Using Baetidae Species as Biological Indicators of Environmental Degradation in a Brazilian River Basin

• Published in: Environmental monitoring and assessment Vol. 130; no. 1-3; pp. 365 - 372
• Main Authors: Buss, Daniel Forsin, Salles, Frederico Falcão
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Dordrect Dordrecht : Kluwer Academic Publishers 01-07-2007; Springer; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Animals; Applied ecology; Aquatic insects; Assessments; Baetidae; Biodegradation, Environmental; Biological; Biological and medical sciences; biological assessment; Biomarkers; Biomonitoring; Brazil; Conservation, protection and management of environment and wildlife; Degradation; Drainage; Ecosystem; Ecotoxicology, biological effects of pollution; Environmental degradation; Environmental degradation: ecosystems survey and restoration; Environmental gradient; Environmental impact; Environmental indicators; Environmental monitoring; Environmental Monitoring - methods; Environmental science; Ephemeroptera; Freshwater; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; General aspects; Geographical distribution; Indicator species; Indicators; Insecta; Laboratories; Litter; Multivariate analysis; Ordination; River basins; Rivers; Sampling; Species; Studies; Substrates; Taxonomy; Vegetation; Water chemistry; Water shortages; Brazil; South America; America; ASW, South America; Neotropical Region; Ecological damage; Baetidae Bioassessment·Bioindicator· Brazil· Ephemeroptera; Ephemeroptera; Arthropoda; Insecta; Biological indicator; Baetidae; Invertebrata; Environmental monitoring; River basins; Biological monitoring
• ISSN: 0167-6369; 1573-2959
• DOI: 10.1007/s10661-006-9403-6

The Ephemeroptera family Baetidae is one of the most specious families in the Neotropical region and a great effort to improve the taxonomy of this group has been made over the last 10 years in South America. Such studies now enable the development of biomonitoring tools at species-level in the region. A total of 2,199 baetids were collected from seven sampling sites, collected three times (autumn, winter and summer), representing an environmental gradient, draining an area of Atlantic Forest remnants. We describe the mesohabitat of nine Baetidae species and evaluate their responses to environmental degradation and water chemistry by means of biological measures (richness and abundance) and multivariate analysis (Canonical Correspondence Analysis), in order to assess their potential capacity as indicators of these impacts. Most species were found predominantly associated with stony substrates, but some were associated with pool litter, and one species was found predominantly in riffle litter substrate. Species distribution was influenced by the environmental gradient. Based on the CCA ordination, we were able to identify which species were found in pristine versus the most impaired areas, therefore enabling us to establish the sensitivity of each species.