Register      Login
Marine and Freshwater Research Marine and Freshwater Research Society
Advances in the aquatic sciences
RESEARCH ARTICLE

Effects of land use on annelid assemblages in Pampean wetlands

Laura C. Armendáriz https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6454-3499 A B * , Bianca Cortese C and Alberto Rodrigues Capítulo A B
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A Laboratorio Bentos, Instituto de Limnología ‘Dr Raúl A. Ringuelet’ (ILPLA), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET) La Plata–Universidad Nacional de La Plata (UNLP), Asociado a Comisión de Investigaciones Científicas, La Plata, Argentina.

B Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo, UNLP, La Plata, Argentina.

C Centro de Investigación Esquel de Montaña y Estepa Patagónica (CIEMEP), CONICET–Universidad Nacional de la Patagonia San Juan Bosco, Esquel, Argentina.

* Correspondence to: larmendariz@ilpla.edu.ar

Handling Editor: Richard Marchant

Marine and Freshwater Research 75, MF24142 https://doi.org/10.1071/MF24142
Submitted: 3 July 2024  Accepted: 11 September 2024  Published: 30 September 2024

© 2024 The Author(s) (or their employer(s)). Published by CSIRO Publishing

Abstract

Context

Land use significantly affects wetlands, altering various biotic components and threatening biodiversity.

Aims

This study assessed the ecological status of Pampas wetlands under different land uses by examining environmental characteristics and annelid assemblages.

Methods

Four water systems in the Argentine Pampas were surveyed, including riverine wetlands and upstream and downstream sections affected by urbanisation, intensive agriculture, or extensive livestock farming.

Key results

Multivariate analysis showed correlations among environmental factors and sites, whereas PERMANOVA analysis showed density variations among streams, sections, and land uses, although species richness and diversity remained consistent within each stream. In total, 42 annelid species and morphotypes were identified and linked with various environmental factors.

Conclusions

Enchytraeidae were correlated with nitrate and phosphorus concentrations, whereas Limnodrilus species and Tubifex tubifex were associated with nitrites, ammonium, vegetation coverage and fine sediments. Species such as Pristina spp., Aulophorus costatus, Dero spp. and Aulodrilus pigueti preferred sandy sediments enriched with organic matter and higher current velocities, indicating their potential as indicators of anthropogenic impact.

Implications

These findings highlighted the importance of annelid assemblages in wetland monitoring and underscore the need for integrated watershed management and sustainable planning to protect wetlands.

Keywords: annelid assemblages, bioindicators, diversity, land uses, multivariate methods, pampean streams, taxonomic richness, wetlands.

References

Alloway BJ (1990) The origins of heavy metals in soils. In ‘Heavy metals in soils’. (Ed. BJ Alloway) pp. 33–39. (Blackie and Son: Glasgow, UK)

Alvarez MF, Benítez HH, Garcia de Souza JR, Bauer DE, Tarda S, Nicolosi Gelis MM, Díaz A, Nazareno Saparrat MC, Gómez N (2020) Los microorganismos que habitan los bañados de desborde fluvial como indicadores de los efectos de la urbanización y la actividad agropecuaria. Biología Acuática 35, 1-18 [In Spanish].
| Crossref | Google Scholar |

American Public Health Association, American Water Works Association and Water Pollution Control Federation (1998) ‘Standard methods for examination of water and wastewater’, 20th edn. (AHPA: Washington DC, USA)

Amoros C, Bornette G, Henry CP (2000) Environmental auditing: a vegetation-based method for ecological diagnosis of riverine wetlands. Environmental Management 25, 211-227.
| Crossref | Google Scholar | PubMed |

Armendáriz LC, Rodrigues Capítulo A, Ambrosio ES (2011) Relationships between the spatial distribution of oligochaetes (Annelida, Clitellata) and environmental variables in a temperate estuary system of South America (Río de la Plata, Argentina). New Zealand Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research 45, 263-279.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |

Armendáriz LC, Rodríguez M, Rodrigues Capítulo A (2022) Environmental or spatial components? Patterns that structure the assemblages of aquatic oligochaetes in Argentine Pampas streams. River Research and Applications 38, 684-695.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |

