Inland Aquatic Habitats Research Articles

Diversity and distribution of the cladocerans (Crustacea, Branchiopoda) in Thailand.

An updated checklist of the cladoceran fauna from inland aquatic habitats in Thailand (a high-diversity hotspot in Southeast Asia), based on published cladoceran records found in literature is presented. The checklist updates nomenclature and species distributions, especially habitat preferences. A total of 138 valid recorded species is relatively high. However, the estimators indicate that more species are expected to be found with more research. The north-eastern and southern regions of Thailand are well-studied regions of high species richness with 100 and 96 cladoceran species, respectively, whereas the northern and eastern regions have large research gaps that should be studied further. Moreover, each habitat type seems to have a unique cladoceran community as the similarity values amongst them are mostly low (Sorensen similarity index < 0.50). Therefore, it is suggested that habitats with unique characteristics, such as peat swamps, stream and cave pools, are worthy of further exploration. If the current records of cladoceran diversity in Thailand confirms a high diversity of this animal in the tropical region, then the geographical distribution of each species can be properly explained.

Diatoms from inland aquatic and soil habitats as indestructible and nonremovable forensic environmental evidence.

Environmental analysis of soil, water, and plants plays a key role in the criminal investigation process, as it not only provides information about the course of the crime, but it can also elucidate the connection between the offender, the victim, and the environment. One particularly useful way of linking the victim and offender to a specific environment is by analyzing their clothing for the presence of diatoms. The present research was conducted upon field experiments. Firstly, it examines the variability of diatom and the quantitative analysis of diatom communities in designated places, each at an increasing distance from the aquatic ecosystem. Secondly, it analyses the differentiation of the structure of diatom communities in designated environments located close to each other. Thirdly, it examines the diatom colonization of selected substrates: cotton, chamois leather, and sponge. Finally, it confirms whether the diatoms which transfer to socks after contact with the selected environment reflect the structure of the diatom communities in that environment, even after the socks had been washed. Our findings indicate that diatom communities vary considerably, even between environments separated by short distances, and that objects placed in a particular environment are colonized by diatoms that reflect the environmental samples, irrespective of the substrate. In addition, after contact with a specific aquatic ecosystem, sock material retained diatom collections that reflected the environment samples, even though the time of exposure was very short and after the socks had been washed. This provides valuable information that can be used as forensic evidence.

An Experimental Evaluation of Toxicity Effects of Sodium Chloride on Oviposition, Hatching and Larval Development of Aedes albopictus.

Dengue virus, one of the most important mosquito-borne viruses, has shown a sharp upward trend, spreading around the world in recent years. Control of vectors Aedes aegypti and Ae. albopictus remains crucial for blocking dengue transmission. The lethal ovitrap (LO) is one of the cost-effective traps based on the classic “lure and kill” strategy, and finding a proper long-lasting effective toxin is key to achieving the desired effect. The concentration of inorganic salts of habitat environment plays a strong role in affecting oviposition, hatching, and development of mosquitoes, but the potential insecticide activity of Sodium Chloride (NaCl) in habitat water as well as LO still lacks research. In this study, we carried out laboratory experiments to systematically explore the effects of different concentrations of NaCl solutions on oviposition, egg hatching, and larval development of Ae. albopictus. Consequently, Ae. albopictus was found to prefer freshwater to lay eggs; whereas 48.8 ± 2.6% eggs were laid in freshwater and 20% in ≥1.0% brackish water, few eggs were laid in 3.0% NaCl solution. Compared with egg hatching, larval development of Ae. albopictus presented a higher sensibility to NaCl concentration. The mortality of the 3rd–4th larvae in 1.0% NaCl solution was 83.8 ± 8.7%, while in 3.0% it reached 100%. Considering the cumulative effect of NaCl, when NaCl concentration was ≥1.0%, no eggs could successfully develop into adults. These data suggested that NaCl solutions with a concentration ≥1.0% can be used as an effective cheap insecticide for Ae. albopictus in subtropical inland aquatic habitats, and also as the “kill” toxin in LOs. Meanwhile, the concentration range from 0 to 2.0% of NaCl solution has the potential to be used as the “lure” in LOs. The technological processes of how to use NaCl as insecticide or in LOs still needs further in-depth exploration.

Seasonal changes in mitochondrial bioenergetics and physiological performance of the bluegill sunfish, Lepomis macrochirus, from a shallow, Midwest river.

