Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Ditches as important aquatic invertebrate habitats: a comparative analysis of their snail (Mollusca: Gastropoda) assemblages with natural wetlands

  • Research Article
  • Published:
Aquatic Sciences Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Wetlands and ditches are both common aquatic habitats in lowland landscapes of northeast China. However, most biodiversity management and research for aquatic organisms has focused on the biota of natural wetlands, and the invertebrate fauna of ditches has not been previously addressed. Because ditch habitats can be so extensive in some landscapes, their contribution could be substantial. To assess the contributions of ditches to invertebrate biodiversity, snail assemblages of natural wetlands, wetland ditches, and agricultural ditches in the Sanjiang Plain of northeastern China were compared. Snail assemblages of the three habitats all differed significantly from each other. Species richness and abundance of snail assemblages in wetland ditches was similar with natural wetlands. Although lower, species richness and abundance of snail assemblages in agricultural ditches still accounted for 22% and 52%, respcetively, of that in natural wetlands. Each of the three different habitats supported unique species, with 11 snail species being indicators of specific habitat types. Biota and Environment matching analysis (BEST) showed that pH in combination with dissolved oxygen were the most important environmental factors in explaining the dissimilarities of snail assemblages among the three different habitats. This study illustrates that both wetland ditches and agricultural ditches make contributions to aquatic invertebrate biodiversity in Sanjiang Plain. More attention should be paid to the importance of ditches as reservoirs for aquatic invertebrates, and the biota of ditches should be considered in the overall scope of biodiversity management and monitoring.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Armitage PD, Szoszkiewicz K, Blackburn JH, Nesbitt I (2003) Ditch communities: a major contributor to floodplain biodiversity. Aquat Conserv 13:165–185

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Batzer DP, Boix D (2016) An introduction to freshwater wetlands and their invertebrates. In: Batzer D, Boix D (eds) Invertebrates in freshwater wetlands. Springer, Cham

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Batzer DP, Wissinger SA (1996) Ecology of insect communities in nontidal wetlands. Annu Rev Entomol 41:75–100

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Batzer DP, Shurtleff AS, Rader RB (2001) Sampling invertebrates in wetlands. In: Rader RB, Batzer DP, Wissinger SA (eds) Bioassessment and management of north american freshwater wetlands. Wiley, New York, pp 339–354

    Google Scholar 

  • Batzer DP, Wu H, Wheeler T, Eggert S (2016) Peatland invertebrates. In: Batzer D, Boix D (eds) Invertebrates in freshwater wetlands. Springer, Cham

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Biggs J, Williams P, Whitfield M, Nicolet P, Brown C, Hollis J et al (2007) The freshwater biota of British agricultural landscapes and their sensitivity to pesticides. Agr Ecosyst Environ 122:137–148

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Blann KL, Anderson JL, Sands GR, Vondracek B (2009) Effects of agricultural drainage on aquatic ecosystems: a review. Crit Rev Env Sci Tec 39:909–1001

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Boix D, Batzer D (2016) Invertebrate assemblages and their ecological controls across the world’s freshwater wetlands. In: Batzer D, Boix D (eds) Invertebrates in freshwater wetlands. Springer, Cham

    Google Scholar 

  • Bracewell S, Verdonschot RCM, Schäfer RB, Bush A, Lapen DR, Van den Brink PJ (2019) Qualifying the effects of single and multiple stressors on the food web structure of Dutch drainage ditches using a literature review and conceptual models. Sci Total Environ 684:727–740

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bradbury RB, Kirby WB (2006) Farmland birds and resource protection in the UK: cross-cutting solutions for multi-functional farming? Biol Conserv 129:530–542

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brown CD, Turner N, Hollis J, Bellamy P, Biggs J, Williams P et al (2006) Morphological and physico-chemical properties of British aquatic habitats potentially exposed to pesticides. Agr Ecosyst Environ 113:307–319

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Clarke SJ (2015) Conserving freshwater biodiversity: the value, status and management of high quality ditch systems. J Nat Conserv 24:93–100

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Clarke KR, Gorley RN (2015) PRIMER v7 user manual/tutorial. In: PRIMER-E. Plymouth

