The transfer of prey resources between ecosystems can have dramatic consequences for both recipient and donor systems by altering food web stability and the likelihood of trophic effects cascading across the ecosystem boundary. Landscape-scale factors influence the importance, direction and magnitude of energy flows, but may also alter the ability of consumer organisms to respond to spatio-temporal changes in allochthonous prey availability. Here, I used flood and drying disturbance gradients to investigate interactions between these two processes on populations of a riparian fishing spider Dolomedes aquaticus (Pisauridae). The abundance of aquatic insects with a winged adult stage, a major component of the diet of D. aquaticus, was markedly higher at less flood-prone rivers and declined with increasing flood disturbance. It was expected that spider populations would be largest at these stable rivers where the aquatic prey abundance was highest. However, a habitat (loose, unembedded riverbank rocks) manipulation revealed that the lack of scouring floods at these sites led to habitat-limited populations, preventing response to the increased prey resource. In fact a peak shaped relationship of spider biomass and abundance was found, with the largest spider populations at intermediately disturbed rivers. In addition, patchy habitat availability was the most likely cause of the small scale (4 m2) aggregation of spiders seen at the most stable and disturbed rivers. These patterns were also associated with strong interactions between the spiders. Stable isotope analysis of field collected spiders and an experimental manipulation of spider densities and food availability indicated that cannibalism rates were likely to be significantly higher at stable and disturbed rivers than those intermediate on the disturbance gradient. Differences in D. aquaticus population size structure and life history traits across the flood disturbance gradient were driven by interactions between resource availability, environmental stability and cannibalism rates. To separate the effects of habitat availability and aquatic prey abundance I used drying rivers, as the amount of aquatic insect prey alters as the water recedes. Desiccation mortality and low aquatic prey biomass most likely caused the spiders' spatial distribution and size class structure to alter in drying river reaches, potentially also leading to differences in cannibalism rates. Overall, cross-ecosystem transfers of prey had large impacts on the distribution, cannibalism rates and life history traits of D. aquaticus but their effects were modified by the nature of the ecosystem boundary. Thus river flow regime controlled the magnitude of the subsidy and its use by a consumer. Hence, cross-ecosystem subsidies will not always lead to larger consumer populations and consumer responses will depend on interactions between large-scale processes.

O presente trabalho teve como objetivo fazer um estudo taxonômico da fauna de Plecoptera (Perlidae) da região Sul do Brasil. Nós estudamos material depositado em diferentes coleções, e também novos espécimes coletados ao longo do desenvolvimento deste trabalho. Os adultos foram capturados com puçás na vegetação das margens dos riachos e através de atração luminosa. As ninfas foram coletadas dentro de riachos com o auxílio de redes D. A genitália dos adultos foi diafanizada usando KOH. Como resultado, três novas espécies foram descritas, duas possuem novos registros de ocorrência e quatro tiveram o registro de suas distribuições ampliadas para esta região. / This work aimed to make a taxonomic study of the Plecoptera (Perlidae) fauna from southern Brazil. We studied material deposited in different collections, and also new specimens collected along the development of this work. Adults were captured with D-nets in vegetation from the banks of streams and through light attraction. Nymphs were collected in streams with a D-net. The genitalia of adults were diaphanized by KOH. The adults genitalia was cleared using KOH. As a result, three new species were described, two have new records of occurrence and four had record their distributions expanded to this region.

