scholarly journals The effect of sieve mesh size on the description of macroinvertebrate communities

Limnetica ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 211-220
Author(s):  
Beatriz Barba ◽  
Aitor Larrañaga ◽  
Ainhoa Otermin ◽  
Ana Basaguren ◽  
Jesús Pozo
2013 ◽  
Vol 93 (6) ◽  
pp. 1441-1456 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ana Paula Maria Cavalcanti Valença ◽  
Paulo Jorge Parreira dos Santos

Macrobenthic data from estuaries along the Pernambuco coast in north-eastern Brazil were analysed to evaluate the effect of sieve mesh size (1.0 mm × 0.5 mm) and sampling depth (0–10 cm × 0–20 cm) on the description of infaunal communities, in an attempt to discuss standardized sampling procedures for different ecological studies objectives in these ecosystems. In general, the difference in sieve retention was less evident for biomass but was important for abundance: the 1.0 mm sieve retained only 27% of total individuals but 77% of total biomass. Regarding sampling depth, the 0–10 cm layer contained most individuals (94%) but contributed just 64% of the overall biomass. Although no strong differences in community structure were observed at most sites with the use of different sieves, the correlations among community dissimilarity using different meshes with environmental parameters (organic matter, total-N and microphytobenthos) indicated that the use of the 0.5 mm sieve will allow a better evaluation of the status of these estuaries. The results also highlight the importance of taking the vertical distribution of tropical macrofauna into account for quantitative estimates: for taxa composition and abundance the top layer is clearly essential, whereas for biomass the deeper layers should also be considered.


2007 ◽  
Vol 38 (3) ◽  
pp. 329-345 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dirk Verschuren ◽  
Hilde Eggermont
Keyword(s):  

2001 ◽  
Vol 61 (2) ◽  
pp. 259-266 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. CALLISTO ◽  
P. MORENO ◽  
F. A. R. BARBOSA

The assessment of the diversity of habitats and the characterisation of the functional trophic groups of benthic macroinvertebrate communities of some rivers of Serra do Cipó (MG) were the main objectives of this study. The available trophic resources and the types of substrata were characterised along with the structure and composition of their using functional trophic groups. Serra do Cipó is a watershed divisor of the São Francisco and Doce River basins, including a series of streams and rivers, of good water quality and well preserved ecological characteristics. Samples were collected in Cipó, Peixe and Preto do Itambé rivers, besides the Indaiá and Capão da Mata streams at 26 sampling stations, during the rainy (February) and dry (October) seasons of 1998, using "Kicking nets" of 0.125 mm mesh size. The group of collectors (Baetidae, Leptophlebiidae and Leptohyphidae) was the most abundant, followed by collector-predators (Hydrophilidae, Ceratopogonidae, Chironomidae-Tanypodinae), and detritivorous-herbivores (Oligochaeta). The riparian vegetation, together with the aquatic macrophytes, are the substrata containing the highest richness of functional trophic groups and the higher habitat diversity. The results suggest that the use of functional trophic groups, together with habitat evaluation, are efficient tools in the evaluation of the diversity of benthic macroinvertebrates, particularly in altitudinal lotic ecosystems.


2015 ◽  
Vol 103 (1) ◽  
pp. 59-68 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Gichimu Mbaka ◽  
Charles Mwithali M'Erimba ◽  
Henry Karanja Thiongo ◽  
Jude Mutuku Mathooko

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