Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Functional Process Zones Characterizing Aquatic Insect Communities in Streams of the Brazilian Cerrado

  • Ecology, Behavior and Bionomics
  • Published:
Neotropical Entomology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Stream ecology studies see to understand ecological dynamics in lotic systems. The characterization of streams into Functional Process Zones (FPZ) has been currently debated in stream ecology because aquatic communities respond to functional processes of river segments. Therefore, we tested if different functional process zones have different number of genera and trophic structure using the aquatic insect community of Neotropical streams. We also assessed whether using physical and chemical variables may complement the approach of using FPZ to model communities of aquatic insects in Cerrado streams. This study was conducted in 101 streams or rivers from the central region of the state of Goiás, Brazil. We grouped the streams into six FPZ associated to size of the river system, presence of riparian forest, and riverbed heterogeneity. We used Bayesian models to compare number of genera and relative frequency of the feeding groups between FPZs. Streams classified in different FPZs had a different number of genera, and the largest and best preserved rivers had an average of four additional genera. Trophic structure exhibited low variability among FPZs, with little difference both in the number of genera and in abundance. Using functional process zones in Cerrado streams yielded good results for Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, and Trichoptera communities. Thus, species distribution and community structure in the river basin account for functional processes and not necessarily for the position of the community along a longitudinal dimension of the lotic system.

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
Fig 3
Fig 4
Fig 5
Fig 6

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Allan JD, Castillo MM (2007) Stream ecology: structure and function of running waters. Springer, Dordrecht, p 436

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Baptista DF, Buss FB, Egler M, Giovanelli A, Silveira MP, Nessimian JL (2007) A multimetric index based on benthic macroinvertebrates for evaluation of Atlantic Forest streams at Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil. Hydrobiologia 575:83–94

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Benda L, Poff NL, Miller D, Dunne T, Reeves G, Pess G, Pollock M (2004) The network dynamics hypothesis: how channel networks structure riverine habitats. Bioscience 54:413–422

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bispo P, Oliveira LG, Crisci-Bispo V, Sousa K (2004) Environmental factors influencing distribution and abundance of trichopteran larvae in central Brazilian mountain streams. Stud Neotropical Fauna Environ 39:233–237

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Boulton AJ, Boyero L, Covich AP, Dobson M, Lake S, Pearson R (2008) Are tropical streams ecologically different from temperate streams? In: Dudgeon D (ed) Tropical stream ecology. Elsevier, London, pp 257–284

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Brasil LS, Juen L, Batista JD, Pavan MG, Cabette HSR (2014) Longitudinal distribution of the feeding groups of aquatic insects in streams of the Brazilian Cerrado savanna. Neotrop Entomol 43:421–428

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brittain JE, Eikeland TJ (1988) Invertebrate drift? A review. Hydrobiologia 20:77–93

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chiasson A (2009) Bootstrapping to investigate the effect of number of macroinvertebrate samples on confidence limits of the mean. Environ Monit Assess 149:53–59

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Cuffney TF (1988) Input, movement and exchange of organic matter within s subtropical coastal blackwater river-floodplain system. Freshw Biol 19:305–320

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cummins KW, Merritt RW, Andrade PC (2005) The use of invertebrate functional groups to characterize ecosystem attributes in selected streams and rivers in south Brazil. Stud Neotropical Fauna Environ 40:69–89

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ellison AM, Bank MS, Clinton BD, Colburn EA, Elliott K, Ford CR, Foster DR, Kloeppel BD, Knoepp JD, Lovett GM, Mohan J, Rodenhouse DAGML, Sobczak WV, Stinson KA, Stone JK, Swan CM, Thompson J, Von Holle B, Webster JR (2005) Loss of foundation species: consequences for the structure and dynamics of forested ecosystems. Front Ecol Environ 3:479–486

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gelman A, Hall J (2006) Data analysis using regression and multilevel/hierarchical models. Cambridge University Press, New York, p 648

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Gelman A, Carlin JB, Stern HS, Rubin DB (2000) Bayesian data analysis. Chapman and Hall, London, p 668

    Google Scholar 

  • Grenfell BT, Wilson K, Finkenstädt BF, Coulson TN, Murray S, Albon SD, Pemberton JM, Cluton-Brock TH, Crawley MJ (1998) Noise and determinism in synchronised sheep dynamics. Nature 394:647–677

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hawkes HA (1975) River zonation and classification. In: Whitton BA (ed) River ecology. Blackwell Science, Oxford, pp 312–374

    Google Scholar 

  • INMET (Instituto Nacional de Meteorologia) (2015) Normais climatológicas do Brasil. http://www.inmet.gov.br/portal/index.php?r=clima/normaisClimatologicas. Accesed 01 Feb 2015

  • Jacobsen D, Schultz R, Encalada A (1997) Structure and diversity of stream invertebrate assemblages: the influence of temperature with altitude and latitude. Freshw Biol 38:247–261

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Johnson DH (1999) The insignificance of statistical significance testing. J Wildl Manag 63:763–772

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Junk W, Bayley P, Sparks R (1989) The flood pulse concept in river-floodplain systems. Can Spec Publ Fish Aquat Sci 106:110–127

    Google Scholar 

  • Kinas PG, Andrade HA (2010) Introdução à análise bayesiana (com R). maisQnada, Porto Alegre, p 240

    Google Scholar 

  • Lake P (2000) Disturbance, patchiness, and diversity in streams. J N Am Benthol Soc 19:573–592

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lake PS, Schreiber ESG, Milne BJ, Pearson RG (1994) Species richness in streams: patterns over time, with stream size and with latitude. Verh Int Ver Limnol 25:1822–1826

