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Chironomidae (Diptera, Nematocera) Fauna in Three Small Streams of Skania, Sweden

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Abstract

Two unpolluted streams and one chemically and thermally pollutedstream in Skania, Sweden, were investigated in summer 1995 for their temporary chironomid fauna and the occurrence of buccal deformities. The unpolluted streams `Övedsan' and `Skäralidbäcken' each contained, respectively, 13 and 16 taxa, with a dominance of Microtendipes pedellus group andMicropsectra spp., respectively. Most taxa were found in thepebbles and the submerged vegetation. Deformities were insignificant. The degraded stream Ybbarpsan in Perstorp contained 5 taxa, dominated by Procladius choreus. This species had 14% deformed larvae, interpreted as an effect of thechemical pollution. Shannon H and equitability J reflected thedifferences in chironomid community structure between the two unpolluted and the polluted sites. The Belgian Biotic Index scored maximally `10' in Skäralid, however only `6' in Öved and `5' in Perstorp. The combination of rapid assessmentof macrobenthos and description of communities of Chironomidae,with mention of deformed larvae, adds a bonus of information about the temporary state of a stream.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Ecology, Ecology Building, Lund University, Sölvegatan 37, Lund, Sweden

    L. Janssens de Bisthoven & A. Gerhardt

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  1. L. Janssens de Bisthoven
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  2. A. Gerhardt
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Correspondence to L. Janssens de Bisthoven.

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Janssens de Bisthoven, L., Gerhardt, A. Chironomidae (Diptera, Nematocera) Fauna in Three Small Streams of Skania, Sweden. Environ Monit Assess 83, 89–102 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1022494222666

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