Upper Thermal Tolerances of Twelve New Zealand Stream Invertebrate Species
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New Zealand Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research, 1994: Vol. 28: 391-397 391 0028-8330/94/2804-0391 $2.50/0 © The Royal Society of New Zealand 1994 Upper thermal tolerances of twelve New Zealand stream invertebrate species JOHN M. QUINN* Zephlebia dentata (both Leptophlebiidae)) but to G. LAURA STEELE reduce the tolerance of the plecopteran Zelandobius furcillatus (Gripopterygidae). CHRISTOPHER W. HICKEY MAGGIE L. VICKERS Keywords benthic invertebrates; streams; NIWA temperature tolerance; lethality; thermal; laboratory National Institute of Water and Atmospheric tests Research P.O.Box 11-115 Hamilton, New Zealand INTRODUCTION Temperature is one of the primary factors influencing growth, metabolism, and survivorship Abstract The upper thermal tolerances of 12 New of stream invertebrates (Hynes 1970; Sweeney Zealand freshwater invertebrate taxa were 1978; Sweeney & Vannote 1986; Rempel & Carter compared using a laboratory lethality testing 1987; Brittain 1991). A variety of human activities protocol. Temperatures that were lethal to 50% of can affect thermal regimes in streams and rivers, the test organisms (LT50S), following acclimation including discharge of heated effluents from to 15°C, generally declined over the 4 day period industry and thermal/geothermal power plants; of the tests. LT50 values after 48 and 96 h exposure impoundment discharges (Brooker 1981); abstrac- ranged from 24.5 to > 34°C and 22.6 to 32.6°C, tion (Dymond 1984); and removal of riparian shade respectively, indicating that temperatures that occur (Beschta & Taylor 1988). Information on the effects in summer in many NZ streams and rivers may of temperature on stream invertebrates is required limit the distribution and abundance of some of for management of these activities and to these invertebrate species. Larval insects included understand the role of this prime forcing factor in both the most sensitive species (a plecopteran and determining invertebrate community structure and two Ephemeroptera) and the most tolerant (the function. larvae of the elmid beetle Hydora sp.) in this study. The two molluscs studied (Potamopyrgus anti- The limited data available on thermal tolerances podarum (Prosobranchia: Hydrobiidae) and of New Zealand freshwater invertebrate species Sphaerium novaezelandiae (Bivalvia: Sphaeriidae)) indicate a wide range of tolerances. Studies of the showed high thermal tolerance, whilst two faunas of thermal and warm springs (Winterbourn crustaceans {Paratya curvirostris (Atyidae) and 1968; Stark et al. 1976; James 1985) showed that Paracalliope fluviatilis (Eusiridae)) were moder- some Coleoptera and Diptera can tolerate ately tolerant. The effect of a higher acclimation temperatures of 40-45 °C and some other Diptera, temperature (20°C) on thermal tolerance was also Hemiptera, Odonata, Ostracoda and Pulmonata investigated for the three most sensitive species. tolerate temperatures around 35°C. However, This appeared to increase the thermal tolerance of Plecoptera appear to be largely restricted to rivers the two Ephemeroptera {Deleatidium spp. and with summer temperatures typically below 19°C (Quinn & Hickey 1990). Notably, the thermal tolerances of the vast majority of the common taxa in New Zealand streams and rivers are unknown. •Corresponding author Recently, Hickey & Vickers (1992) developed M94016 a standard 96 h LC50 test for measuring the toxicity Received 17 June 1994; accepted 3 October 1994 of substances to the mayfly Deleatidium spp. This 392 New Zealand Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research, 1994, Vol. 28 technique also has potential for screening thermal downstream of macrophyte beds. Pycnocentria tolerances of running water invertebrates. In evecta (Trichoptera: Conoesucidae), Zephlebia contrast to the elaborate artificial stream systems dentata (Ephemeroptera: Leptophlebiidae), and used for testing thermal tolerances of stream Zelandobius furcillatus (Plecoptera: Gripop- invertebrates by several previous workers (e.g. terygidae) were common on the macrophytes. Nebeker & Lemke 1968; Gaufin & Hern 1971; de Sphaerium novaezelandiae (Bivalvia: Sphaeriidae) Kowzlowski & Bunting 1981), the method of were collected from near the outlet of Lake Rotoiti Hickey & Vickers (1992) has low establishment (176° 21'E, 38° l'S) using a bottom dredge in costs and allows ample replication and concurrent, October 1992, when an average water temperature parallel studies of a number of species. This study of approximately 15°C was expected (pers comm. aimed to evaluate the applicability of these methods M. Gibbs). This species is widely distributed in to measurement of thermal tolerances of stream sandy areas of streams and rivers. The two biota from a range of taxonomic groups (oligo- crustacean species (Paracalliope fluviatilis chaetes, molluscs, crustaceans and insects) and to (Amphipoda: Eusiridae), and Paratya curvirostris provide information on the tolerances of a range of (Decapoda: Atyidae)) were collected from a site the "common core" taxa that are found in on the lower Waikato River opposite the power "unmodified" streams and rivers throughout New station at Meremere (175° 4'E, 37° 18'S) in October Zealand. 