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Influence of iron and nitrate concentration in water on aquatic Coleoptera community structure: Application to the Avia River (Ourense, NW. Spain)

2008; Volume: 27; Issue: 2 Linguagem: Inglês

10.23818/limn.27.23

2660-8537

Marta Fernández-Díaz, César J. Benetti, Josefina Garrido,

Aquatic Invertebrate Ecology and Behavior

Influence of iron and nitrate concentration in water on aquatic Coleoptera community structure: Application to the Avia river (Ourense, NW.Spain)In this work the influence of the concentration of dissolved iron and nitrate in the water on the structure of the community of aquatic Coleoptera of a river in northwest Spain is analyzed.A total of 45 species and subspecies of aquatic Coleoptera (Adephaga and Polyphaga) were collected between March and November 1999 from 10 sites distributed along the Avia river (Ourense, N.W. Spain).Also, 24 physical and chemical parameters of water were measured and a CCA was made to evaluate which of these factors had the greatest influence on the studied fauna.At the same time an ecological analysis was made using the distribution of species and subspecies in relation to two water parameters (concentration of nitrate and dissolved iron).The study of distribution in relation to these factors by means of elaborating their ecological profiles suggested indicator species for each of these parameters.Seventeen species were found to be indicators for at least one of the parameters analyzed.The species Deronectes costipennis gignouxi, Enichocerus legionensis, Hydraena testacea, Megasternum obscurum, Nebrioporus depressus elegans and Stenelmis canaliculata are the best indicators of these parameters, if we consider only taxa collected in class 4, that is, with high values of iron and nitrate.