hemiptera: Notonectidae) metapopulations. Oecologia 123: 216–222.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chordas III, S. W., E. G. Chapman, P. L. Hudson, M. A. Chriscinske & R. L. Stewart Jr., 2002. New midwestern state records of aquatic Hemiptera (Corixidae: Notonectidae). Entomological News 113: 310–314.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chordas III, S. W., R. N. Ferreira & R. L. Stewart, 2005. Synopsis of the backswimmers (Hemiptera: Notonectidae) of New Hampshire. Northeastern Naturalist 12: 187–194.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Clark, L. B. & A. H. Hersh, 1939. A study of relative growth in Notonecta undulata. Growth 3: 347–372.

    Google Scholar 

  • Clarke, K. R. & R. N. Gorley, 2006. PRIMER v6: User Manual/Tutorial. Primer-E Ltd., Plymouth, UK.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cook, W. L. & F. A. Streams, 1984. Fish predation on Notonecta (Hemiptera)—relationship between prey risk and habitat utilization. Oecologia 64: 177–183.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Crowder, L. B. & W. E. Cooper, 1982. Habitat structural complexity and the interaction between bluegills and their prey. Ecology 63: 1802–1813.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dill, L. M., M. R. Heithaus & C. J. Walters, 2003. Behaviorally mediated indirect interactions in marine communities and their conservation implications. Ecology 84: 1151–1157.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Delong, M. D. & M. A. Brusven, 1998. Macroinvertebrate community structure along the longitudinal gradient of an agriculturally impacted stream. Environmental Management 22: 445–457.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Dodson, S. I., 2008. Biodiversity in southern Wisconsin storm-water retention ponds: Correlations with watershed cover and productivity. Lake and Reservoir Management 24.

  • Dodson, S. I. & R. A. Lillie, 2001. Zooplankton communities of restored depressional wetlands in Wisconsin. Wetlands 21: 292–300.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dodson, S. I., T. A. Crowl, B. L. Peckarsky, L. B. Kats, A. P. Covich & J. M. Culp, 1994. Non-visual communication in freshwater benthos. Journal of the North American Benthological Society 13: 268–282.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Encalada, A. C. & B. L. Peckarsky, 2006. Selective oviposition of the mayfly Baetis bicaudatus. Oecologia 148: 526–537.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • England, G., 2001. The use of ponds for BMPs. Stormwater: The Journal for Surface Water Quality Professionals. http://www.forester.net/sw_0107_use.html. Accessed on 9 April 2008.

  • EPA, 2008. What is a Pesticide? http://www.epa.gov/pesticides Accessed on 11 April 2008.

  • Fleeger, J. W., K. R. Carman & R. M. Nisbet, 2003. Indirect effects of contaminants in aquatic ecosystems. Science of the Total Environment 317: 207.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Gilbert, J. J. & C. W. Burns, 1999. Some observations on the diet of the backswimmer, Anisops wakefieldi (Hemiptera: Notonectidae). Hydrobiologia 412: 111–118.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gilliom, R. J., J. E. Barbash, C. G. Crawford, P. A. Hamilton, J. D. Martin, N. Nakagaki, L. H. Nowell, J. C. Scott, P. E. Stackelberg, G. P. Thelin & D. M. Wolock, 2006. The Quality of Our Nation’s Water—Pesticides in the Nation’s Streams and Ground Water, 1992–2001. Circular 1291. U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, VA.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gingrich, J., R. D. Anderson, G. M. Williams, L. O’Connor & K. Harkins, 2006. Stormwater ponds, constructed wetlands, and other best management practices as potential breeding sites for West Nile virus vectors in Delaware during 2004. Journal of the American Mosquito Control Association 22: 282–291.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hallam, E. A., A. Dahanukar & J. Carlson, 2006. Insect odor and taste receptors. Annual Review of Entomology 51: 113–135.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hampton, S. E., J. J. Gilbert & C. W. Burns, 2000. Direct and indirect effects of juvenile Buenoa macrotibialis (Hemiptera: Notonectidae) on the zooplankton of a shallow pond. Limnology and Oceanography 45: 1006–1012.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hancock, G. S. & M. B. Popkin, 2005. Retention Deficit: Evaluating Retention Pond Effectiveness at Controlling Suburban Stormwater Runoff, James City County, Virginia: Eos Trans. AGU, v. 86, p. Fall Meeting Supplement, Abstract B43C-0293.