Azous A, Horner RR (Eds) (2000) ‘Wetlands and urbanization: implications for the future.’ (CRC Press)

Bacca JC, Rampanelli Cararo E, Alves Lima-Rezende C, Tavares Martins R, Macedo-Reis LE, Dal Magro J, de Souza Rezende R (2023) Land-use effects on aquatic macroinvertebrate diversity in subtropical highland grasslands streams. Limnetica 42, 215-231.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |

Baeza S, Vélez-Martin E, De Abelleyra D, Banchero S, Gallego F, Schirmbeck J, Veron S, Vallejos M, Weber E, Oyarzabal M, Barbieri A, Petek M, Guerra Lara M, Sarrailhé SS, Baldi G, Bagnato C, Bruzzone L, Ramos S, Hasenack H (2022) Two decades of land cover mapping in the Río de la Plata grassland region: the MapBiomas Pampa initiative. Remote Sensing Applications: Society and Environment 28, 100834.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |

Barbour MT, Gerritsen J, Snyder BD, Stribling JB (1999) ‘Rapid bioassessment protocols for use in streams and wadeable rivers: peryphyton, benthic macroinvertebrates and fish’, 2nd edn. (EPA: Washington, DC, USA)

Bassi N, Kumar MD, Sharma A, Pardha-Saradhi P (2014) Status of wetlands in India: a review of extent, ecosystem benefits, threats and management strategies. Journal of Hydrology: Regional Studies 2, 1-19.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |

Behrend RDL, Takeda AM, Gomes LC, Fernandes SEP (2012) Using oligochaeta assemblages as an indicator of environmental changes. Brazilian Journal of Biology 72(4), 873-884.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |

Brinkhurst RO, Marchese MR (1992) Guía para la identificación de oligoquetos acuáticos continentales de Sud y Centroamérica. Colección Climax 6. Asociación de Ciencias Naturales del Litoral, Santo Tomé, Argentina. [In Spanish]

Cabrera AL, Willink A (1973) ‘Biogeografía de América latina.’ (Programa Regional de Desarrollo Científico y Tecnológico: Washington, DC, USA) [In Spanish]

Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment (2002) Canadian sediment quality guidelines for the protection of aquatic life. In ‘Canadian environmental quality guidelines’. (CCME)

Céréghino R, Boix D, Cauchie H-M, Martens K, Oertli B (2014) The ecological role of ponds in a changing world. Hydrobiologia 723(1), 1-6.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |

Collyer G, Perkins DM, Petsch DK, Siqueira T, Saito V (2023) Land-use intensification systematically alters the size structure of aquatic communities in the Neotropics. Global Change Biology 29, 4094-4106.
| Crossref | Google Scholar | PubMed |

Comber S, Gardner M, Georges K, Blackwood D, Gilmour D (2013) Domestic source of phosphorus to sewage treatment works. Environmental Technology 34(10), 1349-1358.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |

Cortese B (2021) Amortiguación de metales pesados en macrófitas y sedimentos como servicio ecosistémico de bañados de desborde fluvial. Su evaluación mediante índices bióticos con macroinvertebrados. PhD thesis, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, La Plata, Argentina. [In Spanish]

Díaz S, Settele J, Brondízio ES, Ngo HT, Guèze M, Agard J, Arneth A, Balvanera P, Brauman KA, Butchart SHM, Chan KMA, Garibaldi LA, Ichii K, Liu J, Subramanian SM, Midgley GF, Miloslavich P, Molnár Z, Obura D, Pfaff A, Polasky S, Purvis A, Razzaque J, Reyers B, Roy Chowdhury R, Shin YJ, Visseren-Hamakers IJ, Willis KJ, Zayas CN (Eds) (2019) ‘Summary for policymakers of the global assessment report on biodiversity and ecosystem services of the Intergovernmental Science–Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services.’ (IPBES Secretariat: Bonn, Germany) doi:10.5281/zenodo.3553579

Fabricante I, Minotti P, Kandus P (2023) Mapping the spatial distribution of wetlands in Argentina (South America) from a fusion of national databases. Marine and Freshwater Research 74, 286-300.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |

Feijoó CS, Giorgi A, García ME, Momo F (1999) Temporal and spatial variability in streams of the Pampean basin. Hydrobiologia 394, 41-52.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |

Fierro P, Bertrán C, Tapia J, Hauenstein E, Peña-Cortés F, Vergara C, Cerna C, Vargas-Chacoff L (2017) Effects of local land-use on riparian vegetation, water quality, and the functional organization of macroinvertebrate assemblages. Science of The Total Environment 609, 724-734.
| Crossref | Google Scholar | PubMed |

Folk RL (1974) ‘Petrology of sedimentary rocks.’ (Hemphill Publishing Co.: Austin, TX, USA)

Galatowitsch SM, Whited DC, Lehtinen R, Husveth J, Schik K (2000) The vegetation of wet meadows in relation to their land-use. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment 60, 121-144.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |

Garg JK (2015) Wetland assessment, monitoring and management in India using geospatial techniques. Journal of Environmental Management 148, 112-123.
| Crossref | Google Scholar | PubMed |

Giorgi A, Feijoó C, Tell G (2005) Primary producers in a Pampean stream: temporal variation and structuring role. Biodiversity and Conservation 14, 1699-1718.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |

Glasby CJ, Timm T (2008) Global diversity of polychaetes (Polychaeta; Annelida) in freshwater. Hydrobiologia 595, 107-115.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |

Gómez N, Siri A, Capítulo LR, Colautti DC, Alcalde L, Capítulo AR, Donato M, Fernanda Álvarez M, de Souza JRG, Jensen RF, Bauer DE, Maroñas M, Paredes del Puerto JM, Altieri P, Armendáriz LC, Benitez HH, Cassano MJ, Cortese B, Di Giorgi HD, Donadelli JL, Gelis MMN, García ID, Maiztegui T, Paracampo AH, Sánchez RM, Sathicq MB, Catanzaro LNSR (2022) Effects of urban demand for food and water on physicochemicals and biotic structure of riverine wetlands in the Pampean plain. Ecohydrology & Hydrobiology 22, 355-369.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |

Gupta G, Khan J, Upadhyay AK, Singh NK (2020) Wetland as a sustainable reservoir of ecosystem services: prospects of threat and conservation. In ‘Restoration of wetland ecosystem: a trajectory towards a sustainable environment’. (Eds AK Upadhyay, R Singh, DP Singh) pp. 31–43. (Springer Singapore: Singapore)

Hammer Ø, Harper DAT, Ryan PD (2001) PAST: paleontological statistics software package for education and data analysis. Palaeontologia Electronica 4(1), 9.
| Google Scholar |

International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature (2007) Opinion 2167 (Case 3305). NAIDIDAE Ehrenberg, 1828 (Annelida, Clitellata): precedence over TUBIFICIDAE Vejdovský, 1876 maintained. Bulletin of Zoological Nomenclature 64(1), 71-72 Available at https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/34356073.
| Google Scholar |

Jordan SJ, Stoffer J, Nestlerode JA (2011) Wetlands as sinks for reactive Nitrogen at continental and global scales: a meta-analysis. Ecosystems 14, 144-155.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |

Junk WJ (2013) Current state of knowledge regarding South America wetlands and their future under global climate change. Aquatic Sciences 75(1), 113-131.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |

Kandus P, Minotti P (2018) Propuesta de un marco conceptual y lineamientos metodológicos para el Inventario Nacional de Humedales. Informe final. Documento Rector del Inventario Nacional de Humedales DI-2018-3-APN-SSPYOAD#MAD, 3iA-UNSAM, Universidad Nacional de San Martín, San Martín, Argentina. [In Spanish]

Kandus P, Minotti P, Fabricante I, Ramonell C (2017) Identificación y Delimitación de Regiones de Humedales de Argentina. In ‘Regiones de humedales de la Argentina’. (Eds L Benzaquén, DE Blanco, R Bo, P Kandus, G Lingua, P Minotti, R Quintana) pp. 31–46. (Ministerio de Ambiente y Desarrollo Sustentable, Fundación Humedales–Wetlands International–Universidad Nacional de San Martín y Universidad de Buenos Aires: Buenos Aires, Argentina) Available at https://www.argentina.gob.ar/sites/default/files/regioneshumedbaja2.pdf [In Spanish]

