Effects of environmental factors on community structure of Leptophlebiidae (Insecta, Ephemeroptera) in Cerrado streams, Brazil

• Main Authors: Leandro S. Brasil, Yulie Shimano, Joana Darc Batista, Helena S. R. Cabette
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Fundação Zoobotânica do Rio Grande do Sul 2013-09-01
• Series: Iheringia: Série Zoologia
• Subjects: Insetos aquáticos; grupos funcionais alimentares; alterações ambientais
• Online Access: http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0073-47212013000300008&lng=en&tlng=en

We analyzed the effects of environmental factors on abundance, species richness, and functional group richness of Leptophlebiidae in 16 sampling points along four Cerrado streams. Across three periods of 2005, we collected 5,492 larvae from 14 species in stream bed substrate. These species belong to three functional feeding groups: scrapers, filtering collectors and shredders. The abundance and species richness were not affected by water quality, but habitat quality related to presence of riparian vegetation had positive effects on the abundance of shredders. Our results add important information on the natural history of the species and functional groups of aquatic insects and also provide relevant data for the monitoring and conservation of streams in the Brazilian Cerrado.