  • Hickley, P., R. North, S. M. Muchiri & D. M. Harper, 1994. The diet of largemouth bass, Micropterus salmoides, in Lake Naivasha, Kenya. Journal of Fish Biology 44: 607–619.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hilsenhoff, W. L., 1970. Corixidae (water boatmen) of Wisconsin. Transactions of the Wisconsin Academy of Sciences. Arts and Letters 58: 203–236.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hilsenhoff, W. L., 1984. Aquatic Hemiptera of Wisconsin. The Great Lakes Entomologist 17: 29–50.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hilsenhoff, W. L., 1995. Aquatic Insects of Wisconsin. Keys to Wisconsin Genera and Notes on Biology, Habitat, Distribution, and Species. Publication #G3648. University of Wisconsin, Natural History Museums Council, Madison, WI.

  • Hoffman, M. D. & S. I. Dodson, 2005. Land use, primary productivity, and lake area as descriptors of zooplankton diversity. Ecology 86: 255–261.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hungerford, H. B., 1948. The Corixidae of the Western Hemisphere (Hemiptera). University of Kansas Science Bulletin 32: 1–827.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hutchinson, G. E., 1962. The Enchanted Voyage and Other Studies. Yale University Press, New Haven.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kadoya, T., S. Suda & I. Washitani, 2004. Dragonfly species richness in man-made ponds: effects of pond size and pond age on newly established assemblages. Landscape Ecology 23: 149–158.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Karaouzas, I. & K. C. Gritzalis, 2006. Local and regional factors determining aquatic and semi-aquatic bug (Heteroptera) assemblages in rivers and streams of Greece. Hydrobiologia 573: 199–212.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Leisnham, P. T., D. P. Slaney, P. J. Lester, P. Weinstein & A. C. G. Heath, 2007. Mosquito density, macroinvertebrate diversity, and water chemistry in water-filled containers: Relationships to land use. New Zealand Journal of Zoology 34: 203–218.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lussier, S. M., S. N. da Silva, M. Charpentier, J. F. Heltshe, S. M. Cormier, D. J. Klemm, M. Chintala & S. Jayaraman, 2008. The influence of suburban land use on habitat and biotic integrity of coastal Rhode Island streams. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment 139: 119–136.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • McCune, B. & J. B. Grace, 2002. Analysis of Ecological Communities. MJM Press, Gleneden Beach, OR.

    Google Scholar 

  • McCune, B. and M. J. Mefford, 2006. PC-ORD. Multivariate Analysis of Ecological Data. Version 5.16 MjM Software, Gleneden Beach, OR, USA.

  • Munga, S., N. Minakawa, G. Zhou, O. J. Barrack, A. K. Githeko & G. Yan, 2006. Effects of larval competitors and predators on oviposition site selection of Anopheles gambiae sensu stricto. Journal of Medical Entomology 43: 221–224.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Murdoch, W. W., M. A. Scott & P. Ebsworth, 1984. Effects of the general predator, Notonecta (Hemiptera) upon a freshwater community. The Journal of Animal Ecology 53: 791–808.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nam, V. S., N. T. Yen, M. Holynska, J. W. Reid & B. H. Kay, 2000. National progress in dengue vector control in Vietnam: Survey for Mesocyclops (Copepoda), Micronecta (Corixidae), and fish as biological control agents. American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene 62: 5–10.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • PAN Pesticides Database, updated April 2007. http://www.pesticideinfo.org/Index.html.

  • Papacek, M., 2001. Small aquatic and ripicolous bugs (Heteroptera: Nepomorpha) as predators and prey: The question of economic importance. European Journal of Entomology 98: 1–12.

