Types Of Freshwater Habitats Research Articles

Flagship umbrella species needed for the conservation of overlooked aquatic biodiversity.

Despite a long-standing debate about the utility of species-centered conservation approaches (Roberge & Angelstam 2004), surrogate species remain popular by providing useful—or even necessary—“shortcuts” for successful conservation programs (Caro 2010). Flagship species, as one prime example of surrogates, are primarily intended to promote public awareness and to raise funds for conservation (Verissimo et al. 2011). In contrast, the protection of umbrella species is expected to benefit a wide range of co-occurring species (Roberge & Angelstam 2004; Caro 2010). Accordingly, the main criteria for selecting flagships should be based on socio-cultural considerations, whereas umbrellas are principally chosen based on ecological criteria (Caro 2010; Verissimo et al. 2011; see Table 1). Since these two concepts are often confused or mistakenly used interchangeably, Caro (2010, p. 248) coined the term "flagship umbrellas" for those species that explicitly integrate both functions. Indeed, Li and Pimm (2016) recently demonstrated that the classic flagship species, the giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca), can simultaneously act as an umbrella species, as its protection benefits many co-occurring endemic mammals, birds and amphibians. This challenges the often held views that: (i) the umbrella concept has to be abandoned as it is not efficiently working at local scales (Caro 2015); (ii) most flagship species are weak predictors for efficient reserve planning (Caro 2010); and (iii) ecosystem- or landscape-based conservation approaches should consequentially be favored over species-based approaches whenever feasible (Roberge & Angelstam 2004; Caro 2010). Further commotion in the discussion is the increasingly demanded paradigm shift in conservation strategies to specifically target hidden or neglected biodiversity for its intrinsic value and its contribution to ecosystem processes (Dougherty et al. 2016). This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved

A larval transcriptome of the limnephilid caddisfly Micropterna lateralis (Stephens, 1837) (Trichoptera: Limnephilidae)

ABSTRACTThe aquatic caddisfly Micropterna lateralis (Stephens, 1837) is adapted to intermittent streams. Normally, the species persists drought conditions by means of an adult diapause, yet active larvae, pupation and emergence have been observed on dry stream beds. The species, thus, presents a good example to study the molecular basis of local adaptation to different hydrological conditions and freshwater habitat types, but genomic resources are lacking to date. We isolated total RNA and applied Illumina RNA-Seq to a pool of eight larval specimens sampled under different hydrological conditions during a drought experiment simulating stream intermittency. Sequencing resulted in 108′011′306 high-quality reads that were de novo assembled into 17,759 contigs, of which 16,848 were matched to protein sequences from Insects. The transcriptome of M. lateralis is providing a valuable resource for future investigations of molecular mechanisms in drought adaptation in aquatic insects and the secondary invasion of freshwater habitats by insects in general.

Testate amoebae (Testaceae) of Lithuania

Lithuania is situated in the geographical centre of Europe, on the eastern coast of the Baltic Sea. The landscape is formed by lakes, rivers, some wetlands and woodlands. The majority of vertebrate and invertebrate fauna of Lithuania are explored sufficiently well. However, free living protists in Lithuania are studied very scantily. The aim of this study was to provide an overview of testate amoebae in Lithuania on the basis of own results and of literature data recorded by other researchers . Fifty seven testate amoebae species of 13 genera were identified. 28 species of testate amoebae were revealed from soil mosses, 7 from lichen X. parietina and 29 from various types of freshwater habitats. Species of genus Difflugia (16 species) dominated in freshwater habitats. The most diverse genera in moss and lichen were Euglypha (9 species).

Chironomidae bloodworms larvae as aquatic amphibian food

Different species of chironomids larvae (Diptera: Chironomidae) so-called bloodworms are widely distributed in the sediments of all types of freshwater habitats and considered as an important food source for amphibians. In our study, three species of Chironomidae (Baeotendipes noctivagus, Benthalia dissidens, and Chironomus riparius) were identified in 23 samples of larvae from Belgium, Poland, Russia, and Ukraine provided by a distributor in Belgium. We evaluated the suitability of these samples as amphibian food based on four different aspects: the likelihood of amphibian pathogens spreading, risk of heavy metal accumulation in amphibians, nutritive value, and risk of spreading of zoonotic bacteria (Salmonella, Campylobacter, and ESBL producing Enterobacteriaceae). We found neither zoonotic bacteria nor the amphibian pathogens Ranavirus and Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis in these samples. Our data showed that among the five heavy metals tested (Hg, Cu, Cd, Pb, and Zn), the excess level of Pb in two samples and low content of Zn in four samples implicated potential risk of Pb accumulation and Zn inadequacy. Proximate nutritional analysis revealed that, chironomidae larvae are consistently high in protein but more variable in lipid content. Accordingly, variations in the lipid: protein ratio can affect the amount and pathway of energy supply to the amphibians. Our study indicated although environmentally-collected chironomids larvae may not be vectors of specific pathogens, they can be associated with nutritional imbalances and may also result in Pb bioaccumulation and Zn inadequacy in amphibians. Chironomidae larvae may thus not be recommended as single diet item for amphibians.