As global temperature shifts due to anthropogenic impacts, seasonal temperatures in shallow aquatic ecosystems are expected to increase. Previous studies on freshwater fishes that experience significant temperature changes during the annual seasons found pronounced physiological restructuring not observed in animals inhabiting more thermally stable environments. Studies evaluating mitochondrial bioenergetics in fish are often performed on animals acclimated to constant temperatures in the laboratory. However, natural habitats are much more complex. Fishes may experience substantial daily and seasonal variation in temperature, energy requirements and resource availability, which are impossible to emulate on acclimation studies. Our study explores the effects of these more complex natural environments on whole-organism thermal tolerance and mitochondrial bioenergetics in bluegill sunfish (Lepomis macrochirus), a native fish to the temperate zone of North America. Compensatory mechanisms and variations in physiological thresholds were observed in specimens acclimatized to the fall season compared to specimens acclimatized to spring and summer seasons. Somatic indices, such as relative weights and hepatosomatic indices, showed significant differences across seasons and critical thermal maxima significantly decreased in the cold acclimatized specimens. Liver mitochondria from L. macrochirus also showed significantly higher uncoupled proton conductance, cytochrome c oxidase (COX) activity, and reduced respiratory control ratios in individuals sampled in the colder season. These findings suggest that mechanisms regulating proton conductance and COX activity modulate mitochondrial function across seasons to sustain physiological fitness in ectotherms inhabiting shallow, inland aquatic habitats.

Geo-Spatial Tools for Science-Based Management of Inland Aquatic Habitats and Conservation of Fish Genetic Resources

Inland fisheries resources are vital for the human community and contribute to the development of a particular region. However, inland water bodies are highly dynamic, surrounded by terrestrial ecosystems, and face multiple threats from various anthropogenic stressors. Hence, the conservation and management of aquatic resources are becoming formidable which require the use of geo-spatial technologies for evidence-based scientific management of their habitats and fish genetic resources. The applications of geo-spatial tools are well acknowledged in data-scarce regions and in the field of natural resource management where the decision can be made based on the outputs arising from limited scientific assumptions. The remote sensing (RS) and Geographical Information System (GIS) based habitat characterization of inland water bodies, viz., inventory, monitoring of water spread and quality, habitat risk and suitability mapping, habitat prediction, and connectivity assessment is getting momentum in recent times, and incorporation of field exploration data with landscape information derived from geo-spatial tools enhance our understanding on aquatic habitats. The applications of geo-spatial models enhanced the potential of ecosystem service quantification and conservation planning in inland aquatic habitats. The demonstration of RS and GIS applications at a larger landform scale in inland open water bodies is necessary to illustrate its potential for science-based management of inland aquatic habitats for the conservation of fish genetic resources.

Surveys of Afrotemperate forests yields two new freshwater crabs (Decapoda: Potamonautidae: Potamonautes MacLeay, 1838) from South Africa

Sampling of remote inland aquatic habitats in South Africa has constantly been yielding novel endemic freshwater crab species (Potamonautes MacLeay,1838). During the present study, we report on the discovery and description of two new freshwater crab species (Potamonautes baziya sp. nov., and P. mariepskoppie sp. nov.) from Afrotemperate forested mountain regions in the Eastern Cape and Mpumalanga provinces of South Africa, respectively. Phylogenetic evidence derived from DNA sequence data of three partial mitochondrial loci (12S rRNA, 16S rRNA and cytochrome oxidase subunit one, COI) corroborates the evolutionary distinction of the two novel species. In addition, morphological and ecological data for the two new species further delineate their evolutionary distinction from congeneric sister species. A comparison of the taxonomically important gonopods 1 and 2 and carapace features among the sister species and other known freshwater crabs of South Africa was further used to provide evidence for the distinction of the two novel species. The discovery of two new species suggest that remote mountainous areas or unsampled regions in South Africa likely harbor several novel species, reiterating a call to document aquatic inland biodiversity in forested and mountainous regions of the country.

