Ecological factors affecting aquatic beetle species (Insecta: Coleoptera) (original) (raw)
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Effect of environment on functional traits of co-occurring water beetles
Annales De Limnologie-international Journal of Limnology, 2021
We investigated trait-environment relationships of co-occurring aquatic Coleoptera specifically true water beetles in anthropogenic ponds from the Western Ghats, India for the first time. Our objectives were to: (1) identify species assemblages; (2) study species traits; (3) study trait-environment relationships of co-occurring species. We analysed 132 samples collected using standardised quantitative method during the years 2016 and 2017. We found 16 significant assemblages using Fager's index, where most of the pairs have body size ratio of 1.3 or more. For example, Laccophilus parvulus and Hydaticus satoi pair has body size ratio of 3.98, and both are predators, indicating that body size is a function of food size. Moreover, factor analysis revealed three major swimming categories of studied beetles, namely fast swimmers, maneuverers and poor swimmers. Further, the RLQ analysis, and combined approach of RLQ and fourth-corner analysis showed that environmental variables affected species traits. For instance, odonate nymphs and submerged vegetation were positively associated with fast swimmers like Laccophilus inefficiens and Hydaticus satoi. The assemblage of congeners Hydroglyphus inconstans and H. flammulatus can be predator-mediated as these beetles showed negative association with odonate nymphs as well as competitive to obtain resource by showing positive association with chironomid larvae. Therefore, the traits studied were important for ecological performances of species in ponds. This study has also highlighted the importance of anthropogenic ponds in the Western Ghats as biodiversity refuges of ecologically unique and evolutionary old major extant lineages of water beetles.
Aquatic Insects for Biomonitoring Freshwater Ecosystems: A Report
2017
Aquatic insects may considered model organisms in analyzing the structure and function of the freshwater ecosystem because of their high abundance, high birth rate with short generation time, large biomass and rapid colonization of freshwater habitats. Aquatic insects are the major groups of arthropods that spend some parts of their life cycle in the water. Class Insect has many potential representatives that can be used as environmental bioindicators, among which are from the Coleoptera, Diptera, Lepidoptera, Hymenoptera. Water insects or aquatic beetles are biological indicator. The use of bioindicators is essential for environmental monitoring. This study deals with diversity and Importance of aquatic beetles in fresh water ecosystem and their role in water quality assessment as pollution indicator.
International Journal of Environment, 2021
Bhutan is located between the two zoogeographic regions which are assumed to be rich in diversity of water beetles. The study aimed to determine the diversity and distribution pattern of water beetles in different freshwater habitats in Namgaychholing under Samtse district, Bhutan. The study also analysed the association of water beetles with the physico-chemical parameters. The data were collected from four different habitats with sample plot of 3 m × 1 m for a standard time of 1 hour in every plot. A total of 30 species belonging to 7 families were recorded of which Dytiscidae (n=626, RA=51) was the most abundant family and Lacconectus basalis (n=416, RA=34.13) was the most abundant species. The overall Shannon diversity index of the study area was H ′=2.48. Amongst the different habitats, marshy area had the highest Shannon diversity index (H ′=2.45) and stream had the lowest (H ′=1.82). A Kruskal Wallis test on diversity among different habitats showed no significant difference ...
Freshwater Biology, 2012
1. 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 southeastern 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 < 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.
Aquatic Insects as Biomonitors of Freshwater Ecosystem: A Review
2017
Aquatic insects are among the most prolific animals on earth. They are found associated with water for most part of their life cycle, any change in their number and composition in the population at a given time and space may indicate a change in the water quality. This class has many potential representatives that can be used as environmental bioindicators, among which are from the Coleoptera, Diptera, Lepidoptera, Hymenoptera. Water insects or aquatic beetles are biological indicator. The use of bioindicators is essential for environmental monitoring. In this paper an attempt has been made to focus on the importance of aquatic insects as biomonitors of aquatic ecosystems.