  • Cui N, Zhang X, Cai M, Zhou L, Chen G, Zou G (2020) Roles of vegetation in nutrient removal and structuring microbial communities in different types of agricultural drainage ditches for treating farmland runoff. Ecol Eng 155:105941

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Davies B, Biggs J, Williams P, Whitfield M, Nicolet P, Sear D et al (2008) Comparative biodiversity of aquatic habitats in the European agricultural landscape. Agr Ecosyst Environ 125:1–8

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dillon RT (2000) The ecology of freshwater Molluscs. Cambridge University Press, Cham

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Dudgeon D (2006) The impacts of human disturbance on stream benthic invertebrates and their drift in North Sulawesi, Indonesia. Freshw Biol 51:1710–1729

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gatis N, Luscombe DJ, Grand-Clement E, Hartley IP, Anderson K, Smith D et al (2016) The effect of drainage ditches on vegetation diversity and CO2 fluxes in a Molinia caerulea-dominated peatland. Ecohydrology 9:407–420

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Guan Q, Wu H, Lu K, Lu X, Batzer DP (2017) Longitudinal and lateral variation in snail assemblages along a floodplain continuum. Hydrobiologia 792:345–356

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Guan Q, Liu J, Batzer DP, Lu X, Wu H (2018) Snails (Mollusca: Gastropoda) as potential surrogates of overall aquatic invertebrate assemblage in wetlands of Northeastern China. Ecol Indic 90:193–200

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Herzon I, Helenius J (2008) Agricultural drainage ditches, their biological importance and functioning. Biol Conserv 141:1171–1183

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hill MJ, Chadd RP, Morris N, Swaine JD, Wood PJ (2016) Aquatic macroinvertebrate biodiversity associated with artificial agricultural drainage ditches. Hydrobiologia 776:249–260

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hoverman JT, Davis CJ, Werner EE, Skelly DK, Relyea RA, Yurewicz KL (2011) Environmental gradients and the structure of freshwater snail communities. Ecography 34:1049–1058

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hunting ER, Vonk JA, Musters CJM, Kraak MHS, Vijver MG (2016) Effects of agricultural practices on organic matter degradation in ditches. Sci Rep-UK 6:21474

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kappes H, Haase P (2012) Slow, but steady: dispersal of freshwater molluscs. Aquat Sci 74:1–14

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Katano O, Hosoya K, Iguchi K, Yamaguchi M, Aonuma Y, Kitano S (2003) Species diversity and abundance of freshwater fishes in irrigation ditches around rice fields. Environ Biol Fish 66:107–121

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Katayama N, Saitoh D, Amano T, Miyashita T (2011) Effects of modern drainage systems on the spatial distribution of loach in rice ecosystems. Aquat Conserv 21:146–154

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Leslie AW, Lamp WO (2017) Taxonomic and functional group composition of macroinvertebrate assemblages in agricultural drainage ditches. Hydrobiologia 787:99–110

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Leslie AW, Smith RRF, Ruppert DE, Bejleri K, Mcgrath JM, Needelman BA et al (2012) Environmental factors structuring benthic macroinvertebrate communities of agricultural ditches in Maryland. Environ Entomol 41:802–812

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Li K, Liu Z, Hu Y, Yang H (2009) Snail herbivory on submerged macrophytes and nutrient release: Implications for macrophyte management. Ecol Eng 35(11):1664–1667

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Liu XT, Ma XH (2002) Natural environmental changes and ecological protection in the sanjiang plain. Science Press, Beijing

    Google Scholar 

  • Liu YY, Zhang WZ, Wang YX (1979) Economic Fauna Sinica of China: freshwater Mollusca. Science Press, Beijing

    Google Scholar 

  • Lõhmus A, Remm L, Rannap R (2015) Just a ditch in forest? Reconsidering draining in the context of sustainable forest management. Bioscience 65:1066–1076

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Maes J, Musters CJM, De Snoo GR (2008) The effect of agri-environment schemes on amphibian diversity and abundance. Biol Conserv 141:635–645

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Magurran AE, Deacon AE, Moyes F, Shimadzu H, Dornelas M, Phillip DAT, Ramnarine IW (2018) Divergent biodiversity change within ecosystems. P Natl Acad Sci USA 115:201712594