Latitudinal variation in global range‐size of aquatic macrophyte species shows evidence for a Rapoport effect

AbstractTo test hypotheses concerning the applicability of the Rapoport effect (RE: “species that occur at higher latitudes tend to have greater geographical range‐size than species which have ranges limited to latitudes closer to the equator”) to aquatic macrophytes at global scale, we analysed the world latitudinal distribution and range‐size of 1,083 vascular aquatic macrophyte species, from 91 genera in 11 families. We targeted macrophyte families strongly associated with inland aquatic habitats (i.e. with a zero, or only very low, proportion of constituent species which occur also in non‐aquatic habitats), and which are distributed across a substantial latitudinal gradient, a necessary condition to test our hypotheses.The macrophyte species present in these families include plants from all the normally accepted life form‐defined functional groups of macrophytes, namely submerged, free‐floating, floating‐leaf rooted and emergent species, and represent the three major vascular taxonomic groups occurring as aquatic macrophytes (ferns/fern allies, monocots, and dicots). For the analysis, we used both latitude‐only and areal measures of macrophyte species geographic range‐size, within a 10 × 10° (latitude × longitude) grid of 238 grid cells, covering the six world ecozones (Palaearctic, Orient, Australasia, Nearctic, Neotropics, Afrotropics) that primarily contain inland freshwater and brackish macrophyte habitats.The results provide new insight into the relationships between global range‐size of macrophytes, latitude, and other potential spatio‐environmental and anthropogenic drivers acting upon these plants at world scale. In particular, the outcomes indicated that: (1) the range‐size versus latitude distribution of macrophytes shows evidence of a strong RE influence, with significantly greater species range‐size at higher latitudes; and (2) the β‐diversity pattern of species distribution along this latitudinal gradient is poorly explained by nestedness organisation, and species turnover is a more likely explanation of the observed changes in species distribution with latitude.Spatio‐environmental and anthropogenic variables other than latitude may also influence the observed global geographical pattern of macrophyte range‐size, although their importance as predictors varies between individual families. Extent of agricultural land use, altitude, and historic (post‐Quaternary) climate change velocity were all significant predictor variables for some families. However, interestingly, neither the area of land nor the area of waterbody present per grid cell were major influences on macrophyte range‐size distribution.Our finding of evidence for an RE, acting at global scale in aquatic macrophytes, contributes to increasing the generality of conclusions so far reached about the large‐scale factors that drive patterns of species range‐size at global scale. The study also provides a baseline for future macroecological work on aquatic plants, and potentially other freshwater organisms, particularly in the context of predicting how the world ranges of freshwater biota will respond to ongoing global environmental change.

Rotifers from inland water bodies of continental Ecuador and Galápagos Islands: An updated checklist

We present an updated checklist of the rotifer fauna from inland aquatic habitats in continental Ecuador and the Galápagos islands based on published rotifer records found in the literature. The checklist summarizes the status of the current taxonomic and faunistic knowledge on rotifers in Ecuador, updates the nomenclature, and reports the regions where each species has been found in the country. A total of 287 valid species (269 monogononts and 18 bdelloids was found. The Ecuadorian region with the highest number of records was Amazonia (228) followed by the Coastal region (139) and the Andes (121), whereas in the Galápagos Archipelago only 40 species have been recorded. Studies of the rotifer fauna of the areas are scarce and quite recent, pointing to important gaps in our knowledge on taxonomy and biogeography of Ecuadorian rotifers.

Genetic divergence outpaces phenotypic evolution among threespine stickleback populations in old freshwater habitats.

Species such as threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) that inhabit divergent selective environments and that have diversified on different time scales can be of value for understanding evolutionary processes. Here we synthesize high-resolution genotypic and phenotypic data to explore a largely unstudied distribution of threespine stickleback populations living in oceanic and freshwater habitats along coastal and inland regions of Oregon. Many inland aquatic habitats of Oregon remained unglaciated during the last ice age, meaning that some extant Oregon lake and river stickleback may have descended from freshwater populations established long before more well-studied, post-glacial freshwater populations. To address the degree of congruence between genetic and phenotypic divergence, we directly compared Oregon stickleback to much younger (post-glacial) Alaskan populations. We found phenotypic variation in Oregon stickleback to be primarily partitioned between oceanic and freshwater habitats, as has been documented in other stickleback systems. However, the main axis of genetic divergence was between coastal and inland regions regardless of habitat type. Furthermore, when comparing patterns between Oregon and Alaska we found similar levels of phenotypic divergence, but much greater genetic divergence among Oregon's populations. The Oregon stickleback system therefore appears well suited for future studies linking genotypic and phenotypic change, further extending the utility of this small fish to provide general insights into evolutionary processes.