Composition and distribution of aquatic insect communities in relation to water quality
The impact of human disturbance and agricultural activity on aquatic insect communities in two freshwater streams (Sungai Peres and Sungai Bubu) in Hulu Terengganu, Terengganu were studied. A total of 3409 individuals of aquatic insects representing 42 families from 9 orders were successfully collected from August until November 2006. No significant difference was detected for the total abundance of aquatic insects between Sungai Peres and Sungai Bubu (Mann-Whitney Test = -1.550, P = 0.121). However, total abundance of aquatic insects was significantly higher at the upstream stations than downstream stations in both streams (Kruskal-Wallis Test = 2.519, P = 0.012). Heptageniidae (Ephemeroptera), Perlidae (Plecoptera) and Hydropsychidae (Trichoptera) were the most abundant groups collected in both streams. The Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, Trichoptera (EPT) Index and EPT to Chironomidae ratio (EPT:C) showed that the pollution-sensitive group (EPT) were highly abundant and more diverse at the upstream stations, but higher numbers of pollution-tolerant taxa (Chironomidae) were found at the downstream stations in both streams. Unexpectedly, the Family Biotic Index (FBI), Biological Monitoring Work Party (BMWP) and Average Score Per Taxon (ASPT) indicated that the water quality of both streams varied from clean-to-excellent categories, even though both streams received pollutants from various anthropogenic activities. Width and pH of the streams were positively correlated with the total abundance of aquatic insects (R width = 0.360, P = 0.014; R pH = 0.509, P = 0.003), whereas lower abundance of aquatic insects was found in more turbid water with high total suspended solids (TSS) in both streams (R TSS = -0.291, P = 0.050). This study shows that distribution of aquatic insect communities could provide useful bioindicators of the biomonitoring approach in relation to water physico-chemical parameters to assess, classify and compare the water quality of freshwater streams in Malaysia.
Annales de Limnologie - International Journal of Limnology
This study presents the first comprehensive investigation of population aspects and ecological traits of water beetles in oligotrophic hydrosystems with tufa formation in southeastern Europe. Diverse lotic habitats (springs, rivers and tufa barriers) were investigated monthly for one year in Plitvice Lakes National Park in Croatia. Elmidae were the most diverse and abundant family, followed by Scirtidae and Hydraenidae. The ecological traits of water beetles were primarily defined by nutrients and water depth. Elmis bosnica Zaitzev, 1908, about which little has been published, was found to be bryophilous and to prefer low water temperatures. Biogeographical analysis revealed the dominance of typical southeastern and Mediterranean species. Species population dynamics could be attributed to differences in flow permanence, current velocity and canopy coverage. Both current velocity and water depth significantly influenced the occurrence of larval stages, while abundance of adults corre...
Diversity and habitat selection of aquatic beetles (Coleoptera).
IOSR Journals , 2019
In this study the diversity and habitat selection of aquatic Coleoptera has been assessed. The order Coleoptera includes more species than any order, constitutes 25 % of known life forms. Most of the species are terrestrial but some of them are aquatic however there is doubt whether a particular species is terrestrial or aquatic that is why Jach and Bhalke (2008) classify them as true water beetles, facultative water beetles,Phytophilous water beetles etc. depending upon the time they spend in or out of the water. More than 350000 species of beetles has been described so far out of which 12000 species are known from aquatic habitat. The order has been divided into 4 suborders three of which have aquatic representatives, Myxophaga (90% aquatic), Adephaga (18% aquatic), and Polyphaga (1.25% aquatic).Polyphaga contains most families (15) of which the family Hydrophilidae represents highest number of species (2,652). Aquatic beetles areknown to have diverse habitat selection and so is their adaptability. They are found to live in almost all kinds of aquatic habitats, such as rivers, springs, lakes, ditches, puddles, phytotelmata, seepages, and ground water but did not live in oceans however they can cope with a salinity up to 250%.