Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

The contribution of standing waters to aquatic biodiversity: the case of water beetles in southeastern Iberia

  • Published:
Aquatic Ecology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The southeast of the Iberian Peninsula is a recognized area of high aquatic biodiversity, water beetles being one of the most well-known groups contributing to such biodiversity. The standing waters of this area show a high habitat diversity, occurring fresh, saline, temporary, permanent, karstic, endorheic, and artificial small water bodies. Despite this, there has been no attempt to analyze their contribution to local biodiversity. In this work, we identify the species inhabiting standing waters, analyze their contribution to the checklist from the study area, and recognize the species exclusive to this kind of habitat. We also highlight the most threatened species, identify the habitats which constitute biodiversity hotspots for this group, explore patterns of water beetle assemblage composition, and identify indicator species associated with each habitat type. We collected 125 species, 55 of them being typical to lentic habitats, in the set of 26 sampled standing water bodies, which means the 57% of the 218 species recorded in the most recent checklist for the study area. A total of 10 species are Iberian endemics and four can be considered threatened, Ochthebius irenae falling in both categories. Natural ponds showed the highest species richness (91 species), while saline water bodies (endorheic lagoons and continental salt-pans) contributed the most threatened species: Nebrioporus baeticus, Ochthebius delgadoi, Ochthebius tudmirensis and Ochthebius irenae. The most representative species for continental salt-pans was Ochthebius notabilis, for endorheic lagoons Ochthebius marinus and Hygrotus pallidulus, while Hydroglyphus geminus played this part in rice fields. Our results suggest that rice fields, endorheic lagoons, and continental salt-pans have specific water beetles assemblages, which could be used in bioassessment and conservation studies. In general, standing waters are seriously threatened in this area, particularly as a result of intensive agricultural activities. Thus, taking into account these ecosystems hold a high number of species, their continued degradation is likely to result in a significant loss of biodiversity, including key populations of a number of threatened and endemic species.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Abellán P, Sánchez-Fernández D, Velasco J, Millán A (2004) Selección de áreas prioritarias de conservación en la provincia de Albacete utilizando los coleópteros acuáticos. Instituto de Estudios Albacetenses, Albacete

    Google Scholar 

  • Abellán P, Sánchez-Fernández D, Velasco J, Millán A (2005) Assessing conservation priorities for insects: status of water beetles in southeast Spain. Biol Conserv 121:79–90

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Abellán P, Gómez-Zurita J, Millán A, Sánchez-Fernández D, Velasco J, Galián J, Ribera I (2007) Conservation genetics in hypersaline inland waters: mitochondrial diversity and phylogeography of an endangered Iberian beetle (Coleoptera: Hydraenidae). Conserv Genet 8:79–88

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Battisti C, Luiselli L, Pantano D, Teofili C (2008) On threats analysis approach applied to a Mediterranean remnant wetland: is the assessment of human-induced threats related to different level of expertise of respondents? Biodivers Conserv 17:1529–1542

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bilton DT, Mcabendroth L, Bedford A, Ramsay PM (2006) How wide to cast the net? Cross-taxon congruence of species richness, community similarity and indicator taxa in ponds. Freshw Biol 51:578–590

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Boix D, Gascón S, Sala J, Badosa A, Brucet S, López-Flores R, Martinoy M, Gifre J, Quintana XD (2008) Patterns of composition and species richness of crustaceans and aquatic insects along environmental gradients in Mediterranean water bodies. Hydrobiologia 597:53–69

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Casado S, Montes C (1995) Guía de los lagos y humedales de España. J.M. Reyero, Madrid

    Google Scholar 

  • Céréghino R, Biggs J, Oertli B, Declerck S (2008) The ecology of European ponds: defining the characteristics of a neglected freshwater habitat. Hydrobiologia 597:1–6

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Clarke KR (1993) Nonparametric multivariate analyses of changes in community structure. Aust J Ecol 18:117–143

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Clarke KR, Warwick RM (1994) Changes in marine communities: an approach to statistical analysis and interpretation, 1st edn. Plymouth Marine Laboratory, Plymouth

