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08:56
Automatic Image Processing to Determine the Community Size Structure of Riverine Macroinvertebrates
Published on: January 13, 2023
Weak concordance between fish and macroinvertebrates in Mediterranean streams
Stefano Larsen1, Laura Mancini, Giorgio Pace
1Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology, Berlin, Germany. larsen@igb-berlin.de
Plos One
|December 20, 2012
Summary
In Mediterranean rivers, macroinvertebrate and fish communities show weak agreement in response to human pressures. Both groups are essential for ecological assessments, as they react to different environmental factors.
Area of Science:
- Ecology
- Environmental Science
- Riverine Ecology
Background:
- Anthropogenic impacts on rivers necessitate multi-taxon bioassessments for ecological integrity.
- Specific responses of different taxonomic groups to human pressure in Mediterranean rivers remain under-investigated.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess if macroinvertebrate and fish assemblage richness and composition vary concordantly along an anthropogenic pressure gradient in central Italian streams.
- To determine if these two groups can serve as surrogates for each other in environmental assessments.
Main Methods:
- Analyzed 31 stream reaches across 13 wadeable streams in central Italy.
- Utilized Mantel tests to assess correlations between fish and macroinvertebrate assemblages.
- Employed variance partitioning with partial Canonical Correspondence Analysis to identify environmental drivers and biotic interactions.
Main Results:
- Fish and macroinvertebrate taxonomic richness were not directly correlated across sites.
- A weak but significant correlation was found between the two groups, even after controlling for environmental variables and site proximity.
- Different environmental drivers influenced each assemblage: invertebrates by water quality and habitat, fish by temperature and land-use.
- Biotic interactions may play a role in the observed concordance.
Conclusions:
- The congruence between macroinvertebrate and fish assemblages is weak, precluding their use as surrogates for each other in Mediterranean river assessments.
- Different environmental factors drive the patterns in each group, highlighting the need for multi-assemblage monitoring.
- Integrated monitoring programs, considering both fish and macroinvertebrates, are crucial for effective river management, aligning with the Water Framework Directive's requirements.
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