1992, when the water temperature was 14.7°C. Middle to late instar specimens of the larval insects and crustaceans, and medium to large MATERIALS AND METHODS molluscs, were selected from the hand-net Most of the organisms were collected from a site collections, using wide-mouthed pipettes, and on the Waihou River (175° 49'E, 38° l'S) in the transported back to the laboratory in continuously Waikato region of the North Island between July aerated river water in 4 litre PVC pails. The river and October 1992 by sampling the sediment and water was replaced with preconditioned tap water macrophytes using a 500 (im mesh hand net. (treated Waikato River water) on arrival at the Information on this spring-fed river's thermal laboratory. Initially, preconditioning of the water regime is limited, but the similar Waimakariri River involved aeration for at least 24 h, but later tests (5 km east) has a mean annual temperature of were performed using a single large batch of water 14.2°C with a typical summer maximum of 15.7°C, that had been filtered through activated carbon and and a winter minimum of 12.7°C (NIWA database, aerated for one week. This water had alkalinity of 3 3 Christchurch). Water temperature of the Waihou 38 g irr (as Ca CO3), hardness 41 g nr (as Ca 1 River varied between 12. PC and 14.3°C on the CO3), conductivity 20 mS nr and pH of 7.9. sampling occasions. The thermal stability of the Organisms were transferred to the preconditioned sampling site allowed us to collect animals exposed tap water and kept under these conditions for 24 h to similar thermal acclimation temperatures over to allow gut clearance, which minimised fouling of the four month period of the study. sample vessels, and to ensure acclimation to the The Waihou River originates in an area of native control temperature of 15°C, which was very close and Pinus plantation forest on the Mamaku Plateau to the stream temperature at the collection sites. but the unshaded sampling site is in an area of The organisms were then transferred to the pastoral agriculture. This site provides a wide range experimental apparatus in a laboratory with a of microhabitats, from gravel riffles to dense beds natural diurnal light regime provided by external of the macrophytes Ranunculus fluitans and windows. Nasturtium ojficinale, and has a highly diverse and Two designs of incubation apparatus were used abundant invertebrate fauna. Deleatidium spp. in these experiments. In the first two experiments (Ephemeroptera: Leptophlebiidae), Pycnocentrodes five organisms were placed in 60 ml plastic cups aureola (Trichoptera: Conoesucidae), Aoteapsyche filled with 40 ml of preconditioned tap water at colonica (Trichoptera: Hydropsychidae), and 15°C. These cups (five replicates per temperature) Hydora sp. (Coleoptera: Elmidae) were common were mounted in 5 cm diameter holes in polystyrene in the gravel riffle areas whereas Potamopyrgus sheeting (0.25 x 0.25 m) covered with Perspex™ antipodarum (Prosobranchia: Hydrobiidae) and sheeting and floating on the surface of waterbaths. Lumbriculus variegatus (Oligochaeta: Lumbri- Aeration and current was supplied to each cup via culidae) were abundant in detritus-rich riffles fine bore (0.6 mm ID x 50 mm) tubing through Quinn et al.—Stream invertebrate thermal tolerances 393 holes in the Perspex™ sheeting and connected via did not fit the probit model, except when 100% syringe needles (23 gauge) to larger tubing from survival and 100% mortality occurred at conse- an air pump. cutive temperatures in which case the LT50 values This design was satisfactory in the first were set at the geometric mean of the two bracketing experiment which investigated three species of temperatures. collector/browsers (Deleatidium spp., Pycno- After initial estimates of LT50 values had been centrodes aureola and Potamopyrgus anti- obtained, experiments were run to obtain more podarum). Mortality was less than 10% in the precise estimates for the more sensitive taxa whose controls and the organisms showed no signs of LT50 values indicated the greatest potential for antagonistic behaviour. However, in the second temperature to significantly restrict distributions experiment, involving the free-living caddisfly in New Zealand streams. This was achieved using Aoteapsyche colonica, individual cups were used a narrower range of temperatures, especially around