Terrestrial Habitat Quality Impacts Macroinvertebrate Diversity in Temporary Wetlands

Abstract

Although hydroperiod and water chemistry are thought to control temporary wetland macroinvertebrate diversity, their effects are often only detected at the ends of hydrological and water quality gradients. However, canopy cover and other biotic factors dictate solar energy available for producer communities and limit food and shelter for consumers. We surveyed 15 northwest Ohio temporary wetland macroinvertebrate communities and measured pond area, depth, canopy cover, hydroperiod, temperature, water chemistry, leaf litter inputs, algal productivity, vegetation, and land use to evaluate which factors were associated with macroinvertebrate taxon richness, Shannon diversity, and total abundance. Principal components analysis identified four PCA axes explaining 65 % of the variation in our dataset, and subsequent multiple regressions indicated PC2 (canopy-mediated productivity) was associated with 57, 41, and 63 % of the variation in total family richness, Shannon diversity, and predator family richness, respectively. Decreased canopy cover was associated with increased aquatic plant abundance, algal diversity, water temperature, and diurnal dissolved oxygen. These data emphasize the importance of canopy cover as a regulator of diversity and community composition, corroborating other studies finding few associations between invertebrate diversity, hydroperiod, and water chemistry.