Underground mining can contribute to freshwater biodiversity conservation: Allogenic succession forms suitable habitats for dragonflies

Human-induced changes negatively affect all components of freshwater ecosystems and comprise the major cause of global loss of diversity and the biotic homogenization of freshwater faunas. The high diversity of dragonflies in heavily industrialized areas is therefore paradoxical, to say the least. We compared diversity of dragonflies in three main freshwater habitat types (natural and human-made) occurring in Upper Silesia (Central Europe). We used multivariate methods and diversity indices for a general analysis, comprising both species richness and the species composition of assemblages. We recorded 50 species in mine subsidence pools from the total of 54 sampled species. These included a high proportion of habitat specialists (typically threatened species). We emphasize that secondary habitats (e.g. spontaneously originated mine subsidence pools) should not a priori be regarded as ecological traps, because these often are the available habitats with highest quality. These habitats significantly outweigh ponds in species richness and proportion of habitat specialists. The conservation potential of specific secondary habitats lies in the fact that these habitats can substitute for very rare natural wetlands often restricted to higher elevations. We assume that high diversity in this type of secondary habitats is not random, but rather that it depends on environmental heterogeneity caused by a specific allogenic succession process occurring as a direct consequence of mining.

Phylogeography and Genetic Structuring of European Nine-Spined Sticklebacks (Pungitius pungitius)—Mitochondrial DNA Evidence

As a consequence of colonisation from different glacial refugia, many northern European taxa are split into distinct western and eastern lineages. However, as for the nine-spined stickleback (Pungitius pungitius), the exact location of the contact zone between lineages often remains poorly known. We assessed the genetic differentiation and diversity in the nine-spined stickleback within Europe using 1037 base pairs of cytochrome b sequence for 320 individuals from 57 locations, including pond, lake, river, and coastal habitats. Our main aims were (i) to locate the contact zone between the previously recognized western and eastern lineages, (ii) investigate latitudinal patterns in genetic diversity, (iii) compare genetic diversity among different habitat types, and (iv) date the known split between eastern and western lineages. The data revealed the split between eastern and western to be located across the Danish Straits and roughly following the Norway/Sweden border to the North. Reference sites from Canada form their own clades, and one of the Canadian sites was found to have a haplotype common to the Eastern European lineage, possibly representing an ancestral polymorphism. The split between the two European clades was dated to approximately 1.48 million years ago (Mya), and between Canada and Europe to approximately 1.62 Mya. After controlling for habitat effects, nucleotide (but not haplotype) diversity across populations decreased with increasing latitude. Coastal populations showed significantly higher haplotype diversity (but not nucleotide diversity) than pond populations, but there were no detectable differences in haplotype diversity among different freshwater habitat types (viz. river, lake and pond populations), or between coastal and lake/river populations. Sequences were found to cluster according to their geographic proximity, rather than by habitat type, and all habitat types were found within each major clade, implying that colonisation and adaptation between the coastal and freshwater environments in different regions must have occurred in parallel.

Molecular evidence for species separation in the water mite Hygrobates nigromaculatus Lebert, 1879 (Acari, Hydrachnidia): evolutionary consequences of the loss of larval parasitism

In the present study, we used mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) and nuclear D2 region of 28S rDNA sequence data to examine the taxonomic status of the water mite species Hygrobates nigromaculatus from two types of freshwater habitats: lentic (lakes) and lotic (streams). Previous hypotheses about (sub)species status of populations inhabiting lakes and streams based on differences in morphometric data and life-cycle strategy (parasitic vs. non-parasitic larvae) were strongly supported by molecular data. Levels of COI and D2 28S rDNA differentiation between lake and stream populations were much higher (ca. 18 and 7.5%, respectively) than those typically observed for populations of a single species. Both lake and stream populations showed similar high levels of gene diversity (Hd = 0.894 and 0.836, respectively). However, nucleotide within-population polymorphism was more than twice as high in lake populations as that in stream populations (π = 1.33 and 0.60%, respectively). We hypothesize that the ancestral lake-dwelling population originated from a stream form with parasitic larvae (here: H. setosus nov. stat.). For the observed populations, H. nigromaculatus individuals could be separated from H. setosus by distinct morphometric characters. The loss of phoretic parasitic larvae greatly decreased dispersal ability of lake-dwelling mites and consequently also the gene flow between lake populations. Thus, relatively more differentiated genetic structure in lake populations probably results from a stronger isolation between particular lake habitats, but this hypothesis needs further extensive studies.