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Mccauley LA, Anteau MJ, van der Burg MP, Wiltermuth MT (2015) Land use and wetland drainage affect water levels and dynamics of remaining wetlands. Ecosphere 6:92

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Meyer MD, Davis CA, Bidwell JR (2013) Assessment of two methods for sampling invertebrates in shallow vegetated wetlands. Wetlands 33:1063–1073

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mountford JO, Arnold HR (2006) Aquatic plant diversity in arable ditches: scoping study. NERC Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Huntingdon

    Google Scholar 

  • Moyle PB (2014) Novel aquatic ecosystems: the new reality for streams in California and other Mediterranean climate regions. River Res Appl 30:1335–1344

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Naeem S, Thompson LJ, Lawler SP, Lawton JH, Woodfin RM (1994) Declining biodiversity can alter the performance of ecosystems. Nature 368:734–737

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Painter D (1999) Macroinvertebrate distributions and the conservation value of aquatic Coleoptera, Mollusca and Odonata in the ditches of traditionally managed and grazing fen at Wicken Fen, UK. J Appl Ecol 36:33–48

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pennak RW (1989) Fresh-water Invertebrates of the United States. Protozoa to Mollusca, Wiley, New York

  • Pyron M, Brown KM (2015) Chapter 18. Introduction to Mollusca and the class Gastropoda. In: Thorp JH, Rogers DC (eds) Thorp and Covich’s freshwater invertebrates, 4th edn. Elsevier Inc, Amsterdam

    Google Scholar 

  • Qi ZY, Ma XT, Liu YY (1985) Atlas of animal Chinese: Mollusca (fourth volumes). Science Press, Beijing

    Google Scholar 

  • Rasran L, Vogt K (2018) Ditches as species- rich secondary habitats and refuge for meadow species in agricultural marsh grasslands. Appl Veg Sci 21:21–32

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rolke D, Jaenicke B, Pfaender J, Rothe U (2018) Drainage ditches as important habitat for species diversity and rare species of aquatic beetles in agricultural landscapes (Insecta: Coleoptera). J Limnol 77:466–482

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ruhí A, Fairchild GW, Spieles DJ, Becerra-Jurado G, Mereno-mateos D (2016) Invertebrates in created and restored wetlands. In: Batzer D, Boix D (eds) Invertebrates in freshwater wetlands. Springer, Cham

    Google Scholar 

  • Simon TN, Travis J (2011) The contribution of man-made ditches to the regional stream biodiversity of the new river watershed in the Florida panhandle. Hydrobiologia 661:163–177

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Surmacki A (2005) Habitat use by three Acrocephalus warblers in an intensively used farmland area: the influence of breeding patch and its surroundings. J Ornithol 146:160–166

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vaikre M, Remm L, Rannap R (2015) Macroinvertebrates in woodland pools and ditches and their response to artificial drainage in Estonia. Hydrobiologia 762:157–168

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Van den Brink PJ, Van Wijngaarden RPA, Lucassen WGH, Brock TCM, Leeuwangh P (1996) Effects of the insecticide Dursban® W4E (active ingredient chlorpyrifos) in outdoor experimental ditches: II. Invertebrate community responses and recovery. Environ Toxicol Chem 15:1143–1153

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Van der Lee GH, Verdonschot RCM, Kraaka MHS, Verdonschot PFM (2018) Dissolved oxygen dynamics in drainage ditches along a eutrophication gradient. Limnologica 72:28–31

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Verdonschot RCM, Verdonschot PFM (2014) Shading effects of free-floating plants on drainage-ditch invertebrates. Limnology 15:225–235

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Verdonschot RCM, Keizer-Vlek HE, Verdonschot PFM (2011) Biodiversity value of agricultural drainage ditches: a comparative analysis of the aquatic invertebrate fauna of ditches and small lakes. Aquat Conserv 21:715–727

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wang Z, Song K, Ma W, Ren C, Zhang B, Liu D, Chen J, Song C (2011) Loss and fragmentation of marshes in the sanjiang plain, northeastern China, 1954–2005. Wetlands 31:945–954

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Watson AM, Ormerod SJ (2004) The distribution of three uncommon freshwater gastropods in the drainage ditches of British grazing marshes. Biol Conserv 118:455–466