Coalescent models characterize sources and demographic history of recent round goby colonization of Great Lakes and inland waters.

The establishment and spread of aquatic invasive species are ecologically and economically harmful and a source of conservation concern internationally. Processes of species invasion have traditionally been inferred from observational data of species presence/absence and relative abundance. However, genetic‐based approaches can provide valuable sources of inference. Restriction site‐associated DNA sequencing was used to identify and genotype single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) loci for Round Gobies (Neogobius melanostomus) (N = 440) from 18 sampling locations in the Great Lakes and in three Michigan, USA, drainages (Flint, Au Sable, and Cheboygan River basins). Sampled rivers differed in size, accessibility, and physical characteristics including man‐made dispersal barriers. Population levels of genetic diversity and interpopulation variance in SNP allele frequency were used in coalescence‐based approximate Bayesian computation (ABC) to statistically compare models representing competing hypotheses regarding source population, postcolonization dispersal, and demographic history in the Great Lakes and inland waters. Results indicate different patterns of colonization across the three drainages. In the Flint River, models indicate a strong population bottleneck (<3% of contemporary effective population size) and a single founding event from Saginaw Bay led to the colonization of inland river segments. In the Au Sable River, analyses could not distinguish potential source populations, but supported models indicated multiple introductions from one source population. In the Cheboygan River, supported models indicated that colonization likely proceeded from east (Lake Huron source) to west among inland locales sampled in the system. Despite the recent occupancy of Great Lakes and inland habitats, large numbers of loci analyzed in an ABC framework enable statistically supported identification of source populations and reconstruction of the direction of inland spread and demographic history following establishment. Information from analyses can direct management actions to limit the spread of invasive species from identified sources and most probable vectors into additional inland aquatic habitats.

An annotated checklist of the freshwater cladocerans (Crustacea: Branchiopoda: Cladocera) of Ecuador and the Galápagos Islands

An annotated checklist of recorded species of Cladocera (Crustacea: Branchiopoda) from inland aquatic habitats in Ecuador (including the Galapagos) is provided. We revised all published records, evaluated the validity of each taxon and provided short taxonomic and biogeographical remarks for each taxon. A total of 34 valid species grouped into 23 genera was found. Presently, all attempts to analyze distributional patterns of cladocerans in Ecuador are premature due to the scarcity of adequate information. Current achievements in the inventory of cladocerans, information gaps and recommendations for future studies on cladoceran taxonomy in Ecuador are discussed.

Review of the Hygrophilous Weevils in Israel (Coleoptera: Curculionoidea)

Forty-one species in 20 genera of hygrophilous weevils belonging to Brentidae and Curculionidae, associated with inland aquatic habitats, have been recorded recently from Israel, eight of them for the first time. Thirty-four species are extant, while five species have probably become extinct recently, and two are fossil species, known from Late Cretaceous deposits. Sixteen species are either aquatic or semi-aquatic, while the rest occur only or predominantly on riparian vegetation. Distributional and biological data for most of the species are provided. A key to all hygrophilous weevil taxa and illustrations for most of the species are provided.

Biota-sediment accumulation factor and concentration of heavy metals (Hg, Cd, As, Ni, Pb and Cu) in sediments and tissues of Chiton lamyi (Mollusca: Polyplacophora: Chitonidae) in Chabahar Bay, Iran

Heavy metals and some organic substances which are drained into the aquatic environments and cannot be decomposed or eliminated will sink into sediments or find their way into different levels of food chain. Bioaccumulation is the process of continuous deposition and aggregation of these substances into the body tissue of living organisms. Mollusks are remarkably appropriate to be used as bio-indicators because of their motionless or almost sessile nature, relatively high abundance, selective absorption of certain ions, and worldwide distribution in marine and inland aquatic habitats. Chiton lamyi is a sedentary species from the phylum, Polyplacophora, which is usually abundant on the rocky shores and intertidal zone of marine environments. Sediment and Chiton samples were taken from four stations of Chabahar Bay in autumn 2013. After acid digestion of samples, the concentration of heavy metals (mercury, cadmium, arsenic, nickel, lead and copper) were measured by the graphite furnace atomic absorption apparatus, and the bioaccumulation factor in relation to sediment was calculated. The highest concentration value was calculated as 3.28 for cadmium in the Hafte Tir station. The results of this study indicated that chitons can be used as an appropriate bio-indicator for heavy metals particularly cadmium pollution in the marine environment.

