Influence of water color and catchment lake cover on stream macroinvertebrate communities: Ecological insights into browning effects

作者：Jarno Turunen, Jukka Aroviita · 发表于：Water Research · 年份：2023 · DOI：10.1016/j.watres.2023.121048 · 被引用次数：14 · 研究领域：Freshwater macroinvertebrate diversity and ecology、Fish Ecology and Management Studies、Soil and Water Nutrient Dynamics

Browning of streams due to increased export of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and iron has been observed in vast areas of the northern hemisphere with likely adverse ecological effects. Lake basins in stream catchments can moderate DOC export and influence stream communities, which complicates understanding of the effects of DOC. In this study, we explored the independent and interactive effects of water color (proxy for DOC and iron) and catchment lake cover on benthic macroinvertebrate communities in 94 medium-sized boreal forest streams. We first investigated the role of lake basins and other catchment characteristics in controlling water color. We then studied the effects of water color and catchment lake cover on macroinvertebrate community composition, biodiversity, and functional feeding traits. Water color correlated negatively with catchment lake cover, whereas the correlation with peatland cover and drainage intensity was positive. PERMANOVA and GLS analyses indicated that both color and catchment lake cover had a distinct independent effect on invertebrate community composition and community attributes, without significant interactions. Color had an independent negative effect on EPT (Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, Trichoptera) taxa richness irrespective of lake cover. Increasing water color had negative effect on relative abundance of grazer, but no significant effect on shredder trait, while lake cover had a negative effect on both of the traits. Lake cover exhibited...