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Influence of a forest remnant on macroinvertebrate communities in a degraded tropical stream

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Abstract

Land use changes have resulted in large environmental impacts, and in agricultural landscapes sometimes only forest fragments remain. Riparian forest remnants can positively influence stream water quality, and serve as refuges for aquatic species. We evaluated whether the presence of a riparian forest remnant influenced the structure and composition of macroinvertebrate communities in a rural stream in southeastern Brazil. We sampled three reaches upstream (within abandoned sugarcane cultivation) and nine downstream the remnant edge, until 600 m inside the forested area, using leaf litter bags. The abundances of Elmidae, Chironomidae, and total macroinvertebrates increased along the forest remnant, whereas the abundance of Baetidae, proportion of Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, and Trichoptera (EPT), rarefied taxonomic richness, and diversity decreased. Taxon richness and EPT abundance did not vary along the forest remnant. Increases in Chironomidae and total abundance within the forest remnant can be related to moderate increases in nutrient concentrations, or to the availability of high quality leaf litter patches. Forest remnants can influence macroinvertebrate communities, although variation both in temperate and tropical studies can be related to local agricultural practices and land use at the watershed scale. Forest remnants are important in maintaining stream water quality in rural landscapes, and deserve attention in watershed management projects.

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Acknowledgments

We thank all the people who helped in the field work, especially F.Y. Hanai, J.F. Fernandes and L.A. Joaquim, A.L.T. Souza for help in planning the sampling design and data analyses, Heverton J. Ribeiro—Manager of Parque Estadual de Vassununga—for support, Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico for financial support (procs. 480181/2010-1, 308630/2010-6), and Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior for the scholarship to the first author.

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  1. Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ecologia e Recursos Naturais, Universidade Federal de São Carlos (UFSCar), CP 676, Rodovia Washington Luiz Km 235, São Carlos, SP, 13565-905, Brazil

    Cristiane M. Suga

  2. Departamento de Ciências Ambientais (DCAm), Universidade Federal de São Carlos (UFSCar), CP 676, Rodovia Washington Luiz Km 235, São Carlos, SP, 13565-905, Brazil

    Marcel O. Tanaka

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  1. Cristiane M. Suga
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Correspondence to Marcel O. Tanaka.

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Handling editor: David Dudgeon

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Suga, C.M., Tanaka, M.O. Influence of a forest remnant on macroinvertebrate communities in a degraded tropical stream. Hydrobiologia 703, 203–213 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-012-1360-1

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