Characteristics of benthic macroinvertebrate communities in a typical high sediment-loaded river in China
To date, the knowledge of benthic macroinvertebrates in the upper reaches of the Jinsha River remains quite limited compared to other rivers in China due to the difficulty of sampling and special geographical environment. In this study, benthic macroinvertebrates in the upper reaches of the Jinsha R...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Taylor & Francis Group
2024-04-01
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| Series: | Journal of Freshwater Ecology |
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| Online Access: | https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/02705060.2024.2382440 |
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| author | Shiyun Chi Jinxiu Zheng Jun Hu Ming Li Mi Wei Yuping Su Juxiang Hu |
| author_facet | Shiyun Chi Jinxiu Zheng Jun Hu Ming Li Mi Wei Yuping Su Juxiang Hu |
| author_sort | Shiyun Chi |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | To date, the knowledge of benthic macroinvertebrates in the upper reaches of the Jinsha River remains quite limited compared to other rivers in China due to the difficulty of sampling and special geographical environment. In this study, benthic macroinvertebrates in the upper reaches of the Jinsha River were investigated to address the knowledge gap. The results showed that dipterans dominated the communities, followed by amphipods and EPT taxa. The density, biomass and biodiversity were at a low level. As a high sediment-loaded river, unlike the Yellow River and the Wei River, oligochaetes are not commonly found in the upper reaches of the Jinsha River, and no mollusks were collected. The results of db-RDA showed that some natural factors influenced the spatial distribution of benthic macroinvertebrates in both dry and wet seasons, but during the flood season (summer and autumn), nitrogen and phosphorus became important factors due to severe soil erosion and high sediment loads in the water. The sections between above Batang and below Batang have obviously different substrates, resulting in the significantly different species composition and functional feeding groups. Moreover, higher habitat diversity can lead to higher benthic macroinvertebrate diversity after comparing the substrate types of the two sections. We consider that the unstable habitat conditions in the upper reaches of the Jinsha River are not conducive to completing the entire life cycle of benthic macroinvertebrates within a localized small habitat, and the communities are likely influenced more by seasonal contributions from populations in tributaries. Considering the impact of the existing cascade hydropower stations in the middle and lower reaches, and the realistic and potential impacts expected from the planned cascade hydropower stations in the upper reaches, it is imperative to prioritize the conservation of the tributaries along both banks of the upper Jinsha River. This enhanced conservation effort aims to preserve the diversity and integrity of benthic macroinvertebrates, which is of great significance in providing reliable food sources for the rare cold-water fish species and ensuring the safety of the aquatic ecosystem in the region. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-6e6eaf2fd90a4e059f05f157e0170ff1 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 0270-5060 2156-6941 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-04-01 |
| publisher | Taylor & Francis Group |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Freshwater Ecology |
| spelling | doaj-art-6e6eaf2fd90a4e059f05f157e0170ff12024-12-16T06:51:51ZengTaylor & Francis GroupJournal of Freshwater Ecology0270-50602156-69412024-04-0139110.1080/02705060.2024.2382440Characteristics of benthic macroinvertebrate communities in a typical high sediment-loaded river in ChinaShiyun Chi0Jinxiu Zheng1Jun Hu2Ming Li3Mi Wei4Yuping Su5Juxiang Hu6Ministry of Water Resources, Key Laboratory of Ecological Impacts of Hydraulic-projects and Restoration of Aquatic Ecosystem, Wuhan, PR ChinaMinistry of Water Resources, Key Laboratory of Ecological Impacts of Hydraulic-projects and Restoration of Aquatic Ecosystem, Wuhan, PR ChinaMinistry of Water Resources, Key Laboratory of Ecological Impacts of Hydraulic-projects and Restoration of Aquatic Ecosystem, Wuhan, PR ChinaHubei Institute of Standardization and Quality, Wuhan, PR ChinaMinistry of Water Resources, Key Laboratory of Ecological Impacts of Hydraulic-projects and Restoration of Aquatic Ecosystem, Wuhan, PR ChinaEnvironment and Resource College of Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, PR ChinaMinistry of Water Resources, Key Laboratory of Ecological Impacts of Hydraulic-projects and Restoration of Aquatic Ecosystem, Wuhan, PR ChinaTo date, the knowledge of benthic macroinvertebrates in the upper reaches of the Jinsha River remains quite limited compared to other rivers in China due to the difficulty of sampling and special geographical environment. In this study, benthic macroinvertebrates in the upper reaches of the Jinsha River were investigated to address the knowledge gap. The results showed that dipterans dominated the communities, followed by amphipods and EPT taxa. The density, biomass and biodiversity were at a low level. As a high sediment-loaded river, unlike the Yellow River and the Wei River, oligochaetes are not commonly found in the upper reaches of the Jinsha River, and no mollusks were collected. The results of db-RDA showed that some natural factors influenced the spatial distribution of benthic macroinvertebrates in both dry and wet seasons, but during the flood season (summer and autumn), nitrogen and phosphorus became important factors due to severe soil erosion and high sediment loads in the water. The sections between above Batang and below Batang have obviously different substrates, resulting in the significantly different species composition and functional feeding groups. Moreover, higher habitat diversity can lead to higher benthic macroinvertebrate diversity after comparing the substrate types of the two sections. We consider that the unstable habitat conditions in the upper reaches of the Jinsha River are not conducive to completing the entire life cycle of benthic macroinvertebrates within a localized small habitat, and the communities are likely influenced more by seasonal contributions from populations in tributaries. Considering the impact of the existing cascade hydropower stations in the middle and lower reaches, and the realistic and potential impacts expected from the planned cascade hydropower stations in the upper reaches, it is imperative to prioritize the conservation of the tributaries along both banks of the upper Jinsha River. This enhanced conservation effort aims to preserve the diversity and integrity of benthic macroinvertebrates, which is of great significance in providing reliable food sources for the rare cold-water fish species and ensuring the safety of the aquatic ecosystem in the region.https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/02705060.2024.2382440Unstable habitat conditionsJinsha Riverbiodiversityecologically fragile areasediment content |
| spellingShingle | Shiyun Chi Jinxiu Zheng Jun Hu Ming Li Mi Wei Yuping Su Juxiang Hu Characteristics of benthic macroinvertebrate communities in a typical high sediment-loaded river in China Journal of Freshwater Ecology Unstable habitat conditions Jinsha River biodiversity ecologically fragile area sediment content |
| title | Characteristics of benthic macroinvertebrate communities in a typical high sediment-loaded river in China |
| title_full | Characteristics of benthic macroinvertebrate communities in a typical high sediment-loaded river in China |
| title_fullStr | Characteristics of benthic macroinvertebrate communities in a typical high sediment-loaded river in China |
| title_full_unstemmed | Characteristics of benthic macroinvertebrate communities in a typical high sediment-loaded river in China |
| title_short | Characteristics of benthic macroinvertebrate communities in a typical high sediment-loaded river in China |
| title_sort | characteristics of benthic macroinvertebrate communities in a typical high sediment loaded river in china |
| topic | Unstable habitat conditions Jinsha River biodiversity ecologically fragile area sediment content |
| url | https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/02705060.2024.2382440 |
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