The Role of Habitat and Dispersal in Shaping the Biodiversity of Riverine
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THE ROLE OF HABITAT AND DISPERSAL IN SHAPING THE BIODIVERSITY OF RIVERINE INSECT ASSEMBLAGES by Colin Curry B.Sc., University of Calgacy, 2002 A Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirei:rents for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate Academic Unit of Biology Supervisor: Donald J. Baird, Ph.D., Environi:rent Canada, Biology R Allen Curry, Ph.D., Canadian Rivers Institute, Biology Examining Board: Serban Danielescu, Ph.D., Civil Engineering Richard Cuajak, Ph.D., Canadian Rivers Institute, Biology Steven Heard, Ph.D., Biology External Examiner: Sandra Walde, Ph.D., Biology, Dafuousie University This dissertation is accepted by the Dean of Graduate Studies THE UNIVERSITY OF NEW BRUNSWICK November, 2013 © Colin Curry, 2014 ABSTRACT Given limited resources, biomonitoring progrrum are touted as a source of biodiversity information for conservation p1anning in riverine ecosyste~. However, the degree to which patterns revealed by biomonitoring are reflected in llllSampled mesohabitats and undersampled taxonomic groups has not been fully addressed. Differences in dispersal capacity among taxonomic groups, in particu1ar, may result in divergent patterns of biodiversity at landscape and regional scales. I sought to address the suitability of biological monitoring data in freshwater biodiversity assessment, and to test the prediction that the degree of spatial structuring in aquatic insect assemb1ages is inversely re1ated to their dispersal capacity. My thesis comprises four articles. 1be first addresses whether macroinvertebrate biodiversity patterns in riffles, the target mesohabitat of Canada's national aquatic biomonitoring program, are reflective of those in riverine wetlands. The second addresses whether biodiversity in a group of insects that is abundant in biomonitoring samples (Trichoptera) reflects that of an tlllderrepresented group (Odonata). The third tests the above prediction by comparing the degree of spatial structuring in the weakJy dispersing Trichoptera and the stronger dispersing Odonata. The final article investigates regional and national aquatic insect biodiversity patterns utilizing the national biomonitoring dataset, and seeks to evaluate the influence of scale on the observation of spatial structuring aquatic insect assemb1ages. Several key findings emerged from this work: 1) Patterns of invertebrate taxon richness and beta diversity in riftles poorly reflect those in riverine wetlands. 2) Odonata and Trichoptera biodiversity were not always congruent, however, differences in abundance among groups may account for weak corre1ations. 3) Both Odonata and Trichoptera assemb1ages ll demonstrate relatively weak spatial structuring at a Jandscape (ie. 5th order catclnrent) scale. The weak exp1amtory ability of spatial variables was also apparent at a regional scale, as just one of the Water Survey of Canada sub drainages within the Pacific drainage demonstrated a significant spatial component in aquatic insect assemblage variation These findings suggest caution in the application ofbiomonitoring data to conservation pJamring. Although landscape and regional scale structuring of aquatic insect communities may be weak, it does not preclude the existence of smaller scale spatial structuring driven by local dispersal processes. m DEDICATION For my colleague and wife Wendy, who always believed in me when the going got tough. IV Table of Contents ABS TRA.C T ......................................................................................................................... ii DEDICATION .................................................................................................................... iv Table ofContents ................................................................................................................. v List of Tables .................................................................................................................... 'Viii List ofFigures ...................................................................................................................... x 1. Introduction ..................................................................................................................... 1 Summary ....................................................................................................................... 14 Refure11Ces ......................................................................................................................... 17 2. The contnbution of riffles and riverine wet1ands to benthic macroinvertebrate diversity ........................................................................................................................................... 21 Introduction ................................................................................................................... 23 Materials and Metoods .................................................................................................. 29 Study Area and Sites ................................................................................................. 29 Macroinvertebrate Sampling ..................................................................................... 30 Habitat Assesslllent ................................................................................................... 32 Geospatial Data ......................................................................................................... 32 Data Analysis ............................................................................................................ 33 Results ........................................................................................................................... 36 Discussion ..................................................................................................................... 39 Acknowledgelllents ....................................................................................................... 45 Refure11Ces ......................................................................................................................... 47 3. Congruence of biodiversity llleasures among larval dragonflies and caddisflies from three Camdian rivers ........................................................................................................ 62 Introduction ................................................................................................................... 63 Metoods ......................................................................................................................... 68 Study Orga.nisms ....................................................................................................... 68 Study Areas ............................................................................................................... 70 Larval Salll_l)ling ........................................................................................................ 71 Ad ult Sampling ......................................................................................................... 73 Data amlysis ............................................................................................................. 74 Results ........................................................................................................................... 76 Discussion ..................................................................................................................... 79 V Acknowledgelllents ....................................................................................................... 85 Refere11Ces ......................................................................................................................... 87 4. Limited evide11Ce for dispersal-driven differences in the composition of caddisfly and dragonfly assemblages in At1antic Canadian streams ....................................................... 97 Introduction ................................................................................................................... 99 Methods ....................................................................................................................... 103 Study Orga.nisms ..................................................................................................... 103 Envirolllllental varia.bles ......................................................................................... 105 Data Analysis .......................................................................................................... 108 Results ......................................................................................................................... 110 Discussion ................................................................................................................... 111 Acknowledgelllents ..................................................................................................... 117 Refere11Ces ....................................................................................................................... 119 5. Scale-re1ated patterns of biodiversity in riverine insect assemb1ages: observations from the Canadian national biomonitoringprogram ............................................................... 131 Introduction ................................................................................................................. 133 Methods ......................................................................................................................