On the Estonian fauna of Harpacticoida (Crustacea, Copepoda)

For the first time a faunistic and ecological review of 18 harpacticoid species and forms from Estonia is presented. They were sampled in May and September and inhabit different types of freshwater habitats: from micro-waterbodies among hygrophilous plants to large lakes of Peipsi and Vortsjarv. The harpacticoid species occurring in Estonia belong to thermophilic, cold- preferring, and eurythermic ecological groups. A new harpacticoid subspecies Maraenobiotus brucei estonicus E. Fefilova subsp. nov. from wet plants under a waterfall is described. It differs from the known subspecies of M. brucei in the structures of the exopodite of antenna, mandibular palp, endopodite of leg 2, and spines on abdominal somites.

Biodiversity of freshwater microfauna in the floodplain of the River Mun, Northeast Thailand: the Rotifera monogononta

We report on the γ- diversity of Rotifera in freshwater habitats of the River Mun floodplain, Northeast Thailand. Qualitative samples were collected during the pre-monsoon (April) and post-monsoon (October) periods of 2000, from 70 habitats spanning a diverse array of freshwater habitat types. Of the 184 species identified, most belong to Lecane (31.0%), followed by Trichocerca (12.0%), Lepadella (11.4%) and Brachionus (8.2%). Oriental, Australasian, and Eastern hemisphere taxa account for 4.3%, 3.3% and 7.1%, respectively, of the total rotifer fauna, and 8.8%, 1.7% and 10.5%, respectively, of Lecane. Although comparison between studies is difficult, these numbers conform to previous reports on the diversity and composition of the rotifer fauna of Thai freshwater habitats, and of tropical floodplain ecosystems. Diversity is lowest during the post-monsoon period, which may result from disturbance by monsoon conditions. Two morphospecies, Brachionus srisumonaen. sp., and Lecane niwati n. sp., are described as new to science. Additional noteworthy occurrences are, Lecane robertsonae Segers, previously considered a Neotropical endemic, and L. subtilis Harring & Myers, a tropicopolitan species new to Thailand and the Oriental region.

Applying Linear Programming to estimate fluxes in ecosystems or food webs: an example from the herpetological assemblage of the freshwater Everglades

We present the application of Linear Programming for estimating biomass fluxes in ecosystem and food web models. We use the herpetological assemblage of the Everglades as an example. We developed food web structures for three common Everglades freshwater habitat types: marsh, prairie, and upland. We obtained a first estimate of the fluxes using field data, literature estimates, and professional judgment. Linear programming was used to obtain a consistent and better estimate of the set of fluxes, while maintaining mass balance and minimizing deviations from point estimates. The results support the view that the Everglades is a spatially heterogeneous system, with changing patterns of energy flux, species composition, and biomasses across the habitat types. We show that a food web/ecosystem perspective, combined with Linear Programming, is a robust method for describing food webs and ecosystems that requires minimal data, produces useful post-solution analyses, and generates hypotheses regarding the structure of energy flow in the system.

A method for estimating the extent of standing fresh waters of different trophic states in Great Britain

Abstract1. The total area of standing fresh water in Great Britain has been estimated at approximately 2400 km2. The aim of the work described in this paper was to estimate the extent of the dystrophic, oligotrophic, mesotrophic and eutrophic habitat types making up this total.2. Botanical survey data collected by the statutory nature conservation agencies provided habitat type and surface area for 3500 water bodies, mostly in Scotland. Because survey in England and Wales had been less thorough than in Scotland, it was not possible to estimate the areas of habitat types simply by direct extrapolation from the survey sample to the total resource of standing water in Great Britain.3. A system of Trophic Ranking Scores (TRS) has been developed for aquatic plant species. Using plant records from the Biological Records Centre, a mean TRS for each 10×10 km square was produced, and Great Britain was divided into TRS bands. For each of these bands, the percentage by surveyed area of each freshwater habitat type was calculated. These percentages were applied to the total area of standing water in each TRS band, obtained from Ordnance Survey summary statistics, in order to predict the proportions of the different habitat types likely to occur in each band. The extent of these habitats in Great Britain as a whole could then be calculated.4. Estimates produced by this method of the extent of the four standing freshwater habitat types in Great Britain are: dystrophic — 11 km2 (0.5%); oligotrophic — 1445 km2 (60%); mesotrophic — 267 km2 (11%); eutrophic — 679 km2 (28%).5. The application of this work to nature conservation is discussed. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Multi-locus genetic evidence for rapid ecologically based speciation inDaphnia

