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RESEARCH ARTICLE

The microhabitat preferences of Trichoptera in rivers in north-western Spain

Romina Álvarez-Troncoso A C , Cesar João Benetti A B , Amadou Babacar Sarr A and Josefina Garrido A
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A Departamento de Ecología y Biología Animal, Facultad de Biología. Universidad de Vigo, Campus Lagoas-Marcosende, E-36310 Vigo, Spain.

B Programa de Pós-Graduação em Entomologia (PPGEnt), Coordenação de Biodiversidade, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia (INPA), Avenida André Araújo 2936, 69067-375, Manaus, AM, Brazil.

C Corresponding author. Email: ralvareztroncoso@gmail.com

Marine and Freshwater Research 68(9) 1686-1694 https://doi.org/10.1071/MF16246
Submitted: 4 December 2015  Accepted: 14 December 2016   Published: 8 February 2017

Abstract

We analysed the microhabitat preferences of caddisfly species in four rivers in north-western Spain. In each river, we sampled five sites with different types of substrate. These sites were characterised in situ according to the predominant material type (macrophytes, moss, pebbles and sand). A one-way ANOVA was used to test for significant differences in species abundance among substrates, and a nested ANOVA was used to test for significant differences in physical and chemical variables among rivers and sampling sites. A similarity percentage-species contribution analysis was performed to estimate the contribution of each species to the characterisation of each substrate. We observed significant differences in the abundance of seven species (Drusus bolivari, Glossosoma privatum, Larcasia partita, Micrasema longulum, M. servatum, M. gr. moestum and Sericostoma sp.) among substrates, confirming that these species have substrate preferences. According to similarity percentage-species contribution, the species that contributed most to differences were as follows: for sand, Sericostoma sp.; for macrophytes, Rhyacophila adjuncta, Hydropsyche ambigua, Sericostoma sp.; for moss, Micrasema gr. moestum, M. servatum, M. longulum, Hydropsyche tibialis and R. adjuncta; and for pebbles, Sericostoma sp., Larcasia partita and H. tibialis. These preferences can be explained by the fact that different species use different materials from the substrate to build their cases and also as a source of stability, protection and food.


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