Endocrine and metabolic impacts of warming aquatic habitats: differential responses between recently isolated populations of a eurythermal desert pupfish.

Temperatures of inland aquatic habitats are increasing with climate change, and understanding how fishes respond physiologically to thermal stress will be crucial for identifying species most susceptible to these changes. Desert fishes may be particularly vulnerable to rising temperatures because many species occupy only a fraction of their historical range and occur in habitats with already high temperatures. Here, we examined endocrine and metabolic responses to elevated temperature in Amargosa pupfish, Cyprinodon nevadensis amargosae. We studied C. n. amargosae from two habitats with distinct thermal conditions: the Amargosa River, which experiences diurnally and seasonally variable temperatures (0.2-40°C); and Tecopa Bore, a spring and marsh fed by hot groundwater (47.5°C) from an artesian borehole. These allopatric populations differ in morphology, and prior evidence suggests that temperature might contribute to these differences via altered thyroid hormone (TH) regulation of morphological development. Here, we document variation in hepatic iodothyronine deiodinase type 2 (dio2) and type 3 (dio3) and TH receptor β (trβ) gene transcript abundance between the Amargosa River and Tecopa Bore wild populations. Fish from these populations acclimated to 24 or 34°C retained differences in hepatic dio2, dio3 and trβ mRNAs and also varied in transcripts encoding the TH membrane transporters monocarboxylate transporter 8 (mct8) and organic anion-transporting protein 1c1 (oatp1c1). Tecopa Bore pupfish also exhibited higher dio2 and trβ mRNA levels in skeletal muscle relative to Amargosa River fish. Muscle citrate synthase activity was lower at 34°C for both populations, whereas lactate dehydrogenase activity and lactate dehydrogenase A-chain (ldhA) transcripts were both higher and 3,5,3'-triiodothryonine responsive in Tecopa Bore pupfish only. These findings reveal that local population variation and thermal experience interact to shape how pupfish respond to elevated temperatures, and point to the need to consider such interactions in management actions for desert fishes under a changing climate.

Growth performance of Vallisneria spiralis under oligotrophic conditions supports its potential invasiveness in mid‐elevation freshwaters

SummaryUnder the influence of human‐driven impacts, inland aquatic habitats of intermediate to mid‐high elevations may provide new areas for the establishment of lowland macrophytes that usually act as opportunistic species. Vallisneria spiralis, an obligate lowland macrophyte with an altitudinal range not exceeding 300 m, is a typical component of the plant diversity in meso‐ to eutrophic water habitats. This species is an engineering species in ecosystems, being able to modify the colonised sediments promoting its self‐maintenance under eutrophic conditions. Vallisneria spiralis delivers large amounts of oxygen to roots promoting the loss of nitrogen via denitrification and reducing the internal nutrient load of colonised environments. However, the establishment of the species results in rapid sediment accumulation and the progressive loss of more sensitive macrophytes. Furthermore, V. spiralis is one of the most widespread alien aquatic weeds in Europe. In this study, we evaluated the growth performance of V. spiralis under oligotrophic conditions at the upper limit of its altitudinal distribution using two different techniques: harvesting and leaf‐marking. Vallisneria spiralis proved to be able to grow under oligotrophic conditions, even if at rates lower than those recorded under eutrophic conditions. Accordingly, V. spiralis represents a potential threat for oligotrophic aquatic habitats at moderate elevations. However, the high variability observed in the growth responses highlights the need of further investigation to evaluate the key factors involved in the establishment and survival of the species.

Checklist of the freshwater Cladocera (Crustacea: Branchiopoda) of South Korea

Abstract We present an annotated checklist of the taxa of Cladocera (Crustacea: Branchiopoda) from inland aquatic habitats of South Korea. The group contains 85 valid species grouped into three orders, nine families, and 36 genera. Knowledge of the cladoceran fauna of Korea has been significantly improved, but such efforts need to be continued. Further studies will likely increase the number of taxa regarded as endemics of the Far East.

