Publication details
Which biological traits favored or disqaulify macroinvertebrates during stream drought?
| Authors | |
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| Year of publication | 2015 |
| Type | Conference abstract |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| Description | Due ongoing climate change and lack of summer precipitations there is increasing threat of stream intermittency in temperate zone of Central Europe. In order to develop retrospective method of indication of stream drying we focused our attention on comparison of benthic macroinvertebrate assemblages living in permanent and intermittent streams. We analyze macroinvertebrate data from 10 intermittent sites from area of the Czech Republic. The samples were taken in the autumn and the spring following the stream drought. With each intermittent stream there was sampled a comparable permanent stream with similar characteristics. On basis of literature review we have chosen 34 species traits related to species resistance or resilience enabling them to inhabit intermittent streams. Furthermore on basis of indicator species analysis and published studies we have selected a species that can be used as indicators of stream permanency/intermittency. Then we have compared representation of indicator taxa and differences in proportions of the selected species traits in whole community between intermittent and permanent streams. The analysis resulted in identification of advantageous/disadvantageous species traits that favors or can exclude the benthic invertebrates from community. The BIODROUGHT project (www.biodrought.eu) is supported by grant TA02020395. |