Factors Influencing the Microdistribution of Two Sympatric Species of Plecoptera: An Experimental Study
The responses of nymphs of two species of perlid stoneflies to manipulation of some important features of their microhabitats were studied in laboratory stream tanks fitted with an infrared beam interruption system. The activity of both Paragnetina media (Walker) and Phasganophora capitata (Pictet) was significantly affected by current speed and substrate size, and by an interaction between the two. Regression analysis showed that activity for P. capitata was highest at 15 and 75 cm/s and minimal between 25 and 50 cm/s, while that for P. media was highest at 15 cm/s and lowest at 25 cm/s and above. For P. media there was a significant negative relationship between substrate size and activity at a current speed of 15 cm/s. The relationship between the activity of P. capitata and substrate size was not linear. Addition of trout skin mucus to the stream tanks caused an increase in the levels of activity of P. media but a decrease in the activity of P. capitata. Addition of nymphs of the mayfly Ephemerella subvaria to the tank containing P. media produced no effect. These findings suggest mechanisms that establish different microdistributions for sympatric species.