The Biodiversity of Running Waters

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The Biodiversity of Running Waters

• BY
• L. Seward,T. Stockley, M. Avery,
• J. Tilley, N. Jackson, E. Axmann

2
Talk outline

• Introduction
• Natural Biota
• Insects
• Invertebrates (not including insects)
• Plants
• Mammals and other vertebrates

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The Natural Biota
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Insects

• Plecoptera
• Odonata (see opposite)
• Hemiptera
• Hymenoptera
• Tricoptera
• Lepidoptera
• Coleoptera
• Diptera
• Ephemaoptera
• Megaloptera

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Plecoptera (Stoneflies) and Odonata (Dragonflies
and Damselflies)

• 113 European species (40 in Britain)
• Two suborders Zygoptera (Damselflies) and
  Isoptera (Dragonflies)
• Favour slow moving water
• Isopteran Larvae carnivorous
• e.g. Coenagrion puella (Zygoptera) and Anax
  imperator (Emperor Dragonfly)

• Around 3000 known species (only 34 in Britain)
• Nymphs important in fish diet
• Prefer running water with stony/gravely bottoms
• intolerant of pollution
• adults live for only a few weeks
• e.g. leuctra fusca, Nemoura cinerea

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Hemiptera (true bugs) and Hymenoptera (Bees,
wasps, ants etc)

• Can include surface living bugs (e.g.
  pondskaters, gerris lacustris) or true water bugs
  (e.g. water boatmen corixa punctata)
• Amphibicorisae (surface living bugs) all have
  fine waterproof hairs on underside, and hunt by
  detecting vibrations on surface film
• Cryptocerata (true water bugs) are a diverse
  group all with concealed antennae. Most are
  predatory and can bite, If caught.

• This order lives at water edge with few water
  species.
• split into two main groups -symphyta (sawflies,no
  waist) -Apocrita (bees, ant and wasps, narrow
  waist)

Pondskater
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Tricoptera (caddis flies) andLepidoptera
(butterflies and moths)

• Only holometabolic group where young stages are
  aquatic
• over 6000 species (190 British)
• Most adults dont feed, with a long larval stage.
• Larvae built characteristic cases, or silk nets

• Can be split into butterflies (posses clubbed
  antennae) and moths
• lepidoptera means scaly wings
• Flower pollinators
• both larvae and adult feed on rich vegetation at
  river banks.

Adult Caddis fly
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Coleoptera (beetles) and
Diptera (true flies)

• 6 main aquatic families
• range from free swimming whirligigs (gyrinus
  nator), to bottom dwelling algal feeding
  haliplidae (haliplus fulvus)
• over 140 British water beetle species

• Dipteran larvae important as predators,
  collectors, shredders, scrapers and even some
  parasites
• adults often breed near freshwater
• often seen in mating swarms around over river

Great Diving Beetle
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Ephemaoptera (mayflies) and Megaloptera
(alderflies)

• Distinguishable by short antannae, delicate wings
  and 2-3 long tails
• usually found in vicinity of water
• important in fish diet
• adults dont feed, and in many species live less
  than a day
• 3 types of nymphs -Ephemera, Ecdyonurus and
  Ephemerella, all adapted brilliantly to
  ecological niches

• From order neuroptera
• in aquatic larvae appendages are reduced and form
  feathery gills
• larvae and adults are carnivorous with biting
  mouthparts

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Invertebrate diversity (excluding insects)

• Major freshwater groups
• zooplankton
• Rotifera
• Hydra (Cnidaria)
• Annelida
• Crustacea
• Mollusca

• Minor groups
• Planariidae (Platyhelminthes)
• Porifera (sponges)
• Nematoda

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From Z to M

• Zooplankton includes
• Rotifera
• Cladocera
• Copepoda
• ostracod and mysid crustaceans
• water mites (Hydracarina/Arachnida)
• larval molluscs
• Tardigrada

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Phyla Rotifera and Cnidaria

• 1,800 known species
• 94 restricted to freshwater
• mostly benthic and littoral
• algal, filter or detritus feeders some are
  carnivorous, herbivorous or even obligate
  parasites

• Class Hydrozoa
• Hydra is the one of the few freshwater genera

Green Hydra
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Phylum Annelida

• 15,000 sp. of segmented worms
• Hirudinea (500 sp.) leeches are
  freshwater ectoparasites
• Oligochaeta (3,500 sp.)aquatic worms are bottom
  dwellers 3 or 4 families in
  littoral areas
• Polychaeta (typical annelid) a curiosity in
  freshwater but 8,000 marine species

