Species and genus richness and assemblage composition of stream caddisflies (Insecta: Trichoptera) vary with latitude in mountain rainforest of Argentina

EDGARDO JAVIER IGNACIO PERO; RUEDA MARTÍN PAOLA ALEJANDRA; REYNAGA MARÍA CELINA

MARINE AND FRESHWATER RESEARCH

CSIRO PUBLISHING

Lugar: Collingwood; Año: 2018 vol. 70 p. 687 - 697

1323-1650

Evidence found in results of studies of latitudinal diversity gradients of benthic macroinvertebrate diversity is variable. This study analyzed how the species and genus richness, and composition of caddisfly assemblages (Insecta: Trichoptera) vary in Argentinean mountain forest through a latitudinal gradient from 22º to 28ºS. Qualitative and quantitative data from 20 stream sites were compared. The assemblage richness and composition were analyzed by comparing linear regressions, Rank-abundance (RA) curves and Non metric-Multidimensional Scaling (nMDS). Taxonomic richness increased from high to low latitude. RA curves showed changes in assemblages composition and structure across the latitudinal gradient. The nMDS revealed that the composition of the assemblages also changed along the latitudinal gradient. The patterns are similar to those observed in plants and vertebrates from the study region. The results are of particular note because latitudinal gradient of aquatic insects diversity has rarely been observed in narrow range.