Aquatic Biology
Aquatic Biology is a gold Open Access journal and a multidisciplinary forum for research on the biology of organisms in marine, brackish and fresh waters. SEDAO (Sexuality and Early Development in Aquatic Organisms), an international journal that covered all aspects of reproduction and early development in marine, brackish and freshwater organisms, was incorporated into AB in late 2015.
Impact Factor0.8 (JCR 2025 release)
Article Acceptance Rate35% (2024)
Average Time in Review157 days
Total Annual Downloads154.105 (2025)
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3354/ab00560
copiedInfluences of dispersal and local environmental factors on stream macroinvertebrate communities in Qinjiang River, Guangxi, China
ABSTRACT: Identifying the underlying mechanisms that explain the spatial variation of stream macroinvertebrate assemblages is crucial for the protection of species diversity. Consequently, questions regarding how much variance in macroinvertebrate community structure is related to spatial dispersal and local environmental factors, and which environmental variables are the key drivers have broad research and management implications. Based on data from 22 stream sites within the Qinjiang River watershed, Guangxi, China, we examined the variation in macroinvertebrate community structure attributable to local environmental factors (i.e. stream physical habitat and water chemistry) vs. spatial dispersal factors (i.e. overland and watercourse spatial eigenvectors among sampling sites) using variation partitioning procedures. Overall, we found that stream macroinvertebrates are influenced both by local environmental factors and spatial dispersal factors. The most important environmental factors structuring macroinvertebrate assemblages were current velocity, dissolved oxygen, conductivity, total phosphorus, and physical habitat quality. Both overland and watercourse dispersal pathways had a similar influence on macroinvertebrate assemblages. These results demonstrate that stream macroinvertebrates within the studied landscape are constrained by local environmental conditions and dispersal factors, and hence comply with the niche-based species sorting hypothesis in the context of metacommunity ecology.
KEYWORDS
Predatory larvae of insects such as Limnocentropus sp., attached here to a rock by its silken peduncle, are important components of freshwater habitats. Photo: Beixin Wang
Zhang and co-workers sampled and modelled biodiversity in macroinvertebrate assemblages at 22 stream sites in the forested Qinjiang watershed, China. Upstream sites were dominated by insect larvae, while downstream communities consisted mostly of sludge worms and Herpodellidae. The principal abiotic factors structuring the communities were water current velocity, oxygen levels, conductivity and P concentration. Both overland and waterborne dispersal pathways had similar effects on the communities. The results of Zhang and co-workers confirm the niche-based species sorting hypothesis.
Yong Zhang (Co-author)
- Department of Entomology, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China
- Tianjin Nankai High Scool, Tianjin 300100, China
Jinyu Zhang (Co-author)
- Department of Entomology, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China
Lizhu Wang (Co-author)
- International Joint Commission, Great Lakes Office, PO Box 32869, Detroit, Michigan 48232, USA
Dongqi Lu (Co-author)
- Department of Entomology, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China
Desuo Cai (Co-author)
- College of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, China
Beixin Wang (Corresponding Author)
- Department of Entomology, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China