2022 Early Hearing Detection & Intervention Virtual Conference
March 13 - 15, 2022
5/24/2021 | 2:00 PM - 3:30 PM | MACROINVERTEBRATE FUNCTIONAL FEEDING GROUP RESPONSE TO HURRICANE AND DROUGHT DISTURBANCES IN TROPICAL MONTANE STREAMS, PUERTO RICO | Virtual Platform
MACROINVERTEBRATE FUNCTIONAL FEEDING GROUP RESPONSE TO HURRICANE AND DROUGHT DISTURBANCES IN TROPICAL MONTANE STREAMS, PUERTO RICO
In the Caribbean, hurricanes and droughts alter resource availability for aquatic biota. Here, we evaluate the impact of these disturbances on freshwater ecosystems by assessing changes in functional feeding group (FFG) abundances in two streams (Quebrada Prieta A and B) of El Yunque National Forest, Puerto Rico. Puerto Rico was impacted by a drought in 2015, and two major hurricanes in 2017 (i.e. Irma and Maria). Quarterly (2014 – 2015) and monthly (2016 – 2018) macroinvertebrate sampling was conducted in pools using corers, and taxa were classified using FFGs. Analysis of similarity was performed to compare FFGs among pre-drought, post-drought, pre-hurricane, post-hurricane, and short-term post-hurricane periods. Scrapers and Collector-Gatherers dominated the assemblage during the sampling period in QPA and QPB, respectively. Average FFGs remained similar between pre-disturbance and post-disturbance groups. Shifting environmental conditions did not result in significant differences between groups, except for the pre-hurricane and short-term post-hurricane groups of QPA, where scraper taxa decreased. Overall patterns could suggest that FFG composition was resilient to these natural disturbances. A comprehensive understanding of how stream ecosystems respond to disturbances is critical to understand their vulnerability to predicted changes in environmental conditions.
- Tropical
- Monitoring
- Climate change
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Presenters/Authors
Mariely Vega-Gomez
(), North Carolina State University, mvega2@ncsu.edu;
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Alonso Ramírez
(), North Carolina State University, alonso.ramirez@ncsu.edu;
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