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Whatley MH, van Loon EE, van Dam H, Vonk JA, van der Geest HG, Admiraal W (2014a) Macrophyte loss drives decadal change in benthic invertebrates in peatland drainage ditches. Freshw Biol 59:114–126

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Whatley MH, van Loon EE, Cerli C, Vonk JA, van der Geest HG, Admiraal W (2014b) Linkages between benthic microbial and freshwater insect communities in degraded peatland ditches. Ecol Indic 46:415–424

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Williams DD (2016) Invertebrates in groundwater springs and seeps. In: Batzer D, Boix D (eds) Invertebrates in freshwater wetlands. Springer, Cham

    Google Scholar 

  • Williams P, Whitfield M, Biggs J, Bray S, Fox G, Nicolet P, Sear D (2004) Comparative biodiversity of rivers, streams, ditches and ponds in an agricultural landscape in Southern England. Biol Conserv 115:329–341

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Williams P, Biggs J, Stoate C, Szczur J, Brown C, Bonney S (2020) Nature based measures increase freshwater biodiversity in agricultural catchments. Biol Conserv 244:108515

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wu H, Batzer DP, Yan X, Wu D, Lu X (2013) Contributions of ant mounds to soil carbon and nitrogen pools in a marsh wetland of Northeastern China. Appl Soil Ecol 70:9–16

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wu H, Guan Q, Lu X, Batzer DP (2017) Snail (Mollusca: Gastropoda) assemblages as indicators of ecological condition in freshwater wetlands of Northeastern China. Ecol Indic 75:203–209

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wu H, Guan Q, Lu K, Batzer DP (2019a) Aquatic macroinvertebrate assemblages in wetlands of Northeastern China. Hydrobiologia 833:153–162

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wu H, Guan Q, Ma H, Xue Z, Yang M, Batzer DP (2019b) Effects of saline conditions and hydrologic permanence on snail assemblages in wetlands of Northeastern China. Ecol indic 96:620–627

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wu H, Guan Q, Lu K, Han G, Li B, Yang M (2019c) Effects of hydrological connectivity on snail assemblages in the intertidal zone of Coastal Wetlands. Online Publishing, Wetlands

    Google Scholar 

  • Xu X, Chen M, Yang G, Jiang B, Zhang J (2020) Wetland ecosystem services research: a critical review. Glob Ecol Conserv 22:e01027

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yan F, Zhang S (2019) Ecosystem service decline in response to wetland loss in the Sanjiang Plain, Northeast China. Ecol Eng 130:117–121

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zimmer KD, Hanson MA, Wrubleski DA (2016) Invertebrates in permanent wetlands (long-hydroperiod marshes and shallow lakes). In: Batzer D, Boix D (eds) Invertebrates in freshwater wetlands. Springer, Cham

    Google Scholar 

  • Zou Y, Wang L, Xue Z, Mingju E, Jiang M, Lu X et al (2018) Impacts of agricultural and reclamation practices on wetlands in the Amur River Basin, Northeastern China. Wetlands 38:383–389

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

The study was supported by the programs of the National Key Research and Development Project of China (Project 2016YFC0500408), and National Natural Science Foundation of China (Project 41871099 and 41671260), and the Science and Technology Development Program of Jilin Province (20180101080JC). The staff of the Sanjiang Mire Wetland Experimental Station and Honghe National Natural Reserve provided support.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory of Wetland Ecology and Environment, Northeast Institute of Geography and Agroecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 4888 Shengbei Street, Changchun, 130102, Jilin, China

    Qiang Guan & Haitao Wu

  2. University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China

    Qiang Guan

Authors
  1. Qiang Guan
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Haitao Wu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Haitao Wu.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest

We declare that we have no financial and personal relationships with other people or organizations that can inappropriately influence our work, there is no professional or other personal interest of any nature or kind in any product, service and/or company that could be construed as influencing the position presented in, or the review of, the manuscript entitled.

Additional information

Publisher's Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Guan, Q., Wu, H. Ditches as important aquatic invertebrate habitats: a comparative analysis of their snail (Mollusca: Gastropoda) assemblages with natural wetlands. Aquat Sci 83, 29 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00027-021-00790-y

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00027-021-00790-y

Keywords

Search

Navigation