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Effects of land use on larval Odonata assemblages in cloud forest streams in central Veracruz, Mexico

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Abstract

This study analyzes the effect of stream water quality and its relationship with habitat characteristics on larval Odonata assemblages in streams found in tropical montane cloud forests, pastures, and coffee plantations in the upper La Antigua River watershed. The main factors that influenced larval Odonata assemblages in forest streams were low temperatures and high oxygen levels in water, coupled with a high diversity of the substrate and riparian vegetation; in pasture streams and coffee plantation streams, sedimentation strongly affected the composition of larval Odonata assemblages. In all the streams, species richness (0 D) was higher during the dry season. The highest Shannon α diversity (1 D) values were found in forest streams during the rainy season; however, in pasture and coffee plantation streams, 1 D values were higher during the dry season. The low species turnover in forest streams suggests that these streams provide highly stable conditions for Odonata assemblages; however, in pasture and coffee plantation streams, the higher turnover was related to the more variable water and habitat conditions. Thus, the persistence of Odonata assemblages in the upper La Antigua River watershed is closely related to the conservation status of the tropical montane cloud forests.

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Acknowledgments

This study received support from the Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología (CONACyT), through a Doctoral Research Grant (No. 168443) to the first author and by the Project 101542. We thank Ariadna Martínez Virués and Daniela Cela Cadena for their support in conducting laboratory analyses. We appreciate the invaluable field assistance, suggestions, and comments to this study from José Antonio Gómez Anaya, and to Javier Tolome Romero for his support in field sampling. We also thank Rosario Landgrave for the GIS map of the study. Special thanks to María Elena Sánchez-Salazar for contributing to the English manuscript. We gratefully acknowledge the significant contribution of two anonymous reviewers and the Associate Editor who provided suggestions for the improvement of the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Red de Ecología Funcional, Instituto de Ecología, A. C., Carretera Antigua a Coatepec 351, Congregación El Haya, 91070, Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico

    P. L. García-García & G. Vázquez

  2. Red de Biodiversidad y Sistemática, Instituto de Ecología, A. C., Carretera Antigua a Coatepec 351, Congregación El Haya, 91070, Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico

    R. Novelo-Gutiérrez

  3. Red de Ecoetología, Instituto de Ecología, A. C., Carretera Antigua a Coatepec 351, Congregación El Haya, 91070, Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico

    M. E. Favila

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  1. P. L. García-García
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  2. G. Vázquez
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  3. R. Novelo-Gutiérrez
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  4. M. E. Favila
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Correspondence to G. Vázquez.

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Handling editor: Checo Colón-Gaud

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García-García, P.L., Vázquez, G., Novelo-Gutiérrez, R. et al. Effects of land use on larval Odonata assemblages in cloud forest streams in central Veracruz, Mexico. Hydrobiologia 785, 19–33 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-016-2900-x

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