    Google Scholar 

  • Lorenz C, Van Dijk G, Van Hattum A, Cofino W (1997) Concepts in river ecology: implications for indicator development. Regul Rivers Res Manag 13:501–516

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lunn D, Spiegelhalter D, Thomas A, Best N (2009) The BUGS project: evolution, critique and future directions. Stat Med 28:3049–3067

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • McCarthy MA (2007) Bayesian methods for ecology. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, p 312

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Melles SJ, Jones NE, Schmidt B (2012) Review of theoretical developments in stream ecology and their influence on stream classification and conservation planning. Freshw Biol 57:415–434

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Merritt RW, Cummins KW (1996) An introduction to the aquatic insects of North America. Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company, Dubuque, p 1158

    Google Scholar 

  • Motta RL, Ueida VS (2005) Food web structure in a tropical stream ecosystem. Austral Ecol 30:58–73

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Moulton TP (2010) Tropical stream ecology. J N Am Benthol Soc 29:773–774

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mulholland APJ, Tank JL, Webster JR, Bowden WB, Dodds WK, Gregory SV, Grimm NB, Hamilton SK, Johnson SL, Martí E, McDowell WH, Merriam JL, Meyer JL, Peterson BJ, Valett HM, Wollheim WM (2002) Can uptake length in streams be determined by nutrient addition experiments? Result from an interbiome comparison study. J N Am Benthol Soc 21:544–560

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nagelkerke NJD (1991) A note on a general definition of the coefficient of determination. Biometrika 78:691–692

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Oliveira ALH, Nessimian JL (2010) Spatial distribution and functional feeding groups of aquatic insect communities in Serra da Bocaina streams, southeastern Brazil. Acta Limnol Bras 22:424–441

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Peterson EE, Ver Hoef JM, Isaak DJ, Falke JA, Fortin MJ, Jordan CE, McNyset K, Monestiez P, Ruesch AS, Sengupta A, Som N, Steel EA, Theobald DM, Torgersen CE, Wenger SJ (2013) Modelling dendritic ecological networks in space: an integrated network perspective. Ecol Lett 16:707–719

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Poff N (1997) Landscape filters and species traits: towards mechanistic understanding and prediction in stream ecology. J N Am Benthol Soc 16:391–409

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Poole GC (2002) Fluvial landscape ecology: addressing uniqueness within the river discontinuum. Freshw Biol 47:641–660

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • R Development Core Team (2011) R: a language and environment for statistical computing. R Foundation for Statistical Computing, Vienna, ISBN 3-900051-07-0, URL: http://www.R-project.org

  • Statzner B, Higler B (1985) Questions and comments on the river continuum concept. Can J Fish Aquat Sci 42:1038–1044

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sturtz S, Ligges U, Gelman A (2005) R2WinBUGS: a package for running WinBUGS from R. J Stat Softw 12:1–16

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Thorp JH, Thoms MC, Delong MD (2006) The riverine ecosystem synthesis: biocomplexity in river networks across space and time. River Res Appl 22:123–147

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Thorp JH, Thoms MC, Delong MD (2008) The riverine ecosystem synthesis: towards conceptual cohesiveness in river science. Elsevier Academic Press, San Diego, p 232

    Google Scholar 

  • Tomanova S, Goitia E, Helešic J (2006) Trophic levels and functional feeding groups of macroinvertebrates in neotropical streams. Hydrobiologia 556:251–264

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Townsend C, Hildrew A (1994) Species traits in relation to a habitat templet for river systems. Freshw Biol 31:265–275

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Uieda VS, Motta RL (2007) Trophic organization and food web structure of southeastern Brazilian streams: a review. Acta Limnol Brasil 19:15–30

    Google Scholar 

  • Vannote R, Minshall GW, Cummins KW, Sedell JR, Cushing CE (1980) The river continuum concept. Can J Fish Aquat Sci 37:130–137

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vinson MR, Hawkins CP (2003) Broad-scale geographical patterns in local stream insect genera richness. Ecography 26:751–767

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ward J (1989) The four-dimensional nature of lotic ecosystems. J N Am Benthol Soc 8:2–8

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wiens JA (2002) Riverine landscapes: taking landscape ecology into the water. Freshw Biol 47:501–515

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

We want to thank Dr. Leandro Juen for the great contribution in reviewing the manuscript, and for the constructive comments. This study was supported by research grants from CNPq (process 303835/2009-5 and 475355/2007-5), UFPA (process 01/2014 – PROPESP/FADESP), and to UEG for the support received from the “Programa de Bolsa de Incentivo à Pesquisa” (PROBIP).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Núcleo de Ciências Agrárias e Desenvolvimento Rural – NCADR, Univ Federal do Pará, Campus Guamá. Rua Augusto Corrêa 01, Belém, PA, CEP: 66075-110, Brasil

    B S Godoy

  2. Lab de Pesquisas Ecológicas e Educação Científica, Univ Estadual de Goiás, Anápolis, GO, Brasil

    J Simião-Ferreira

  3. Depto de Biologia Geral, Univ Federal de Goiás, Goiânia, GO, Brasil

    S Lodi & L G Oliveira

Authors
  1. B S Godoy
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. J Simião-Ferreira
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. S Lodi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. L G Oliveira
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to B S Godoy.

Additional information

Edited by Fernando B Noll – UNESP

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Godoy, B.S., Simião-Ferreira, J., Lodi, S. et al. Functional Process Zones Characterizing Aquatic Insect Communities in Streams of the Brazilian Cerrado. Neotrop Entomol 45, 159–169 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13744-015-0352-z

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13744-015-0352-z

Keywords

Search

Navigation