Aquatic invertebrate diversity in tank bromeliads in an enclaved wet forest in Brazil’s semiarid region

Abstract

ABSTRACT Phytotelmata bromeliads provide microhabitats for many organisms and maintain high aquatic diversity within Neotropical forests. However, they are more vulnerable to different environmental stressors that shape community structure. While most studies have been carried out in large rainforests, gaps remain about the bromeliad-dwelling community for the wettest points in the Caatinga domain (Brazilian semiarid region). Here, we investigated the influence of abiotic and temporal variables and bromeliad size on community structure between urban and forest sectors. Between 2014 and 2017, we randomly selected 20 urban and 40 forest bromeliads and compared functional groups of invertebrates for richness, abundance, and diversity. We recorded 41 morphospecies, especially Rotifera (19) and Insecta (13). Urban bromeliads exhibited higher richness of filter-feeder, while forest fragment bromeliads were dominated by predators, shredders, and gatherers. We did not observe differences in community structure regarding bromeliad size. However, the wetter period exhibited higher species richness, and higher diversity was associated with the highest rainfall. This study presents for the first time a list of aquatic microinvertebrate species and the influence of environmental parameters on the community structure associated with bromeliads of Caatinga. We have also expanded the list of species associated with phytotelmata in the Neotropical region.