Renewed sampling of inland aquatic habitats in southern Africa yields two novel freshwater crab species (Decapoda: Potamonautidae: &lt;italic&gt;Potamonautes&lt;/italic&gt;)

Renewed sampling of inland aquatic habitats in southern Africa yields two novel freshwater crab species (Decapoda: Potamonautidae: &lt;italic&gt;Potamonautes&lt;/italic&gt;)

Renewed sampling of inland aquatic habitats in southern Africa yields two novel freshwater crab species (Decapoda: Potamonautidae:Potamonautes)

A recent survey of the freshwater streams of the Mecula and Yao mountains in the Niassa province of Mozambique resulted in the discovery of a new freshwater crab species. This species is genetically and morphologically distinct from described species from Mozambique or its neighbouring countries, and is described as Potamonautes bellarussus sp. nov. In addition, a new semi-terrestrial burrowing freshwater crab Potamonautes flavusjo sp. nov. from the Highveld of the Mpumalanga province in South Africa is described based on unique genetic and morphological characters. The phylogenetic affinities of the two new species in relation to the described eastern and southern African Potamonautes species is determined and the biogeographic implications are discussed. © 2014 The Linnean Society of London

Patterns of Freshwater Bivalve Global Diversity and the State of Phylogenetic Studies on the Unionoida, Sphaeriidae, and Cyrenidae*

The objective of this paper is to review the current state of our knowledge of freshwater bivalve diversity and evolution in order to identify some of the “Great Unanswered Questions” in the field. Twenty-one bivalve families have been attributed to fresh waters, but only 16 actually live and reproduce in inland waterways. Of 1209 species of freshwater bivalves, 1178 (97%) belong to eight primary freshwater families: Unionidae, Margaritiferidae, Hyriidae, Mycetopodidae, Iridinidae, and Etheriidae (all Unionoida), Sphaeriidae, and Cyrenidae (both Veneroida). The remaining 31 species represent secondary freshwater lineages of predominantly brackish/marine bivalve families. The global geographical patterns of freshwater bivalve richness are discussed, and an appendix detailing the families, genera, and species of freshwater bivalves is provided.Although the primary freshwater bivalve families represent at least three independent radiations from marine into inland aquatic habitats, these lineages have converged on similar adaptations to life in a flowing hypoosmotic medium. For example, all have abandoned broadcast spawning and planktonic veligers. Phylogenetic studies of the Unionoida, Sphaeriidae, and Cyrenidae have also converged on a suite of common challenges: outgroup issues, biased ingroup taxon and character sampling, and atypical modes of genetic inheritance that uncouple gene trees from species trees. The recent phylogenetic literature on the three primary radiations is reviewed, emphasizing areas in need of research. Ample opportunities exist in freshwater bivalve research but progress is hindered by the limited numbers of researchers and students in the field.

Are patterns in the taxonomic, biological and ecological traits of water beetles congruent in Mediterranean ecosystems?

Summary1. Coleoptera species show considerable diversity in life histories and ecological strategies, which makes possible their wide distribution in freshwater habitats, including highly stressed ones such as saline or temporary waterbodies. Explaining how particular combinations of traits allow species to occupy distinctive habitats is a central question in ecology.2. A total of 212 sites, sampled over a wide range of inland aquatic habitats in the south‐eastern Iberian Peninsula, yielded 272 species belonging to 68 genera and 11 families. The affinities of genera for 11 biological and 11 ecological traits, gathered from literature and the authors’ own expertise, were used to assess the degree of congruence between taxonomic, biological and ecological traits.3. Taxonomic richness was significantly related to the number of both biological and ecological trait categories, with the richest families also showing the highest functional and ecological diversity. A fuzzy correspondence analysis performed on the abundance‐weighed array of biological traits separated genera according to categories of diet, feeding habits, respiration, reproduction and locomotion. A similar analysis of ecological traits revealed that preferences related to longitudinal distribution (headwater to mouth), local habitat and current velocity best discriminated genera. At the family level, there was a distinctive functional grouping of genera based on biological traits. Only Elmidae showed noticeable homogeneity across genera for both biological and ecological traits.4. Co‐inertia analysis demonstrated a significant match between biological and ecological traits (Rv‐correlation = 0.35, P &lt; 0.001). Elmidae genera displayed the highest concordance, whereas Hydraenidae demonstrated the lowest.5. These results indicate that the predominance of habitat filtering processes in headwater streams yields biological trait conservatism (as shown by Elmidae genera), as well as trait convergence for some specific traits (for instance, respiration) among certain Dytiscidae genera and other typical rheophilic taxa, whereas other biotic factors, such as competition among species, appear more prominent in less stressed habitats. Further knowledge of traits, especially regarding physiological capabilities, is needed to better understand water beetle life history strategies.