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Tufa Barriers from a Caddisfly's Point of View: Streams or Lake Outlets?
Author(s) -
Šemnički Petra,
Previšić Ana,
Ivković Marija,
Čmrlec Kristina,
Mihaljević Zlatko
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
international review of hydrobiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.524
H-Index - 52
eISSN - 1522-2632
pISSN - 1434-2944
DOI - 10.1002/iroh.201101500
Subject(s) - caddisfly , tufa , species richness , ecology , habitat , beta diversity , streams , community structure , abundance (ecology) , canonical correspondence analysis , ordination , biology , environmental science , larva , computer network , materials science , computer science , carbonate , metallurgy
The caddisfly community composition in different microhabitats at tufa barriers was studied in the Plitvice Lakes NP, Croatia. Three tufa barriers were investigated and six emergence traps were installed at each site covering various microhabitats. Sampling was conducted monthly during the year 2008. Tufa barriers are lake outlet habitats, but they feature a variety of microhabitats similar to streams, which is reflected in the composition of caddisfly communities regarding longitudinal distribution preferences. The caddisfly communities at all three sites were dominated by species typical for the rhithral zone, but there was a shift in species composition along a longitudinal gradient, from the epirhithral to the metarhithral zone. Analysis of functional feeding guilds showed considerable differences between the caddisfly community at the Labudovac barrier and both downstream barriers, shifting from one with a quite diverse composition, to one completely dominated by passive filter‐feeders. Passive filter feeders were not represented by the same taxa at up‐ and downstream barriers ( i.e. , by Hydropsyche species and Wormaldia species, at the Labudovac barrier and at both downstream barriers, respectively). Due to high complexity and habitat diversity, the highest diversity and equitability of caddisfly communities were recorded at microhabitats with particulate tufa and medium current velocity (10–20 cm/s). The lowest diversity and species richness were recorded for silt with low current velocity (0–10 cm/s). Abundance of caddisflies was positively correlated with current velocity due to a very high proportion of rheophilic passive filter feeders in the communities. However, community composition and structure is only to some degree influenced by microhabitat characteristics, but rather by their general position within the barrage‐lake system, i.e. , longitudinal distribution and thereby availability of different food resources. (© 2012 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)