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Advanced Research on Freshwater Invertebrate Ecology and Systematics
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Advanced Research on Freshwater Invertebrate Ecology and Systematics

A special issue of Water (ISSN 2073-4441). This special issue belongs to the section "Biodiversity and Functionality of Aquatic Ecosystems".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2023) | Viewed by 9657

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Ekaterina S. Konopleva

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Laboratory of Molecular Ecology and Biogeography, Federal Center for Integrated Arctic Research Russian Academy of Science, Arkhangelsk, Russia
Interests: freshwater bivalve mussels; taxonomy; phylogenetics; biogeography; ecology; South and Southeast Asia
Dr. Yulia V. Bespalaya

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Laverov Federal Center for Integrated Arctic Research of the Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Arkhangelsk, Russia
Interests: ecology of freshwater mollusks; taxonomy; invasive species; phylogeography
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Freshwater invertebrates serve as important contributors to ecosystem functioning, which includes detritus decomposition, self-purification, animal–microbial interactions, and herbivore and energy transfer to the consumers at higher trophic levels. However, despite their central role in aquatic ecosystems, ecology, taxonomy, biogeography, diversity, distributions, variation in abundance, and habitat requirements, these animals are poorly studied. Freshwater ecosystems are currently exposed to significant anthropogenic impacts that affect their state and associated habitats. Impact assessment of the biological and anthropogenic factors on the functioning of freshwater invertebrate communities is necessary to identify environmental stressors and favorable habitat conditions for ecological control. We will accept review papers as well as primary research articles that cover various groups of freshwater invertebrates, including original data and high-quality analyses in taxonomy, ecology, biogeography, and phylogeny. This Special Issue aims to provide a basis for expanded studies of the ecology and taxonomy of freshwater invertebrates which will allow us to refine our understanding of the specificity of their ecological demands, species status, diversity, and distribution.

Dr. Ekaterina S. Konopleva
Dr. Yulia V. Bespalaya
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • freshwater invertebrates
  • ecology
  • phylogeny
  • taxonomy
  • biogeography

