Efecto de las descargas domésticas y de beneficio de café sobre la calidad del agua y la diversidad de larvas de Odonata (Insecta) en un arroyo de bosque mesófilo de montaña en Veracruz, México

Abstract

Two contrasting sites along Huehueyapan River (Veracruz, Mexico), one relatively conserved and the other one impacted by domestic and coffee mill discharges, were compared based on water quality data, and the structure of the Odonata larval assemblages. Riparian vegetation of both sites was differentially modified or replaced. Physical and chemical parameters and Odonata larvae were gathered from January to November 2001. A Hotelling-T test was used to compare the physico-chemical parameters while rank/abundance graphs and Renyi diversity profiles were constructed using Odonata larvae data. A total of 2,212 larvae of 13 species in 7 genera were collected. The sites were very similar in number of species and Odonata larval assemblage structure, however, some of the most abundant species at both sites showed significant differences in abundance. The observed differences between the 2 sites are mainly explained by differences in the structure of riparian vegetation and the availability of substrates for odonates and, secondarily, by physical and chemical changes in the water. An abundance ratio was established based on the most abundant species for monitoring future impairment or recovery changes.