Diets of leaf litter-associated invertebrates in three tropical streams

Chará-Serna, Ana M., Chará, Julián D., del Carmen Zúñiga, Maria, Pearson, Richard, and Boyero, Luz (2012) Diets of leaf litter-associated invertebrates in three tropical streams. Annales de Limnologie, 48 (2). pp. 139-144.

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Abstract

Shredders play a major ecological role in temperate streams, but their numerical importance is highly variable within the tropics. Detailed studies on the diets of tropical stream invertebrates are advisable to be able to better describe and understand this variation. Here, we examined the diets of invertebrates collected from the leaf litter of three tropical streams in Colombia, using gut content analysis. Fine and coarse particulate organic matter were the main food resources for invertebrates, which could be divided into four main dietary groups: predators, shredders, specialist collectors and generalist collectors. While the specialist collectors were the most numerically abundant group (54%), shredder biomass accounted for 63% of total invertebrate biomass, suggesting that shredders play a significant ecological role in the study streams. We describe the diets of 12 out of 47 taxa that were previously unknown, which indicates that knowledge about the feeding ecology of tropical stream invertebrates is still incipient.

Item ID: 23692
Item Type: Article (Research - C1)
ISSN: 0003-4088
Keywords: aquatic invertebrates, gut contents, shredders, dietary groups, trophic guilds
Date Deposited: 17 Oct 2012 05:29
FoR Codes: 06 BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES > 0603 Evolutionary Biology > 060301 Animal Systematics and Taxonomy @ 100%
SEO Codes: 96 ENVIRONMENT > 9608 Flora, Fauna and Biodiversity > 960805 Flora, Fauna and Biodiversity at Regional or Larger Scales @ 100%
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