Aquatic insects as target organisms for the study of effects of projected climate change in the British Isles

One of the objectives of the Terrestrial Initiative in Global Environmental Research is to assess the sensitivity of British plant and animal species to climate change. The first phase of the program involved the identification of criteria for selecting species suitable for the study of effects of projected climate change in the British Isles. Apart from shallow ponds, annual temperature ranges of 0 to 25 C in temperate freshwater habitats are narrower than those in most temperate terrestrial habitats. Although freshwater organisms have to exist within a narrower range than their terrestrial equivalents, few species can survive throughout their life cycle over the whole temperature range. Field studies on the effects of natural and artificial thermal discharges into streams and rivers have shown that increases in water temperature affect aquatic insects at both the species and community level. Although field data provide valuable information, a more productive approach is to determine experimentally the requirements of different species. Although there are just over 1850 species of aquatic insects in the British Isles, detailed quantitative information on the relationship between temperature and development of eggs, larvae and pupa is available for relatively few species. One exception is the egg stage of stoneflies (Plecoptera). The range for egg hatching in stoneflies clearly show that some species could be threatened while others could benefit from a defined increase in water temperature as a result of climate change. A critical review of the available data on this group would produce a set of equations that could be used to predict the ecological effects of climate change on this group of indicator species.

Aquatic insects as target organisms for the study of effects of projected climate change in the British Isles

The chief objectives of this brief review are to collate and synthesise quantitative information on the temperature requirements of aquatic insects, and to identify species, and groups of species, that could be useful indicators of climate change and predictors of the ecological effects of change. It arose from the first phase of the Terrestrial Initiative in Global Environmental Research (TIGER), a five-year, NERC Community Programme on the role of the terrestrial biosphere in the science of global change. This phase involved the identification of criteria for selecting species suitable for the study of effects of projected climate change in the British Isles. Field and laboratory studies are reviewed, and criteria for selection of species for future research are suggested. The literature survey shows that no species of aquatic insect can be found to meet all three criteria, but information on the British stoneflies and their eggs already satisfies two of them.

Aquatic insects as the main food resource of fish the community in a Neotropical reservoir

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Community structure of aquatic insects (Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, and Trichoptera) in Cerrado streams of Paraguay, Paraná, and São Francisco river basins

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Bioaccumulation of metals in aquatic insects of streams located in areas with sugar cane cultivation

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Keys to the North American genera and higher groups of aquatic insects in their larval and adult stages,

Leaves variously numbered.

May flies and midges of New York. Third report on aquatic insects. A study conducted at the Entomologic Field Station, Ithaca, N.Y. /

Bibliography: p. 310-315.

The natural history of aquatic insects /

Includes index.

Evolution of New Zealand insects : summary and prospectus for future research

Knowledge on the evolution of the New Zealand insect fauna is reviewed and outstanding questions are highlighted. The New Zealand insect fauna is a composite of old and recent lineages and many spectacular examples of evolutionary processes are evident, including species radiations, hybridisation and unusual adaptations. We discuss the origins and evolution of four prominent communities within the insect fauna: terrestrial lowland insects, alpine insects, aquatic insects and insect communities from offshore islands. Within each of these communities, significant lineages are discussed, and in particular the crucial adaptations that enable these lineages to thrive and diversify. Glacial history has had a dramatic impact on the New Zealand insects, and the effects on different lineages are discussed. The New Zealand insects are unique, yet many are threatened with extinction, and efforts to preserve the fauna are reviewed. Despite the accumulating knowledge, major gaps still exist and these are outlined, as are opportunities to address key questions. The review concludes with a synthesis and a discussion of how systematics, new technologies and integrative approaches have the promise to improve dramatically our understanding of New Zealand insect evolution.

The transport of aquatic animals by birds. [Translation from: Binnengewaesser 18, 156-159, 1950.]

A great deal has been written on the part which birds play in the dispersal of freshwater fauna. This article summarises literature on the dispersal of aquatic animals by birds and aquatic insects.

Aquatic coleoptera and hemiptera taken at light in some Asian countries with a note on Sphaerodema (Hemiptera-Belostomatidae)

Aquatic insects are relatively common at artificial lights and are often taken in light traps operated for catching other insects. They are however seldom recorded. These records are however of importance in understanding their distribution and abundance. Aquatic Coleoptera and Hemiptera are of importance in fisheries because some of them are predators on small fish whilst others serve as food for fishes of all sizes. Some like the Corixidae are of special interest because they can utilize the bottom ooze which is abundant especially in small habitats. Fernando (1961a) gave a comprehensive bibliography of records at light. In the present paper a number of records are given from various parts of Asia, where in the past records were very few. They are based on collections made by the author and also on material in the Zoological Survey of India, Calcutta. Amongst specimens sent for study by the Bernice P. Bishop Museum, Honolulu, were a few specimens which had been recorded at light.

Diet and trophic groups of an aquatic insect community in a tropical stream

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Aquatic macrophytes as feeding site for small fishes in the Rosana Reservoir, Paranapanema River, southeastern Brazil

In the present investigation we studied the feeding habits of the fishes associated with aquatic macrophytes in the Rosana Reservoir, southeastern Brazil. Twenty fish species were collected during four field trips, regularly distributed across the dry and wet seasons. Focal snorkeling observations of the fishes were made over a total of six hours. Nine species were present in abundances of more than 1% and, therefore, had their feeding habits analyzed. Hemigrammus marginatus, Roeboides paranensis, Hyphessobrycon eques, Astyanax altiparanae, Serrasalmus spilopleura, and Bryconamericus stramineus were predominantly invertivores, with predominance of aquatic insects (Diptera, Ephemeroptera, and Trichoptera immatures) among their food items. The predominantly algivores were Apareiodon affinis, Serrapinnus notomelas, and Satanoperca pappaterra, with high frequency of filamentous blue-green algae, diatoms, clorophyts, and periderm. The different microhabitat exploitation plus diet composition suggests partitioning of resources and absence of food competition among the most representative fish species in the studied community, indicating the importance of the naturalistic approach to fish ecology studies.