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Abundance and first record of benthic macroinvertebrates in Lake Metztitlan, Hidalgo, Mexico Abundancia y primer registro de macroinvertebrados bentónicos en el lago de Metztitlán, Hidalgo, México

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Abstract

Lake Metztitlan is an endorreic lake with changes in its water levels which is now confined to approximately 650 ha. These changes are a consequence of anthropogenic factors such as the use valley's soils for intensive agriculture. Therefore, in this study it was considered relevant to know the macrobenthos of this lake due to the importance of the use of benthic organisms as indicators to characterize an aquatic system. This is the first registration for Metztitlan lake. Samples were taken bimonthly with a Van Veen dredge and a mud sifted with a light of mesh of 1� . Three hundred and sixty two organisms were identified and placed into two phyla (Annelida and Arthropoda), from the most to the least abundant, the following benthic organisms were present: Lumbriculus variegatus, Cypris sp., Chironomus sp., Tanypus sp., Helobdella elongata and Procladius (Holotanipus). An increase in the abundance and number of species were observed in May and July, time in which the minimum levels of water and maximum levels of temperature occurred. The family Chironomidae was the most represented with 50% of the genus. We could say that the low abundance of Chironomids in this reservoir may be a response to the use of insecticides on the adjacent crops as well as to the predation caused by the fishes that occur in this lake (tilapia and carp species).

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Background: Tropical mountain rivers are strategic sources of water for human development while biological communities are indicators of the status of these ecosystems. However, volcanic basins close to large urban areas are affected by increasing human pressures that threaten the future of these ecosystems and their benefits to society. Goals: This paper analyzes the evolution of the responses of the aquatic macroinvertebrate assemblages in the face of increasing pressures in the Birrís River basin, which is essential for providing food and energy for the Greater Metropolitan Area of Costa Rica. The hypothesis that volcanic headwater communities are highly vulnerable to human impacts was tested. Methods: Composition and structure of aquatic macroinvertebrate assemblages were assessed along main river channels over two years. Results: The spatial variability of assemblages was related to organic pollution and the self-purification capacity of the river. Temporal variability was mainly explained by the intra-annual climate variability (seasonality). Macroinvertebrate assemblages were dominated by Chironomidae (Diptera), Simuliidae (Diptera), and Baetidae (Ephemeroptera) throughout the year. High flows during the rainy season (May to December) reduced density while diversity peaked at the end of that season. Ephemeroptera and Trichoptera reached their maximum abundance during the dry season, while Diptera showed maximum richness at the end of the rainy season. Conclusions: Biological communities showed spatial and temporal adaptations to the main environmental stresses, including high levels of organic pollution. However, the high slope of river channels favors the self-purification processes, which offer an opportunity for the recovery of ecological integrity combined with control of the organic discharges. More information is needed on taxonomy and autoecology of aquatic fauna and flora in these fragile volcanic environments that are strategic for the protection of water resources in the tropics.
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Aim: Identify the effects of sediment composition and water conditions on diversity, richness, evenness, density and composition of freshwater Oligochaeta in shallow floodplain lakes. Methods We sampled 13 shallow floodplain lakes quarterly during the year 2010 in the Upper Paraná River floodplain. In each lake, four sediment samples were taken from the shore and central regions, three of them were used for biological analysis, and one for granulometric analysis. Concomitantly, temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH, conductivity, alkalinity, turbidity and chlorophyll-a were also measured. Initially, the biological samples were analyzed by a stereoscopic microscope. Oligochaeta individuals were identified under optical microscope at the lowest possible taxonomic level. For data analysis, we quantified density, richness, evenness and diversity index of freshwater Oligochaeta. In order to show differences between the months and the analyzed lakes, in relation to the percentages of coarse and fine organic material, the nonparametric Kruskal Wallis test was used. We also calculated the sediment granulometric diversity using the Shannon-Wienner index, using a simple regression analysis. We correlated assemblage attributes of Oligochaeta with sediment diversity and the assemblage species with the limnological variables using the Spearman correlation. Results A total of 2,090 individuals were found distributed among 27 species. From the total individuals number, 57% were Pristina americana, followed by Dero (Dero) righii with 13%. Assemblage attributes were not significantly correlated with sediment diversity, and 7 of the 27 species recorded showed significant correlations with at least some of the abiotic variables. Conclusions We verified that the abiotic variables of the water present greater influence on the attributes of the assemblage of freshwater Oligochaeta, when compared with sediment influences. Although we found low local diversity of this group, the wide range of water conditions offered by lakes culminates with a great species richness considering the whole landscape.
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Aquatic macroinvertebrates (AMI) play an important role in the ecology of wetlands, either by their job as regulators of the cycles of matter, as for their energy storage function represented in their biomass, which is transferred to higher trophic levels. To answer the question of how biomass of different AMI trophic guilds is related with physicochemical variables in the wetland Jaboque (Bogotá, Colombia), four samplings were achieved between April 2009 and January 2010, according to periods of rain and drought in the region. The AMI biomass values obtained were rated as of intermediate rank. No temporal but spatial significant differences were found. Apparently these spatial differences appear to be associated with variations in anthropogenic pressure, which differs in each area of the wetland. In dry months (January and August), biomass was greater and dominated by detritivores. We observed a positive relationship between the specific conductance of water and the biomass of predators and detritivores and between water temperature and the biomass of detritivores and shredders. These relationships suggest that the physical and chemical variables influence the distribution, abundance, and biomass of functional groups. The physical and chemical conditions of water exhibited spatiotemporal fluctuations related to changes in the concentration of organic matter and nutrients, which presumably were related to the affluents discharges and the high impact of local human populations.
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1. The life history of the leech Helobdella stagnalis was investigated by taking regular samples from a population on a bed of Acorus in an eutrophic lake. The leeches produced a brood in May, and then died. A proportion of their offspring were breeding in July and August, the remainder reproduced in the following spring. Those leeches hatched in August also reproduced in the spring. 2. Compared with Glossiphonia complanata, Helobdella has a more marked annual rhythm of rapid growth in summer and slow growth in winter. It reaches maturity at a lower body weight, and produces smaller broods more often. This annual rhythm corresponds with the annual rhythm of growth and decay of the plants on which it lives. 3. The pattern of survival is similar to that found in Glossiphonia complanata and Erpobdella octoculata, i.e. about 95% mortality in the first three months of life, followed by a period of much reduced mortality. The biotic potential of Helobdella is greater than for the other two species, and accounts for the fact that it is usually the most numerous species in eutrophic lakes.
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(1) The locomotory activity of the leech Erpobdella octoculata increased at night, and the nocturnal periodicity was controlled solely by changes in light intensity. Larvae of Chironomidae were the principal food of the leeches and were taken chiefly at night. There was a strong positive correlation between mortality rate and the number of leeches with empty stomachs, and between the mean weight of food consumed/unit weight of leech and growth rate. (2) A few leeches drifted downstream at night during periods of rapid growth, but drift losses were always less than 1% of the total losses from the population. (3) Life tables were constructed to compare mortality in each year-class. The chief regulatory mechanism for the size of the population was mortality of the eggs which were eaten by mature leeches when the population density was high.
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