<p>Human activities have caused acidification of freshwater systems on a large scale resulting in reduced species diversity and ecological functioning in many lakes and streams. However, many naturally acidic freshwater systems have also been found, for instance in northern Sweden. In regions where such naturally acidic aquatic ecosystems have prevailed over evolutionary periods, species diversity and ecological functioning are not automatically impaired due to possible adaptation to the putatively adverse environmental conditions. I studied species diversity patterns and ecological functioning in anthropogenically acidified, naturally acidic, circumneutral, and limed streams to test the adaptation hypothesis and examine the ecological effects of variation in naturally acidic water chemistry. Species diversity was studied using benthic macroinvertebrates, while functioning was modelled using the decomposition rates of leaf litter. In accordance with the evolutionary species pool hypothesis, species richness was reduced more strongly in regions with anthropogenic than natural acidity when compared to circumneutral streams, supporting the adaptation hypothesis. In contrast, the patterns in ecological functioning along the pH-gradients did not differ between regions with anthropogenic and natural acidity, likely resulting from compensation: the biomass of tolerant taxa probably increased which thus rescued the loss in functioning otherwise mediated by the more sensitive taxa. Furthermore, the naturally variable acidic water chemistry clearly supported distinct macroinvertebrate assemblages, as was reflected in differing patterns of species diversity and ecological functioning. Such naturally acidic waters that were rich in dissolved organic carbon supported higher ecosystem process rates and lower species diversity than waters that contained little dissolved organic carbon. Upon liming naturally acidic streams microbial leaf decomposition increased, whereas shredding decreased along with changes in shredder abundances. The abundance of large caddisflies decreased, while the abundance of small stoneflies increased. The results suggest that various types of benthic macroinvertebrates with varying levels of adaptation and tolerance inhabited the hydrochemically variable naturally acidic streams. The distributions of macroinvertebrates in response to different pH levels and differences in acid quality and how these distributions translate into varying patterns of species diversity and ecological functioning are worthy of further investigation. This will likely improve our understanding of how such naturally acidic streams and their biota can be successfully managed.</p>

Graduation date: 2003

No description available.

Human activities have caused acidification of freshwater systems on a large scale resulting in reduced species diversity and ecological functioning in many lakes and streams. However, many naturally acidic freshwater systems have also been found, for instance in northern Sweden. In regions where such naturally acidic aquatic ecosystems have prevailed over evolutionary periods, species diversity and ecological functioning are not automatically impaired due to possible adaptation to the putatively adverse environmental conditions. I studied species diversity patterns and ecological functioning in anthropogenically acidified, naturally acidic, circumneutral, and limed streams to test the adaptation hypothesis and examine the ecological effects of variation in naturally acidic water chemistry. Species diversity was studied using benthic macroinvertebrates, while functioning was modelled using the decomposition rates of leaf litter. In accordance with the evolutionary species pool hypothesis, species richness was reduced more strongly in regions with anthropogenic than natural acidity when compared to circumneutral streams, supporting the adaptation hypothesis. In contrast, the patterns in ecological functioning along the pH-gradients did not differ between regions with anthropogenic and natural acidity, likely resulting from compensation: the biomass of tolerant taxa probably increased which thus rescued the loss in functioning otherwise mediated by the more sensitive taxa. Furthermore, the naturally variable acidic water chemistry clearly supported distinct macroinvertebrate assemblages, as was reflected in differing patterns of species diversity and ecological functioning. Such naturally acidic waters that were rich in dissolved organic carbon supported higher ecosystem process rates and lower species diversity than waters that contained little dissolved organic carbon. Upon liming naturally acidic streams microbial leaf decomposition increased, whereas shredding decreased along with changes in shredder abundances. The abundance of large caddisflies decreased, while the abundance of small stoneflies increased. The results suggest that various types of benthic macroinvertebrates with varying levels of adaptation and tolerance inhabited the hydrochemically variable naturally acidic streams. The distributions of macroinvertebrates in response to different pH levels and differences in acid quality and how these distributions translate into varying patterns of species diversity and ecological functioning are worthy of further investigation. This will likely improve our understanding of how such naturally acidic streams and their biota can be successfully managed.