    Google Scholar 

  • Relyea, R. & J. Hoverman, 2006. Assessing the ecology in ecotoxicology: a review and synthesis in freshwater systems. Ecology Letters 9: 1157–1171.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Resetarits, W. J., 2005. Habitat selection behavior links local and regional scales in aquatic ecosystems. Ecology Letters 8: 480–486.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Robbins, P. & T. Birkenholtz, 2003. Turfgrass revolution: measuring the expansion of the American lawn. Land Use Policy 20: 181–194.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Robbins, P. & J. T. Sharp, 2003. Producing and consuming chemicals: The moral economy of the American lawn. Economic Geography 79: 425–451.

    Google Scholar 

  • Robbins, P., A. Polderman & T. Birkenholtz, 2001. Lawns and toxins—an ecology of the city. Cities 18: 369–380.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rohr, J. R. & P. W. Crumrine, 2005. Effects of an herbicide and an insecticide on pond community structure and processes. Ecological Applications 15: 1135–1147.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rothley, K. D. & G. Dutton, 2006. Behavioral responses to environmental change alter direct and indirect trait-mediated interactions. Canadian Journal of Zoology 84: 1053–1058.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rutzlerm, M. & L. J. Zwiebel, 2005. Molecular biology of insect olfaction: recent progress and conceptual models. Journal of Comparative Physiology A: Neuroethology, Sensory, Neural, and Behavioral Physiology 191: 777–790.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Saha, N., G. Aditya, A. Bal & G. K. Saha, 2007. A comparative study of predation of three aquatic hemipteran bugs on Culex quinquefasciatus larvae. Limnology 8: 73–80.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schmitz, O. J., V. Krivan & O. Ovadia, 2004. Trophic cascades: the primacy of trait-mediated indirect interactions. Ecology Letters 7: 153–163.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Scott, W. B. & E. J. Crossman, 1973. Freshwater Fishes of Canada, Bulletin184. Fisheries Research Board of Canada, Ottawa, ON.

    Google Scholar 

  • Streams, F. A., 1987a. Foraging behaviour in a Notonectid assemblage. American Midland Naturalist 117: 353–361.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Streams, F. A., 1987b. Within-habitat spatial separation of two Notonecta species: Interactive vs. noninteractive resource partitioning. Ecology 68: 935–945.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Svensson, B. G., B. Tallmark & E. Petersson, 2000. Habitat heterogeneity, coexistence and habitat utilization in five backswimmer species (Notonecta spp.; Hemiptera, Notonectidae). Aquatic Insects 22: 81–98.

    Google Scholar 

  • Thomas, B. V., A. W. Knight & K. J. Maier, 1999. Selenium bioaccumulation by the water boatman Trichocorixa reticulata (Guerin-Meneville). Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology 36: 295–300.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Tong, S. & W. Chen, 2002. Modeling the relationship between land use and surface water quality. Journal of Environmental Management 66: 377–393.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Tooby, T. E. & D. J. Macey, 1977. Absence of pigmentation in corixid bugs (Hemiptera) after the use of the aquatic herbicide dlchlobenil. Freshwater Biology 7: 519–525.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, 2000. Summary Report: 1997 National Resources Inventory (revised December 2000). United States Department of Agriculture, Washington, DC. http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/technical/NRI/1997/summary_report/body.html.

  • Werner, E. E. & S. D. Peacor, 2003. A review of trait-mediated indirect interactions in ecological communities. Ecology 84: 1083–1100.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, 2005. Wisconsin’s Strategy for Wildlife Species of Greatest Conservation Need. Madison, WI. Available at http://dnr.wi.gov/org/land/er/wwap/plan/. Accessed 23 June 2008.

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Zoology Department, University of Wisconsin, Madison, 430 Lincoln Drive, Madison, WI, 53706, USA

    Sarah J. Foltz & Stanley I. Dodson

Authors
  1. Sarah J. Foltz
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Stanley I. Dodson
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Stanley I. Dodson.

Additional information

Handling editor: D. Dudgeon

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Foltz, S.J., Dodson, S.I. Aquatic Hemiptera community structure in stormwater retention ponds: a watershed land cover approach. Hydrobiologia 621, 49–62 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-008-9631-6

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-008-9631-6

Keywords

Search

Navigation