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

14 pages, 8639 KiB  
Article
Genetic and Morphological Characterization of the Invasive Corbicula Lineages in European Russia
by Alexander V. Kropotin, Yulia V. Bespalaya, Olga V. Aksenova, Alexander V. Kondakov, Andrey S. Aksenov, Irina S. Khrebtova, Dmitry M. Palatov, Oksana V. Travina and Ivan N. Bolotov
Water 2023, 15(18), 3226; https://doi.org/10.3390/w15183226 - 11 Sep 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1564
Abstract
Despite the full attention of malacologists to the study of Corbicula clams, stimulated mainly due to their high invasive potential and unique breeding system, studies based on an integrative taxonomic approach to identify various invasive lineages of this genus in European Russia are [...] Read more.
Despite the full attention of malacologists to the study of Corbicula clams, stimulated mainly due to their high invasive potential and unique breeding system, studies based on an integrative taxonomic approach to identify various invasive lineages of this genus in European Russia are still limited. Our fieldwork was conducted in the Don, Volga, and Caspian Sea basins. In total, four distinct morphotypes belonging to the European forms R, Rlc, S, and “Int” of Corbicula clams were distinguished. According to our molecular genetic data, two Corbicula lineages, relevant to the nominal species Corbicula fluminea and C. fluminalis, can be defined. We observed a discrepancy between mtDNA haplotypes and morphological features for all individuals that were sampled from the Don and Kura Rivers. Identified mismatch may be due to the androgenetic reproduction of Corbicula that leads to cytonuclear inconsistencies. The 28S rRNA polymorphism in C. fluminea and C. fluminalis from studied localities was recorded. This occurrence is perhaps due to hybridization events between forms R, S, and Rlc. The biogeographic origins of Corbicula invasive lineages are discussed. Corbicula fluminalis (FW17, form S) has been detected for first time in the native range, namely in Azerbaijan, Tajikistan, Turkey, and Myanmar. We assume that the invasion of C. fluminalis into reservoirs and watercourses of the Caspian Sea basin (Republic of Dagestan and Stavropol Krai of Russia) was from Western Asia and Transcaucasia, and the introduction of C. fluminea to the Don and Volga River basins was from unspecified European countries. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Research on Freshwater Invertebrate Ecology and Systematics)
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19 pages, 3790 KiB  
Article
Karyotypes and COI Gene Sequences of Chironomus annularius Sensu Lato (Diptera, Chironomidae) from Russia, Mongolia, and Armenia
by Viktor Bolshakov, Alexander Prokin, Tatyana Mayor, Susanna Hakobyan and Ekaterina Movergoz
Water 2023, 15(17), 3114; https://doi.org/10.3390/w15173114 - 30 Aug 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1490
Abstract
The larvae of the genus Chironomus are a common object for hydrobiological studies, as well as a model object for cytogenetics. Morphologically, the species are very similar. One of these species or species complex is Chironomus “annularius”, which has a Holarctic distribution. It [...] Read more.
The larvae of the genus Chironomus are a common object for hydrobiological studies, as well as a model object for cytogenetics. Morphologically, the species are very similar. One of these species or species complex is Chironomus “annularius”, which has a Holarctic distribution. It has chromosomal banding sequences characteristic of Nearctic and Palearctic populations. Using an integrated method that included morphology, cytogenetics, and molecular genetics, we analyzed populations from Russia, Mongolia, and Armenia. We found through cytogenetics and larval morphology that the populations have high similarity. Molecular genetic studies have shown significant differences between the populations. The genetic distances between the populations, in some cases, exceed the interspecific threshold of 3%, and are 6.5%. In the South Caucasian population (Lake Sevan), a chromosomal banding sequence, h’annD3, that was previously observed only in North America, was found for the first time. The larvae from Lake Sevan have large genetic distances from others, and are morphologically similar to the species Chironomus markosjani Shilova 1983, described from this lake without comparison with Ch. annularius nor an exact description of the karyotype. The sequences of the COI genes from Montenegro (Lake Skadar) and West Siberia (Novosibirsk) found in GenBank may belong to a new undescribed species, or a species not represented in the database. Thus, the analyzed data on Chironomus “annularius” support the presence of the complex of homosequential species under this name. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Research on Freshwater Invertebrate Ecology and Systematics)
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20 pages, 3493 KiB  
Article
Size-Pattern and Larval-Length–Mass Relationships for the Most Common Chironomid Taxa in the Deep Subalpine Lake Maggiore
by Lyudmila Kamburska, Silvia Zaupa and Angela Boggero
Water 2023, 15(15), 2730; https://doi.org/10.3390/w15152730 - 28 Jul 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1812
Abstract
For the first time, the size spectra of 28 chironomid genera/species are reported for the most common chironomid taxa in the deep subalpine Lake Maggiore (northwestern Italy). Species-specific length–mass regression models were developed to predict the dry masses of the larval stages of [...] Read more.
