The presence of macrophytes changes the beta diversity of Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, and Trichoptera (EPT) assemblages in Cerrado streams in Northeastern Brazil.

SAO Luis do Maranhao (Brazil); BRAZIL

In-stream conditions can affect the distribution of the Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, and Trichoptera orders (EPT) because they require specific food resources and good quality water. Therefore, we evaluated the association between the different facets of the EPT diversity (genera richness, beta diversity, and abundance of individuals) and an environmental gradient in Cerrado streams from the State of Maranhão, Brazil. We tested the hypothesis that macrophyte coverage is the most important predictor of the EPT communities. We sampled EPT communities and a set of ten environmental variables in 20 streams with different proportions of macrophyte cover. We sampled over 3700 macroinvertebrate specimens representing 36 genera and 14 EPT families. Our results show that the overall habitat conditions are important for the EPT communities. Macrophyte coverage, particularly, drives the biggest changes in beta diversity. Thus, we suggest that macrophyte cover should be considered in ecological studies of aquatic assemblages, especially in Cerrado regions, where streams naturally have a greater light input. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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