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Subphylum Crustacea

• (most of the 40,000 sp. are marine)
• Class Copepoda (gt10,000 sp.) 5 freshwater
  orders
• Class Ostracoda tiny bivalved bottom dwellers
• Order Podocopa is the only freshwater one
• Class Branchiura

• Class Malacostraca
• Subclass Syncarida
• Subclass Eucarida Order Decapoda (crayfishes and
  crabs)
• Subclass Peracarida
• 4 Orders (shrimps and crayfishes)
• Mysidacea
• Thermosbaenacea
• Isopoda
• Amphipoda

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Phylum Mollusca

• Class Bivalvia
• clams and mussels are
• typical of the river fauna
• Family Unionidae
• Family Sphaeriidae

• Class Gastropoda (mostly marine)
• gt40,000 snail and slug species
• subclass Prosobranchia
• 3 freshwater families
• Ancylidae
• Potamopyrgidae
• Pleuroceridae
• subclass Pulmonata
• limpets

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Factors controlling benthic invertebrates

• Ecological factors
• substratum
• type of surface
• vegetation
• dissolved substances
• oxygen
• salinity
• acidity
• hardness
• food availability
• oviposition habits

• interspecific competition
• Physical factors
• current speed
• temperature
• altitude
• season
• liability to drought and floods
• shade
• proximity of suitable habitats

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Aquatic plants

• Microphytes
• Algae
• Diatoms

• Macrophytes
• Bryophtes
• Angiosperms
• Large algae(charales)

Diatoms
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Microphytes

• Epiphytes
• Epilithic
• Epilic plants

• No one family is entirely aquatic, so rather than
  classing them in families they are split into 3
  Types of groups based on where theyre found

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Macrophytes

• Attached plants
• Mosses and liver words
• Flattened Lichens
• Two angiosperm species

• Rooted plants
• Reeds
• rushes
• sedges
• Other aquatic angiosperms
• Charlaes

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Macrophytes cont..

• Floating plants
• Duckweed
• Papyrus (tropical)
• water Hyacinth
• Floating grass

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Freshwater fishes of the British Isles

• Lamprey Family
• Sturgeon Family (rare)
• Salmon Family
• Pike Family
• Carp Family
• Loach Family

• Catfish Family
• Eel Family
• Perch Family
• Bullhead Family
• Stickleback Family

Pike
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Important qualities of freshwater habitats

• Water velocity
• Level of dissolved oxygen
• Summer temperatures
• level of chemical and biological richness
• Degree of pollution

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Running water in mountainous regions

• Hard insoluble rocks
• Poor soils
• Acid waters, so they are poor in minerals
• Invertebrate life is poor in species
• Salmonid fishes, Atlantic Salmon
• Brown Trout and Arctic Charr
• Only some coarse fish

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Lowland rivers and streams

• Soluble mineral rich strata
• Run-off from rich agricultural soils
• High pH alkaline
• Biologically rich
• Eutrophic
• Aquatic vegetation and invertebrate fauna

• High summer water temperatures
• Coarse fish species e.g most carp
• Many other stenohaline fishes

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Aquatic Mammals

• Mainly live in holes in riverbank.
• Tend to be nocturnal.
• Carnivores - e.g. Otters and Mink
• Insectivores - e.g. Water Shrews
• Herbivores - e.g. Water Voles

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Swimming Adaptations

• Webbed feet.
• Bristles on tail and hind feet. (e.g. water
  shrew).
• Water-proof fur. (e.g water voles). Insulated fur
  layer underneath guard hair.
• Streamline body and long tail.
• Sensitive whiskers for finding food underwater.

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Feeding

• Otters Mainly fish also crayfish, amphibians,
  insects and worms. Versatile and varied diet.
• Mink Fish and waterfowl. Land mammals such as
  rabbits during food shortages.
• Water Shrew Aquatic crustaceans and insect
  larvae. Terrestrial beetles and worms. Must eat
  50 of own body weight each day.
• Water Vole Mainly vegetarian, feeds on
  bank-side vegetation.

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Anything else!
There are a large number of lizards and
amphibians that also play a role in aquatic
habitats. So I suppose this speaks for
itself!!!!!!!!!!!!!