Seasonal Dynamics and Factors Shaping Aquatic Insect Assemblages in Mountain Streams of the Pannonian Lowland Ecoregion
This study focused on the aquatic insect orders that serve as biological indicators. Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, Trichoptera, Coleoptera, and Odonata were studied with their relationships to physical, chemical, hydrological and morphological variables in 14 streams on three Croatian mountains: Papuk,...
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MDPI AG
2025-03-01
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| Series: | Insects |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4450/16/4/344 |
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| author | Viktorija Ergović Dubravka Čerba Bojana Tubić Boris Novaković Miran Koh Zlatko Mihaljević |
| author_facet | Viktorija Ergović Dubravka Čerba Bojana Tubić Boris Novaković Miran Koh Zlatko Mihaljević |
| author_sort | Viktorija Ergović |
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| description | This study focused on the aquatic insect orders that serve as biological indicators. Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, Trichoptera, Coleoptera, and Odonata were studied with their relationships to physical, chemical, hydrological and morphological variables in 14 streams on three Croatian mountains: Papuk, Medvednica and Psunj. From 675 samples collected in three dominant sediment microhabitats (e.g., macrolithal and mesolithal) in each stream, we identified 130 macroinvertebrate taxa. The most abundant group was Ephemeroptera (36 taxa). Aquatic insect assemblages between Papuk and Psunj showed higher similarity due to the geographical proximity of these two mountains, which is expressed as spatial connectivity. In spring, greater variability and diversity of investigated aquatic insects were observed due to the phenology of studied insects. The combination of environmental and morphological properties (e.g., oxygen concentration and substrate type) had the most significant influence on shaping the assemblage of aquatic insects of Psunj, while morphological properties were the most important in shaping aquatic insect assemblages on Papuk (e.g., streambed width) and Medvednica (e.g., elevation). <i>Baetis</i> sp. was the dominant taxon in summer, <i>Protonemura montana</i> in spring, and <i>Leuctra</i> sp. in autumn. Seasonal shifts in environmental conditions lead to functionally unique communities that utilize the pool of available seasonal resources. The dominance of feeding groups varied by season, with scrapers and collector–gatherers being most prevalent in summer, while shredders were dominant in spring. The results on the relationships between environmental characteristics and species richness, functional structure, and distribution of aquatic insects in mountain streams provide important clues for future research and conservation strategies in these vulnerable ecosystems. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-b5afe99e847f42d4a0af817598454d80 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2075-4450 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-03-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Insects |
| spelling | doaj-art-b5afe99e847f42d4a0af817598454d802025-08-20T02:18:03ZengMDPI AGInsects2075-44502025-03-0116434410.3390/insects16040344Seasonal Dynamics and Factors Shaping Aquatic Insect Assemblages in Mountain Streams of the Pannonian Lowland EcoregionViktorija Ergović0Dubravka Čerba1Bojana Tubić2Boris Novaković3Miran Koh4Zlatko Mihaljević5Department of Biology, University of Osijek, Cara Hadrijana 8/a, 31000 Osijek, CroatiaDepartment of Assessment and Aquatic Ecosystems Research, National Water Reference Laboratory of Slovakia, Water Research Institute, Nábr. arm. gen. L. Svobodu 5 (7), 81249 Bratislava, SlovakiaDepartment for Hydroecology and Water Protection, Institute for Biological Research “Siniša Stanković”, National Institute of the Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade, Bulevar despota Stefana 142, 11108 Belgrade, SerbiaNational Laboratory, Serbian Environmental Protection Agency, Ministry of Environmental Protection, Žabljačka 10a, 11160 Belgrade, SerbiaDepartment of Biology, University of Osijek, Cara Hadrijana 8/a, 31000 Osijek, CroatiaDepartment of Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Zagreb, Horvatovac 102a, 10000 Zagreb, CroatiaThis study focused on the aquatic insect orders that serve as biological indicators. Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, Trichoptera, Coleoptera, and Odonata were studied with their relationships to physical, chemical, hydrological and morphological variables in 14 streams on three Croatian mountains: Papuk, Medvednica and Psunj. From 675 samples collected in three dominant sediment microhabitats (e.g., macrolithal and mesolithal) in each stream, we identified 130 macroinvertebrate taxa. The most abundant group was Ephemeroptera (36 taxa). Aquatic insect assemblages between Papuk and Psunj showed higher similarity due to the geographical proximity of these two mountains, which is expressed as spatial connectivity. In spring, greater variability and diversity of investigated aquatic insects were observed due to the phenology of studied insects. The combination of environmental and morphological properties (e.g., oxygen concentration and substrate type) had the most significant influence on shaping the assemblage of aquatic insects of Psunj, while morphological properties were the most important in shaping aquatic insect assemblages on Papuk (e.g., streambed width) and Medvednica (e.g., elevation). <i>Baetis</i> sp. was the dominant taxon in summer, <i>Protonemura montana</i> in spring, and <i>Leuctra</i> sp. in autumn. Seasonal shifts in environmental conditions lead to functionally unique communities that utilize the pool of available seasonal resources. The dominance of feeding groups varied by season, with scrapers and collector–gatherers being most prevalent in summer, while shredders were dominant in spring. The results on the relationships between environmental characteristics and species richness, functional structure, and distribution of aquatic insects in mountain streams provide important clues for future research and conservation strategies in these vulnerable ecosystems.https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4450/16/4/344community structurestream macrozoobenthosfunctional feeding groupsEPTColeopteraOdonata |
| spellingShingle | Viktorija Ergović Dubravka Čerba Bojana Tubić Boris Novaković Miran Koh Zlatko Mihaljević Seasonal Dynamics and Factors Shaping Aquatic Insect Assemblages in Mountain Streams of the Pannonian Lowland Ecoregion Insects community structure stream macrozoobenthos functional feeding groups EPT Coleoptera Odonata |
| title | Seasonal Dynamics and Factors Shaping Aquatic Insect Assemblages in Mountain Streams of the Pannonian Lowland Ecoregion |
| title_full | Seasonal Dynamics and Factors Shaping Aquatic Insect Assemblages in Mountain Streams of the Pannonian Lowland Ecoregion |
| title_fullStr | Seasonal Dynamics and Factors Shaping Aquatic Insect Assemblages in Mountain Streams of the Pannonian Lowland Ecoregion |
| title_full_unstemmed | Seasonal Dynamics and Factors Shaping Aquatic Insect Assemblages in Mountain Streams of the Pannonian Lowland Ecoregion |
| title_short | Seasonal Dynamics and Factors Shaping Aquatic Insect Assemblages in Mountain Streams of the Pannonian Lowland Ecoregion |
| title_sort | seasonal dynamics and factors shaping aquatic insect assemblages in mountain streams of the pannonian lowland ecoregion |
| topic | community structure stream macrozoobenthos functional feeding groups EPT Coleoptera Odonata |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4450/16/4/344 |
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