Kappes H, Sundermann A, Haase P (2011) Distant land use affects terrestrial and aquatic habitats of high naturalness. Biodiversity and Conservation 20, 2297-2309.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |

Kim R-H, Lee J, Chang H-W (2003) Characteristics of organic matter as indicators of pollution from small-scale livestock and nitrate contamination of shallow groundwater in an agricultural area. Hydrological Processes 17(12), 2485-2496.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |

Krodkiewska M, Kostecki M (2015) Assessment of the restoration measures in a man-made reservoir: do oligochaete communities respond to the improvement of water quality? Environmental Monitoring and Assessment 187, 592.
| Crossref | Google Scholar | PubMed |

Marrochi MN (2018) Impacto de agroquímicos sobre los ensambles de macroinvertebrados en arroyos rurales. PhD thesis, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, La Plata, Argentina. [In Spanish]

Medley KA, Havel JE (2007) Hydrology and local environmental factors influencing zooplankton communities in floodplain ponds. Wetlands 27(4), 864-872.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |

Mitsch WJ, Gosselink JG (2000) The value of wetlands: importance of scale and landscape setting. Ecological Economics 35, 25-33.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |

Mitsch WJ, Jørgensen SE (2003) Ecological engineering: a field whose time has come. Ecological Engineering 20, 363-377.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |

Neiff JJ (2001) Humedales de la Argentina: sinopsis, problemas y perspectivas futuras. In ‘El Agua en Iberoamerica, Funciones de los humedales, calidad de vida y agua segura’. (Ed. AF Cirelli) pp. 83–112. (Programa Iberoamericano de Ciencia y Tecnología para el Desarrollo: Buenos Aires, Argentina) [In Spanish]

Paredes del Puerto JM, García ID, Jensen RF, Maiztegui T, Paracampo AH, Garcia de Souza JR, Maroñas ME, Colautti DC (2020) Caracterización de la avifauna e ictiofauna asociada a los bañados de desborde fluvial de cuatro arroyos pampeanos con uso de suelo contrastante (Buenos Aires, Argentina). Biología Acuática 35, 1-14 [In Spanish].
| Crossref | Google Scholar |

Rimoldi F, Peluso L, Bulus Rossini G, Ronco AE, Demetrio PM (2018) Multidisciplinary approach to a study of water and bottom sediment quality of streams associated with mixed land uses: case study Del Gato Stream, La Plata (Argentina). Ecological Indicators 89, 188-198.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |

Robinson CT, Tockner K, Ward JV (2002) The fauna of dynamic riverine landscapes. Freshwater Biology 47, 661-677.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |

Rodrigues Capítulo L, Kruse E, Gómez N (2020a) Los bañados de desborde fluvial: una mirada desde la geohidrología. Biología Acuática 35, 1-13 [In Spanish].
| Crossref | Google Scholar |

Rodrigues Capítulo A, Armendáriz L, Siri A, Altieri P, Ocon C, Cortese B, Rodríguez Catanzaro L, Zanotto Arpellino JP, Rodríguez M, Donato M (2020b) Caracterización estructural y funcional de los macroinvertebrados en los bañados de desborde fluvial del área pampeana. Biología Acuática 35, 1-21 [In Spanish].
| Crossref | Google Scholar |

Rodríguez P, Reynoldson TB (2011) ‘The pollution biology of aquatic Oligochaetes.’ (Springer: New York, NY, USA)

Saunders DL, Meeuwig JJ, Vincent ACJ (2002) Freshwater protected areas: strategies for conservation. Conservation Biology 16, 30-41.
| Crossref | Google Scholar | PubMed |

Ter Braak CJF, Smilauer P (2002) CANOCO reference manual and CanoDraw for Windows user’s guide: software for canonical community ordination (ver. 4.5). Microcomputer Power, Ithaca, NY, USA.

US Environmental Protection Agency (2015) Connectivity of streams and wetlands to downstream waters: a review and synthesis of the scientific evidence. Final report, January 2015, EPA/600/R-14/475F. (US EPA) Available at https://cfpub.epa.gov/ncea/risk/recordisplay.cfm?deid=296414

Zedler JB, Kercher S (2005) Wetland resources: status, trends, ecosystem services, and restorability. Annual Review of Environment and Resources 30, 39-74.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |