Functional Feeding Group composition and attributes: evaluation of freshwater ecosystems in Atlantic Forest, Brazil

Priscilla da Silva Pereira,Marcelo Ribeiro-Alves,Darcílio Fernandes Baptista,Natalia Freitas de Souza,Helena Lucia Carneiro Santos,Daniel Forsin Buss

doi:10.1590/1676-0611-bn-2020-1016

Priscilla da Silva Pereira, Marcelo Ribeiro-Alves + Show 4 more

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https://doi.org/10.1590/1676-0611-bn-2020-1016

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Abstract

Abstract: Benthic macroinvertebrates Functional Feeding Group (FFG) have been used to determine aquatic assemblage dynamics and as a biomonitoring tool. The main goals of this study were to assess the effects of stream variables on the abundance and richness of FFGs and evaluate ecosystem attributes (FFG ratios) as a tool to assess ecological conditions of Atlantic Rainforest streams. We sampled 146 sites with different impairment conditions in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Richness was significantly different among impairment conditions for all FFGs. Mixed-effect models show that aquatic macroinvertebrate FFGs differed in their responses to abiotic variables for abundance and richness. Also, they were reduced in the impaired sites when compared to intermediate and reference sites. The FFG ratio indicated significant differences along the impairment gradient. The FFG ratio analysis was shown to be a fast and cheap tool that can be used for monitoring aquatic ecosystems in the Atlantic Forest biome. However, further studies are required to calibrate the method specifically for the Atlantic Forest region.

Highlights

Streams and rivers exhibit a high biological diversity and provide critical ecological functions and services
Filtering collector was the most abundant Functional Feeding Group (FFG) regardless of impairment classes, and Simuliidae was the dominant taxa along the impairment gradient
Anthropogenic activities may impact stream ecosystems by causing habitat fragmentation, degradation, sedimentation, which increase the abundance of tolerant species and a decrease of sensitive species (Mangadze et al 2019)

Summary

Introduction

Streams and rivers exhibit a high biological diversity and provide critical ecological functions and services They are among the most threatened ecosystems due to anthropogenic activities, such as human settlements, industries pollution, and agriculture, which have led to increased habitat loss, higher pollution levels, invasions of exotic species, and the changing climate (Allan & Castilho 2007, Ceneviva-Bastos et al 2017). Macroinvertebrates are a primary food source for fishes and other organisms (Rosenberg & Resh 1993) They are abundant in most streams, even small ones, have species at different trophic levels, with a wide range of pollution tolerance, and sampling is relatively easy at a low cost (Barbour et al 1999, Bonada et al 2006, Henriques-Oliveira & Nessimian 2010, Gieswein et al 2019)

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