    Google Scholar 

  • Colwell RK (2000) EstimateS: statistical estimation of species richness and shared species from samples (Software and user’s guide), Version 6.0 available in http://viceroy.eeb.uconn.edu./estimates

  • Colwell RK, Coddington JA (1994) Estimating terrestrial biodiversity through extrapolation. Phil Trans Roy Soc Lond 345:101–118

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • De Meester L, Declerck S, Stoks R, Louette G, Van De Meutter F, De Bie T, Michels E, Brendonck L (2005) Ponds and pools as model systems in conservation biology, ecology and evolutionary biology. Aquat Conserv: Mar Freshw Ecosyst 15:715–725

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dufrene M, Legendre P (1997) Species assemblages and indicator species: the need for a flexible asymmetrical approach. Ecol Monogr 67:345–366

    Google Scholar 

  • Fernández F (1998) Los condicionantes climáticos del paisaje. In: Junta de Comunidades de Castilla-La Mancha (ed) Guía de los espacios naturales de Castilla-La Mancha. Junta de Comunidades de Castilla-La Mancha, Toledo, pp 41–54

    Google Scholar 

  • Gotelli NJ, Colwell RK (2001) Quantifying biodiversity: procedures and pitfalls in the measurement and comparison of species richness. Ecol Lett 4:379–391

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gutiérrez-Cánovas C, Velasco J, Millán A (2008) SALINDEX: a macroinvertebrate index for assessing the ecological status of saline ‘ramblas’ from SE of the Iberian Peninsula. Limnética 27:299–316

    Google Scholar 

  • Hof C, Brandle M, Brandl R (2006) Lentic odonates have larger and more northern ranges than lotic species. J Biogeogr 33:63–70

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hortal J, García-Pereira P, García-Barros E (2004) Butterfly species richness in mainland Portugal: predictive models of geographic distribution patterns. Ecography 27:68–82

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jäch MA, Balke M (2008) Global diversity of water beetles (Coleoptera) in freshwater. Hydrobiologia 595:419–442

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Martínez-Fernández J, Esteve-Selma MA, Calvo-Sendín JF (2000) Environmental and socioeconomic interactions in the evolution of traditional irrigated lands: a dynamic system model. Hum Ecol 28:279–299

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McCune B, Mefford MJ (1999) PC-ORD for windows: multivariate analysis of ecological data. M. Software. v. 4.20. Gleneden Beach, Oregon

    Google Scholar 

  • Médail F, Quézel P (1997) Hot-spots analysis for conservation of plant biodiversity in the Mediterranean basin. Ann Mo Bot Gard 84:112–127

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Menetrey N, Sager L, Oertli B, Lachavanne JB (2005) Looking for metrics to assess the trophic state of ponds. Macroinvertebrates and amphibians. Aquat Conserv: Mar Freshw Ecosyst 15:653–664

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Millán A, Moreno JL, Velasco J (2001a) Estudio faunístico y ecológico de los coleópteros y heterópteros acuáticos de las lagunas de Albacete (Alboraj, Los Patos, Ojos de Villaverde, Ontalafia y Pétrola). Sabuco 1:43–94

    Google Scholar 

  • Millán A, Moreno JL, Velasco J (2001b) Estudio faunístico y ecológico de los coleópteros y heterópteros acuáticos de las lagunas y humedales de Albacete (Lagunas de Ruidera, Salinas de Pinilla, Laguna del Saladar, Laguna del Salobralejo, Lagunas de Corral Rubio, Fuente de Isso y Fuente de Agua Ramos). Sabuco 2:167–214

    Google Scholar 

  • Millán A, Moreno JL, Velasco J (2002) Estudio faunístico y ecológico de los coleópteros y heterópteros acuáticos y semiacuáticos de la provincia de Albacete. Instituto de Estudios Albacetenses, Albacete

    Google Scholar 

  • Millán A, Abellán P, Ribera I, Sánchez-Fernández D, Velasco J (2006) The Hydradephaga (Coleoptera) of the Segura basin (SE Spain): twenty-five years studying water beetles. Mem Soc Entomol Ital 13:7–158

    Google Scholar 

  • Myers N, Mittermeier RA, Mittermeier CG, da Fonseca GAB, Kent J (2000) Biodiversity hotspots for conservation priorities. Nature 403:853–858