The transfer of prey resources between ecosystems can have dramatic consequences for both recipient and donor systems by altering food web stability and the likelihood of trophic effects cascading across the ecosystem boundary. Landscape-scale factors influence the importance, direction and magnitude of energy flows, but may also alter the ability of consumer organisms to respond to spatio-temporal changes in allochthonous prey availability. Here, I used flood and drying disturbance gradients to investigate interactions between these two processes on populations of a riparian fishing spider Dolomedes aquaticus (Pisauridae). The abundance of aquatic insects with a winged adult stage, a major component of the diet of D. aquaticus, was markedly higher at less flood-prone rivers and declined with increasing flood disturbance. It was expected that spider populations would be largest at these stable rivers where the aquatic prey abundance was highest. However, a habitat (loose, unembedded riverbank rocks) manipulation revealed that the lack of scouring floods at these sites led to habitat-limited populations, preventing response to the increased prey resource. In fact a peak shaped relationship of spider biomass and abundance was found, with the largest spider populations at intermediately disturbed rivers. In addition, patchy habitat availability was the most likely cause of the small scale (4 m2) aggregation of spiders seen at the most stable and disturbed rivers. These patterns were also associated with strong interactions between the spiders. Stable isotope analysis of field collected spiders and an experimental manipulation of spider densities and food availability indicated that cannibalism rates were likely to be significantly higher at stable and disturbed rivers than those intermediate on the disturbance gradient. Differences in D. aquaticus population size structure and life history traits across the flood disturbance gradient were driven by interactions between resource availability, environmental stability and cannibalism rates. To separate the effects of habitat availability and aquatic prey abundance I used drying rivers, as the amount of aquatic insect prey alters as the water recedes. Desiccation mortality and low aquatic prey biomass most likely caused the spiders' spatial distribution and size class structure to alter in drying river reaches, potentially also leading to differences in cannibalism rates. Overall, cross-ecosystem transfers of prey had large impacts on the distribution, cannibalism rates and life history traits of D. aquaticus but their effects were modified by the nature of the ecosystem boundary. Thus river flow regime controlled the magnitude of the subsidy and its use by a consumer. Hence, cross-ecosystem subsidies will not always lead to larger consumer populations and consumer responses will depend on interactions between large-scale processes.

Freshwater ecosystems in south-western Australia have been extensively altered over the last two centuries as a result of human activities. The effect this has had on aquatic fauna, particularly invertebrates, is largely unknown because of inadequate knowledge of the pre-existing fauna. Future changes in the composition of aquatic fauna will also go undetected unless current distributions of existing species are well documented. This thesis addresses the problem by investigating the current distributions and conservation status of aquatic insects in south-western Australia from three orders: Odonata, Plecoptera and Trichoptera. Extensive distributional data was collected by identifying larval specimens from a large number of samples collected throughout the south-west as part of an Australia-wide macroinvertebrate bioassessment project. In addition, a database created from a species-level biological study of the wheatbelt region of Western Australia was utilised, and previously published records of occurrence for species within the south-west were compiled. These results were then used to assess the conservation status of each species using the IUCN red list criteria. Environmental parameters measured at time of sampling were also examined using logistic regression to determine which factors are important in influencing the distributions of aquatic insects in south-western Australia. The conservation value of sites based on Odonata, Plecoptera and Trichoptera compositions was also determined and the degree of protection provided for sites of high conservation value investigated.The high rainfall forested region of the south-west was found to be important for a large number of species, including the majority of those found to be rare and/or restricted. Overall, 37% of species were found to be threatened, with the Trichoptera containing both the greatest number and highest proportion of threatened species. Logistic regression results generally agreed with the distributions obtained for each species, with rainfall and other parameters indicative of streams in the headwaters of forested catchments being positively associated with species found to be restricted to the high rainfall region. Two parameters known to be affected by human disturbance in the south-west, conductivity and nutrient concentrations, were found to be important in determining the occurrence of many species and this could have important consequences for aquatic insect conservation. Widespread species occurring within the low rainfall region of the south-west did not show as many significant relationships to measured environmental parameters, possibly due to their greater ecological tolerances and adaptations which allow them to persist in a low rainfall environment. The implications of results are discussed, and recommendations for the conservation and management of aquatic insects in south-western Australia are given.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Hong Kong, 2008. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 88-105) Also available in print.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Hong Kong, 2008. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 88-105) Also available online.