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Trophic Ecology of Hyalella sp. (Crustacea: Amphipoda) in a High Andes Headwater River with Travertine Deposits
Author(s) -
Acosta Raúl,
Prat Narcís
Publication year - 2011
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.201111247
Subject(s) - trophic level , ecology , amphipoda , macrophyte , dominance (genetics) , plant litter , biology , crustacean , environmental science , ecosystem , biochemistry , gene
We studied the diet of 50 individuals of Hyalella sp. collected in the karstic headwaters of a high‐altitude Andean river (3817 m a.s.l. Peru) in four different habitats: macrophytes, bryophytes, leaf litter, and layers of travertine. The gut content analysis showed a dominance of fine particulate organic matter (FPOM) in most habitats – layers of travertine (69.5%), Myriophylum (58.5%) and bryophytes (56.8%) – except for individuals collected in leaf litter where coarse particulate organic matter (CPOM) represented 68% of gut content, which indicates a high trophic flexibility of Hyalella sp. Likewise, in an experiment with feeding chambers in situ during three days, twenty individuals of Hyalella sp. presented a higher consumption of leaf litter of native species ( Polylepis sp.) (0.025 mg/day) than those of an introduced species ( Eucalyptus globulus ) (0.008 mg/day). (© 2011 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)