Distribution of benthic macroinvertebrates in a tropical reservoir cascade

作者：Lacerda dos Santos Natalia Carneiro; de Santana Herick Soares; Dias Rosa Maria; Ferreira Borges Hugo Leandro; de Melo Viviane Ferreira; Severi William; Gomes Luiz Carlos; Agostinho Angelo Antonio

来源：Hydrobiologia, 2016, 765(1): 265-275.

DOI：10.1007/s10750-015-2419-6

• Redundancy analysis
• Tropical reservoirs
• Nesting
• Loss of diversity

The functioning of systems arranged in cascades of reservoirs can be explained by the Cascading Reservoir Continuum Concept, providing a theoretical framework for addressing ecological processes. In this context, this study tested the following hypotheses: (i) the benthic macroinvertebrate assemblage shows a nested distribution along a reservoir cascade; and (ii) local factors explain the structure of the benthic assemblage in every reservoir along the cascade. Macroinvertebrates play essential role in aquatic systems, especially due to recycling and, in reservoirs, as important links in every food chain. Sampling was conducted quarterly between October 2006 and September 2010 in six reservoirs located in the So Francisco River, Brazil. The benthic macroinvertebrate assemblage showed nested distribution in the reservoirs, indicating that a loss of species occurs along the cascade. Each reservoir presented a different set of variables that explained the distribution of macroinvertebrates, showing the importance of local factors determining the composition and distribution of benthic assemblages in the reservoirs. Therefore, there is a clear interaction between the position of a reservoir along a cascade and the macroinvertebrate assemblages, which indicate the importance of considering this pattern during the decision-making process of constructing new dams on rivers already regulated.

• 出版日期2016-2