The Impacts of Different Anthropogenic Disturbances on Macroinvertebrate Community Structure and Functional Traits of Glacier-Fed Streams in the Tianshan Mountains
Macroinvertebrates are sensitive to environmental disturbances, however, the effects of human activities on macroinvertebrate community structures and functional traits in glacier-fed streams are concerning. To elucidate the effects of horse, cattle and sheep grazing, hot spring scenic development,...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-04-01
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| Series: | Water |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/14/8/1298 |
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| author | Yuwei Liu Yilin Tian Yingzhi Gao Dong Cui Wei Zhang Ziwei Jiao Fulong Yao Zhenxing Zhang Haijun Yang |
| author_facet | Yuwei Liu Yilin Tian Yingzhi Gao Dong Cui Wei Zhang Ziwei Jiao Fulong Yao Zhenxing Zhang Haijun Yang |
| author_sort | Yuwei Liu |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Macroinvertebrates are sensitive to environmental disturbances, however, the effects of human activities on macroinvertebrate community structures and functional traits in glacier-fed streams are concerning. To elucidate the effects of horse, cattle and sheep grazing, hot spring scenic development, and historic iron ore mine development on macroinvertebrate communities, we conducted a study in three glacier-fed streams of the Tianshan Mountains in northwest China in April 2021. Our results showed that the species richness and density significantly decreased due to grazing (<i>p</i> < 0.05). There were more taxa with resilience traits such as “small size at maturity” in the grazing stream. The EPT richness and density affected by hot spring scenic development significantly decreased compared to the undisturbed point (<i>p</i> < 0.05). There was a significant increase in taxa with resistance traits such as “bi-or-multivoltine” in the hot spring stream. The stream affected by historic mine development is currently in the self-recovery stage following the closure of the mine ten years ago. Additionally, the species richness, EPT richness, and density at the mining site were significantly higher than the source site (<i>p</i> < 0.05), reflecting that the habitat fragmentation caused by previous mining activities prevented the upward dispersal of macroinvertebrates. The taxa in the mining stream were also characterized by higher resistance traits such as “abundant occurrence in drift”. These results were attributed to the impacts of human disturbance on habitat stability, habitat heterogeneity, water quality, and material cycling of stream ecosystems, indicating human disturbance on the efficiency of resource utilization and functional diversification. In addition, our results showed that functional indicators of macroinvertebrate communities are helpful for monitoring and evaluating habitat conditions. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T12:52:25Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-e76377c55b6b4a2a93a9726f385c4cbb |
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| issn | 2073-4441 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T12:52:25Z |
| publishDate | 2022-04-01 |
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| record_format | Article |
| series | Water |
| spelling | doaj.art-e76377c55b6b4a2a93a9726f385c4cbb2023-11-30T22:05:13ZengMDPI AGWater2073-44412022-04-01148129810.3390/w14081298The Impacts of Different Anthropogenic Disturbances on Macroinvertebrate Community Structure and Functional Traits of Glacier-Fed Streams in the Tianshan MountainsYuwei Liu0Yilin Tian1Yingzhi Gao2Dong Cui3Wei Zhang4Ziwei Jiao5Fulong Yao6Zhenxing Zhang7Haijun Yang8Key Laboratory of Vegetation Ecology, Ministry of Education, Jilin Songnen Grassland Ecosystem National Observation and Research Station, Northeast Normal University, Changchun 130024, ChinaKey Laboratory of Vegetation Ecology, Ministry of Education, Jilin Songnen Grassland Ecosystem National Observation and Research Station, Northeast Normal University, Changchun 130024, ChinaKey Laboratory of Vegetation Ecology, Ministry of Education, Jilin Songnen Grassland Ecosystem National Observation and Research Station, Northeast Normal University, Changchun 130024, ChinaSchool of Biology and Geography Science, Yili Normal University, Yining 835000, ChinaSchool of Biology and Geography Science, Yili Normal University, Yining 835000, ChinaSchool of Biology and Geography Science, Yili Normal University, Yining 835000, ChinaSchool of Biology and Geography Science, Yili Normal University, Yining 835000, ChinaKey Laboratory of Vegetation Ecology, Ministry of Education, Jilin Songnen Grassland Ecosystem National Observation and Research Station, Northeast Normal University, Changchun 130024, ChinaSchool of Biology and Geography Science, Yili Normal University, Yining 835000, ChinaMacroinvertebrates are sensitive to environmental disturbances, however, the effects of human activities on macroinvertebrate community structures and functional traits in glacier-fed streams are concerning. To elucidate the effects of horse, cattle and sheep grazing, hot spring scenic development, and historic iron ore mine development on macroinvertebrate communities, we conducted a study in three glacier-fed streams of the Tianshan Mountains in northwest China in April 2021. Our results showed that the species richness and density significantly decreased due to grazing (<i>p</i> < 0.05). There were more taxa with resilience traits such as “small size at maturity” in the grazing stream. The EPT richness and density affected by hot spring scenic development significantly decreased compared to the undisturbed point (<i>p</i> < 0.05). There was a significant increase in taxa with resistance traits such as “bi-or-multivoltine” in the hot spring stream. The stream affected by historic mine development is currently in the self-recovery stage following the closure of the mine ten years ago. Additionally, the species richness, EPT richness, and density at the mining site were significantly higher than the source site (<i>p</i> < 0.05), reflecting that the habitat fragmentation caused by previous mining activities prevented the upward dispersal of macroinvertebrates. The taxa in the mining stream were also characterized by higher resistance traits such as “abundant occurrence in drift”. These results were attributed to the impacts of human disturbance on habitat stability, habitat heterogeneity, water quality, and material cycling of stream ecosystems, indicating human disturbance on the efficiency of resource utilization and functional diversification. In addition, our results showed that functional indicators of macroinvertebrate communities are helpful for monitoring and evaluating habitat conditions.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/14/8/1298macroinvertebrategrazinghot springmine developmentglacier-fed stream |
| spellingShingle | Yuwei Liu Yilin Tian Yingzhi Gao Dong Cui Wei Zhang Ziwei Jiao Fulong Yao Zhenxing Zhang Haijun Yang The Impacts of Different Anthropogenic Disturbances on Macroinvertebrate Community Structure and Functional Traits of Glacier-Fed Streams in the Tianshan Mountains Water macroinvertebrate grazing hot spring mine development glacier-fed stream |
| title | The Impacts of Different Anthropogenic Disturbances on Macroinvertebrate Community Structure and Functional Traits of Glacier-Fed Streams in the Tianshan Mountains |
| title_full | The Impacts of Different Anthropogenic Disturbances on Macroinvertebrate Community Structure and Functional Traits of Glacier-Fed Streams in the Tianshan Mountains |
| title_fullStr | The Impacts of Different Anthropogenic Disturbances on Macroinvertebrate Community Structure and Functional Traits of Glacier-Fed Streams in the Tianshan Mountains |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Impacts of Different Anthropogenic Disturbances on Macroinvertebrate Community Structure and Functional Traits of Glacier-Fed Streams in the Tianshan Mountains |
| title_short | The Impacts of Different Anthropogenic Disturbances on Macroinvertebrate Community Structure and Functional Traits of Glacier-Fed Streams in the Tianshan Mountains |
| title_sort | impacts of different anthropogenic disturbances on macroinvertebrate community structure and functional traits of glacier fed streams in the tianshan mountains |
| topic | macroinvertebrate grazing hot spring mine development glacier-fed stream |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/14/8/1298 |
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