The process of speciation involves the divergence of two or more subpopulations of a parent species into independent evolutionary trajectories. To study this process in natural populations requires a detailed knowledge of the genetic and ecological characteristics of the parent species and an understanding of how its populations can lose evolutionary cohesion. The cosmopolitan and speciose genus Daphnia provides many of these features by existing in multiple freshwater habitat types, particularly permanent lakes and temporary ponds, each of which presents distinct ecological challenges. We assayed the genetic composition of 20 temporary pond populations of members of the Daphnia pulex species complex in north-western Oregon and compared them to published data on related lake and pond populations. We collected molecular genetic data from 13 allozyme loci, from six microsatellite loci, and from the control region of the mitochondrial DNA. By assaying over 400 individual Daphnia for these data, we were able to compile composite genotypes not only of individual Daphnia but of each pond population as a whole. In these ponds, we discovered two distinct genotypic constellations, one which bears resemblance to the lake-dwelling taxon D. pulicaria, and one which bears resemblance to the pond-dwelling taxon, D. pulex. Using published genetic data from these and other species as a frame of reference, we characterized 13 of these ponds as being 'pond-like', three as being 'lake-like', and four as being 'mixed'. Unlike studies performed elsewhere, however, these ponds do not exhibit high probabilities of interspecific hybridization. Over 95% of all individuals have either a lake-like or a pond-like genotype at all three genetic systems, suggesting the two forms do not represent hybridized vs. nonhybridized genotypes. Because both types can be found in the same ponds at the same time in gametic disequilibrium, we also discount the possibility that they are two extremes of a single species that is highly genetically subdivided. With these genetic data, and with supporting life-history and ecological data previously gathered on these pond populations, we conclude that the most likely description of this system is of a taxon caught in the act of speciating, with new pond-adapted populations periodically stemming from lake-adapted sources during river flooding events.

The coral treaders, Hermatobates Carpenter (Hemiptera : Hermatobatidae), of Australia and New Caledonia with notes on biology and ecology

Semiaquatic bugs (Heteroptera, infraorder Gerromorpha) are distributed worldwide with approximately 1,600 described species. Most species live in various types of freshwater habitats, but a little more than 10% have colonised the marine environment. The Australian fauna constitutes a significantly higher percentage of marine species (about 25%) than in any other continent. Among these are the coral treaders, Hermatobates Carpenter, belonging to the Hermatobatidae, one of very few insect families that only include marine species. In this paper the two species of Hermatobates previously known from Australia are redescribed and H. armatus, sp. nov. from the Chesterfield Islands in the Coral Sea is added. The distribution of species known from Australia and New Caledonia is mapped, and a revised key to the eight species currently recognised in the genus is presented. Finally, the available knowledge about the biology and ecology of coral treaders is reviewed and discussed.

The Taxonomy and Distribution of Water Mites in Lyon County, Kansas

Introduction The water mites comprise an ecological rather then a morphological group. The order Hydracarina are the only members of the class Arachnoidea adapted to live in fresh water. The brightly-colored water mites are found in all types of fresh-water habitats, but are most abundant in the littoral region of lakes and ponds where rooted aquatic vegetation is present. The body of an adult water mite is generally soft, and oblong to oval in shape. Total length usually ranges between 0.4 and 3.0 mm. The eyes are located near the anterior margin of the body Six pairs of arachnid appendages are present Otl ie adult The two mandibles arq located on the verltral surface of a headlike structure called the capitulum, A pair of Sve-segmented palps are located anterior-laterally on the capitulum. The four pairs of legs origirlate from sclerotized ventral plates called epimera. The taxonomic keys of Pennak (1953), Soar and Williamson (1925-29), Viets (1936), the prolific writings of Marshall (19()31946), and the more recent writings of Mitchell (195g65) are especially helpful in identification.