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Nicolet P, Biggs J, Fox G, Hodson MJ, Reynolds C, Whitfield M, Williams P (2004) The wetland plant and macroinvertebrate assemblages of temporary ponds in England and Wales. Biol Conserv 120:261–278

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Oertli B, Biggs J, Céréghino R, Grillas P, Joly P, Lachavanne JB (2005) Conservation and monitoring of pond biodiversity: introduction. Aquat Conserv: Mar Freshw Ecosyst 15:535–540

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ribera I (2000) Biogeography and conservation of Iberian water beetles. Biol Conserv 92:131–150

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ribera I, Millán A (1999) Description of Ochthebius (Asiobates) irenae sp. n. (Coleoptera: Hydraenidae) from the Iberian Peninsula, with notes on its ecology. Aquat Insects 21:147–152

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ribera I, Bilton DT, Aguilera P, Foster GN (1996) A North African–European transition fauna: water beetles (Coleoptera) front the Ebro delta and other Mediterranean coastal wetlands in the Iberian Peninsula. Aquat Conserv: Mar Freshw Ecosyst 6:121–140

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ribera I, Hernando C, Aguilera P (1998) An annotated checklist of the Iberian water beetles (Coleoptera). Zapateri: Revista Aragonesa de Entomología 8:43–111

    Google Scholar 

  • Ribera I, Foster GN, Vogler AP (2003) Does habitat use explain large scale species richness patterns of aquatic beetles in Europe? Ecography 26:145–152

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sánchez-Fernández D, Abellán P, Mellado A, Velasco J, Millán A (2006) Are water beetles good indicators of biodiversity in Mediterranean aquatic ecosystems? The case of the Segura river basin (SE spain). Biodivers Conserv 15:4507–4520

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sánchez-Fernández D, Bilton DT, Abellán P, Ribera I, Vezasco J, Millán A (2008a) Are the endemic water beetles of the Iberian Peninsula and the Balearic Islands effectively protected? Biol Conserv 141:1612–1627

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sánchez-Fernández D, Lobo JM, Abellán P, Ribera I, Millán A (2008b) Bias in freshwater biodiversity sampling: the case of Iberian water beetles. Divers Distrib 14:754–762

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Soberón J, Llorente J (1993) The use of species accumulation functions for the prediction of species richness. Conserv Biol 7:480–488

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Velasco J, Millán A, Hernández J, Gutiérrez-Cánovas C, Abellán P, Sánchez-Fernández D, Ruiz M (2006) Response of biotic communities to salinity changes in a Mediterranean hypersaline stream. Saline Syst 2:1–15

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Williams P, Whitfield M, Biggs J, Bray S, Fox G, Nicolet P, Sear D (2003) Comparative biodiversity of rivers, streams, ditches and ponds in an agricultural landscape in Southern England. Biol Conserv 115:329–341

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

We are indebted to D. Sánchez-Fernández, P. Abellán and C. Gutiérrez-Cánovas, who were very helpful at various stages, and David Bilton and Paul Ramsay for assistance with English expression. We thank the ‘Instituto de Estudios Albacetenses’ (Albacete, Spain) and MMA project ref: 023/2007 for economic support. This study was also supported by a predoctoral grant (to F. Picazo) financed by ‘Fundación SÉNECA’.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Ecology and Hydrology, Faculty of Biology, University of Murcia, 30100, Murcia, Spain

    F. Picazo & A. Millán

  2. Regional Centre of Water Research (CREA), University of Castilla-La Mancha, Albacete, Spain

    J. L. Moreno

Authors
  1. F. Picazo
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. J. L. Moreno
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. A. Millán
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to F. Picazo.

Appendix

Appendix

See Table 5.

Table 5 Species list showing their occurrence in the six habitat types studied
Full size table

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Picazo, F., Moreno, J.L. & Millán, A. The contribution of standing waters to aquatic biodiversity: the case of water beetles in southeastern Iberia. Aquat Ecol 44, 205–216 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10452-009-9279-y

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10452-009-9279-y

Keywords

Search

Navigation