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Effects of Local Environmental and Landscape Variables on the Taxonomic and Trophic Composition of Aquatic Insects in a Rare Forest Formation of the Brazilian Amazon

  • Ecology, Behavior and Bionomics
  • Published:
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Abstract

In the present study, we analyzed a unique phytophysiognomy in the Amazon region, which is formed by savanna-like vegetation on iron-rich soil (known locally as canga) located within an iron-ore mining region. We used the habitat template theory to test the hypothesis that changes in the physical-chemical properties of streams and the physical structure of their habitats at in-stream and micro-basin (landscape) levels affect the taxonomic and trophic composition of immature aquatic insects. For this, we used a local environmental matrix composed of nine physical-chemical and structural habitat variables, together with the Habitat Integrity Index. We also calculated landscape metrics based on the area of the micro-basin, such as relief, slope, mean current flow, and vegetation cover. We divided the aquatic insects into five functional feeding groups based on their diet and food sources. Our results indicate that changes in the trophic level of the insects of the orders Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, and Trichoptera are more easily observed than the taxonomic structure of communities. The loss of environmental integrity and vegetation cover were responsible for 84% of the variation observed in the composition of functional feeding groups (FFGs). Our study shows that aquatic insect communities in the canga and in the Amazon regions dominated by forest require specific in-stream and landscape conditions. These findings reinforce the need for the preservation of areas of canga vegetation, which not only have a unique levels of biological diversity, but are also targeted for the exploitation of their economically valuable natural resources.

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Acknowledgments

We are very grateful to Fernando G. Carvalho, Thiago P. Mendes, and Gilberto Nicácio for their assistance during the field expeditions. We are indebted to Yulie Shimano and Ana Paula Justino de Faria for identifying the ephemeropterans and trichopterans collected during this study, which would not have been possible without their contribution. We are also grateful to the Brazilian National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq) for granting a research productivity fellowship to LJ (304710/2019-9) and a PhD scholarship to ALA (1401991/2016-0), and to the Coordination for Higher Education Personnel Training (CAPES) for granting a postdoctoral scholarship to LSB (PNPD/UFPA 086/2013) and a PhD scholarship to NRT (88882.460087/2019-01). We are also grateful to the Brazilian Institute for the Environment and Renewable Resources (IBAMA) and the Chico Mendes Institute for the Conservation of Biodiversity (ICMBio), which are responsible for the licensing of mining operations, environmental monitoring programs, and issuing the permits for the collection of the biological material analyzed in the present study. We thank the Vale Company and Amplo Engenharia e Gestão de Projeto for enabling the field campaigns on their property and for their support in the field.

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All the authors contributed to the conception and design of the study. The material was prepared and the data were collected by ALA, JB, LSB, NRT, and LJ. The data were analyzed and discussed by ALA, LSB, RRS, and LJ. The first draft of the manuscript was written by ALA and all the authors commented on the previous versions of the manuscript. All the authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to A Luiza-Andrade.

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Macroinvertebrates of a unique Amazon phytophysiognomy

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Luiza-Andrade, A., Brasil, L.S., Torres, N.R. et al. Effects of Local Environmental and Landscape Variables on the Taxonomic and Trophic Composition of Aquatic Insects in a Rare Forest Formation of the Brazilian Amazon. Neotrop Entomol 49, 821–831 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13744-020-00814-6

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