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The role of macrophyte structural complexity and water flow velocity in determining the epiphytic macroinvertebrate community composition in a lowland stream

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Abstract

Habitat structural complexity provided by aquatic macrophytes in lowland streams affects the associated epiphytic macroinvertebrate assemblages in both direct (increased microhabitat diversity, refuge against predation) and indirect ways (e.g. current attenuation by physical structures). In a correlative field study carried out in two different years in a Belgian stream, we investigated the effects of the factors macrophyte identity, macrophyte complexity (represented as fractal complexity) and current velocity on the composition of the macroinvertebrate community associated with monospecific macrophyte patches, consisting of plants with differing structural complexity; Sparganium emersum Rehmann (least complex), Potamogeton natans L. (intermediate) and Callitriche obtusangula Le Gall (most complex). In addition to significantly lower within-patch current velocity being observed, vegetation stands consisting of complex macrophytes also harboured significantly richer macroinvertebrate communities than stands of simpler macrophytes. A significant part of the variation in the macroinvertebrate community composition could be explained by plant identity, macrophyte complexity and current velocity. However, it was not possible to determine the relative importance of these three factors, because of their high degree of intercorrelation. Additionally, the explanatory power of these factors was higher under conditions of high current velocity, suggesting a role of macrophyte patches as instream flow refugia for macroinvertebrates.

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Acknowledgements

Our thanks go to Susana Romero Chavez and Dorine Dekkers for their respective help with sorting and identifying the macroinvertebrates. The first author would like to thank the Biology Department of the University of Antwerp for providing a doctoral grant. Jonas Schoelynck is a postdoctoral fellow of FWO (Project No. 12H8616 N). Furthermore, we would like to thank the two anonymous reviewers, whose comments have significantly improved the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Ecosystem Management Research Group, Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1C, 2610, Wilrijk, Belgium

    Jan-Willem Wolters, Jonas Schoelynck & Patrick Meire

  2. Wageningen Environmental Research, Wageningen UR, P.O. Box 47, 6700 AA, Wageningen, The Netherlands

    Ralf C. M. Verdonschot & Piet F. M. Verdonschot

  3. Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, P.O. Box 942448, 1090 GE, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

    Piet F. M. Verdonschot

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  1. Jan-Willem Wolters
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  2. Ralf C. M. Verdonschot
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  3. Jonas Schoelynck
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  4. Piet F. M. Verdonschot
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  5. Patrick Meire
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Correspondence to Jan-Willem Wolters.

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Handling editor: Katya E. Kovalenko

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Wolters, JW., Verdonschot, R.C.M., Schoelynck, J. et al. The role of macrophyte structural complexity and water flow velocity in determining the epiphytic macroinvertebrate community composition in a lowland stream. Hydrobiologia 806, 157–173 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-017-3353-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-017-3353-6

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