For the first time, the size spectra of 28 chironomid genera/species are reported for the most common chironomid taxa in the deep subalpine Lake Maggiore (northwestern Italy). Species-specific length–mass regression models were developed to predict the dry masses of the larval stages of Cladotanytarsus sp., Cryptochironomus sp., Polypedilum bicrenatum, P. nubeculosum, and Stictochironomus pictulus. The predicted dry-mass values differed by less than 20% from the measured values, suggesting that these original equations will be important in chironomid production studies. Regressions at the subfamily level were also developed for case identification at the genus or species level, which is difficult to obtain. The chironomid weights were determined directly and a dry/wet-weight-conversion ratio was estimated. The results were consistent with previously reported results. The relationships between the dry masses and the body lengths were compared with published data for different types of lake all over the world. We found that regression models for other freshwater environments somehow differed from those in Lake Maggiore, albeit slightly. The combination of diversity-based and trait-based approaches improves our knowledge about chironomids and our understanding of the effects of global environmental changes on freshwater biota. This first collection of trait data on summer–autumn chironomid assemblages in a temperate subalpine lake is a valuable contribution to the European trait database. The taxonomic diversity and abundance of chironomids were uploaded for open access on the GBIF platform. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Research on Freshwater Invertebrate Ecology and Systematics)
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12 pages, 1176 KiB  
Article
What Are the Relationships between Plankton and Macroinvertebrates in Reservoir Systems?
by Shiyun Chi, Jun Hu, Ming Li and Chenyan Wan
Water 2023, 15(15), 2682; https://doi.org/10.3390/w15152682 - 25 Jul 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1505
Abstract
Macroinvertebrates and plankton play crucial roles in reservoir food webs; however, their relationships have received limited attention. This study investigates the associations between plankton and macroinvertebrates in fifty selected reservoirs. During the spring season, significant concordances were observed in species richness between phytoplankton [...] Read more.
Macroinvertebrates and plankton play crucial roles in reservoir food webs; however, their relationships have received limited attention. This study investigates the associations between plankton and macroinvertebrates in fifty selected reservoirs. During the spring season, significant concordances were observed in species richness between phytoplankton and zooplankton, as well as between zooplankton and macroinvertebrates. In contrast, during the summer season, the concordance in species richness between phytoplankton and macroinvertebrates was higher compared to other assemblages. Although macroinvertebrates showed a strong connection with phytoplankton in terms of species richness in both seasons, the congruencies were not statistically significant. Partial least squares regression (PLSR) analysis revealed that the densities of phytoplankton, Chlorophyta, Cyanophyta, and protozoans significantly influenced the total macroinvertebrate density in both seasons. Additionally, the densities of mollusks and aquatic insects were affected by the densities of Chlorophyta and Cyanophyta, while the density of oligochaetes was influenced by the density of Chlorophyta. These findings indicated that phytoplankton and zooplankton serve as primary food sources for macroinvertebrates, highlighting the close relationship between plankton and macroinvertebrates in reservoir systems. Moreover, the results of formative measurement models indicated a strong association between zooplankton and macroinvertebrates during the spring, whereas phytoplankton and macroinvertebrates exhibited a close association during the summer. The substantial concordance in density between phytoplankton and zooplankton revealed by the formative measurement models confirmed that assemblages with similar body sizes exhibit stronger concordance compared to those with significant differences in body size. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Research on Freshwater Invertebrate Ecology and Systematics)
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19 pages, 3223 KiB  
Article
Evaluating the Ecological Status of Fluvial Networks of Tropical Andean Catchments of Ecuador
by Henrietta Hampel, Raúl F. Vázquez, Hari González and Raúl Acosta
Water 2023, 15(9), 1742; https://doi.org/10.3390/w15091742 - 30 Apr 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2776
Abstract
In the tropical high mountains, human activities have strongly intensified in recent decades. Agricultural frontier movement toward higher elevations, river channel modifications, mining, and urban waste discharge threaten river ecosystem health, which is even more alarming when drinking water supply comes from surface [...] Read more.
In the tropical high mountains, human activities have strongly intensified in recent decades. Agricultural frontier movement toward higher elevations, river channel modifications, mining, and urban waste discharge threaten river ecosystem health, which is even more alarming when drinking water supply comes from surface water. The aim of the current study was to evaluate the ecological status of high mountain fluvial networks of tropical Andean catchments based on the definition of different river types. Physical–chemical variables and macroinvertebrate communities were sampled in 90 stations of seven tropical high mountain catchments. River habitat and riparian vegetation quality were further evaluated. K-means classification, using physical and hydro-morphological characteristics, identified six different river types. This classification was further refined to five river types by the analyses of macroinvertebrate communities through multidimensional scaling and analysis of similarity. The anthropogenic pressure gradients, present in the different river types, were inorganic (i.e., conductivity, turbidity), organic (i.e., fecal coliforms), river habitat, and riparian vegetation quality. Macroinvertebrate communities responded to different environmental variables in the páramo, mountain forest with humid shrub, urban, and Tarqui river types. Heterogeneous fluvial habitats and high altitude favored taxa such as Atanatolica, Mortoniella, Helicopsyche, Anacroneuria, Paltostoma, Helicopsyche, Paltostoma, Atopsyche, Pheneps, and Maruina. Chironomidae and Psychoda dipteran were associated with higher biochemical oxygen demand, lower oxygen concentration, high fecal coliforms, and total dissolved solids, while Haitia was linked to elevated nitrate concentrations. Integrated watershed management could benefit from a well-established biomonitoring network, considering different river types, which represents the natural variability of the ecosystems, as well as anthropogenic pressure gradients. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Research on Freshwater Invertebrate Ecology and Systematics)
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