Disentangling the effect of climatic and hydrological predictor variables on benthic macroinvertebrate distributions from predictive models

Lotic freshwater macroinvertebrate species distribution models (SDMs) have been shown to improve when hydrological variables are included. However, most studies to date only include data describing climate or stream flow-related surrogates. We assessed the relative influence of climatic and hydrological predictor variables on the modelled distribution of macroinvertebrates, expecting model performance to improve when hydrological variables are included. We calibrated five SDMs using combinations of bioclimatic (bC), hydrological (H) and hydroclimatic (hC) predictor datasets and compared model performance as well as variance partition of all combinations. We investigated the difference in trait composition of communities that responded better to either bC or H configurations. The dataset bC had the most influence in terms of proportional variance, however model performance was increased with the addition of hC or H. Trait composition demonstrated distinct patterns between associated model configurations, where species that prefer intermediate to slow-flowing current conditions in regions further downstream performed better with bC–H. Including hydrological variables in SDMs contributes to improved performance, it is however, species-specific and future studies would benefit from hydrology-related variables to link environmental conditions and diverse communities. Consequently, SDMs that include climatic and hydrological variables could more accurately guide sustainable river ecosystem management.

Impacts Analysis of Alien Macroinvertebrate Species in the Hydrographic System of a Subalpine Lake on the Italian–Swiss Border

The potential invasiveness of alien macroinvertebrate species in the Italian/Swiss hydrographic system of Lake Maggiore (NW Italy) was assessed through the Aquatic Species Invasiveness Screening Kit, a risk assessment tool developed for quantifying the impacts of alien species on the commercial, environmental, and species traits sectors. Data were collected using the databases provided by two regional environmental agencies in northern Italy (Lombardy and Piedmont regions) and by the governmental monitoring program of Switzerland, which were integrated with a systematic literature search on Google scholar and ISI Web of Science. In the assessment area, 16 macroinvertebrate invasive alien species were reported: nine mollusks, four decapods, and three amphipods. The species assessment indicated seven species with a high level of invasiveness: Procambarus clarkii, Faxonius limosus (formerly, Orconectes limosus) and Pacifastacus leniusculus, Dreissena polymorpha, Corbicula fluminea, Sinanodonta woodiana, and Pseudosuccinea columella. The results allow invasive species managers to understand which species to focus their monitoring on in the near future in order to track IAS movements and limit their spread within the hydrographic system and to provide the identification and refinement of concerted bilateral strategies aimed at limiting the impacts of these species. They also account for the implications of future climate change on the invasion potential of each species.

The Influence Of Perception Of Benefits, Easy Of Use, Use, Trust, And Availability Of Features On Satisfaction Of Use Of Bca Mobile Banking Services (Sejabodetabek)

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of perceived usefulness, user convenience, usability, trustworthiness and feature availability on user satisfaction. The research sample consisted of 200 consumer respondents using the BCA mbanking service. Collecting data using an online questionnaire and analyzed using the AMOS program. The results show that perceived usefulness has no effect on user satisfaction, ease of use has an effect on user satisfaction, perceived usefulness has an effect on user satisfaction, trust has no effect on user satisfaction, and perceived availability of firue has an effect on user satisfactionpreferences from each macroinvertebrate species towards environmental conditions.

Assessing the Usefulness of the Automated Monitoring Systems ECOTOX and DaphniaTox in an Integrated Early-Warning System for Drinking Water

This study assesses the suitability of the behavioural image analysis systems ECOTOX and Daphnia Tox for inclusion in an integrated early-warning system for drinking water quality to be implemented in Canada. Results of behavioural parameters measured by ECOTOX using Euglena gracilis are compared to visual observations of E. gracilis behaviour after exposure to atrazine, tributyltin, and copper to determine the automated system's sensitivity. The usability of the Daphnia Tox automated system is assessed using the aquatic macroinvertebrate species Daphnia magna and Hyalella azteca. The possible use of the rotifers Brachionus calyciflorus and Brachionus havanensis with the ECOTOX system is also assessed. Findings indicate that at the present state ECOTOX and DaphniaTox are not suitable for inclusion in an early-warning system, but based on visual observation the parameters measured are sensitive to the contaminants tested and consistent, and with suggested modifications these systems have the potential to be fitting additions in an early-warning system.

Assessing the Usefulness of the Automated Monitoring Systems ECOTOX and DaphniaTox in an Integrated Early-Warning System for Drinking Water

This study assesses the suitability of the behavioural image analysis systems ECOTOX and Daphnia Tox for inclusion in an integrated early-warning system for drinking water quality to be implemented in Canada. Results of behavioural parameters measured by ECOTOX using Euglena gracilis are compared to visual observations of E. gracilis behaviour after exposure to atrazine, tributyltin, and copper to determine the automated system's sensitivity. The usability of the Daphnia Tox automated system is assessed using the aquatic macroinvertebrate species Daphnia magna and Hyalella azteca. The possible use of the rotifers Brachionus calyciflorus and Brachionus havanensis with the ECOTOX system is also assessed. Findings indicate that at the present state ECOTOX and DaphniaTox are not suitable for inclusion in an early-warning system, but based on visual observation the parameters measured are sensitive to the contaminants tested and consistent, and with suggested modifications these systems have the potential to be fitting additions in an early-warning system.

An Overview of DNA-Based Applications for the Assessment of Benthic Macroinvertebrates Biodiversity in Mediterranean Aquatic Ecosystems

The loss of aquatic biodiversity is increasing at a rapid rate globally. There is a worldwide effort to protect, preserve and restore aquatic ecosystems. For efficient biodiversity monitoring and reliable management tools, comprehensive biodiversity data are required. The abundance and species diversity of benthic macroinvertebrates are commonly used as indicators of the aquatic ecosystem condition. Currently, macroinvertebrate species biodiversity assessment is based on morpho-taxonomy, which could be enhanced by recent advances in DNA-based tools for species identification. In particular, DNA metabarcoding has the potential to identify simultaneously many different taxa in a pool of species and to improve aquatic biomonitoring significantly, especially for indicator species. This review is focused on the current state of DNA-based aquatic biomonitoring using benthic macroinvertebrates in the Mediterranean region.

Gap analysis for DNA barcodes of aquatic macroinvertebrate species in the Southeast of Italy

DNA metabarcoding for the identification of species and ecosystem biomonitoring is a promising innovative approach. The applicability of this tool is at first dependent on the coverage of the DNA sequence reference libraries. We performed a gap analysis of available DNA barcodes in the international databases using the aquatic macroinvertebrate species checklist of the Apulia region in southeast Italy. Our analyses show that 42% of the 1546 examined species do not have representative DNA barcodes in the reference libraries, indicating the importance of working toward their completeness and addressing this effort toward specific taxonomic groups in particular at local/regional level. The DNA-barcode coverage also varies among different taxonomic groups and aquatic ecosystem types in which a large number of species are rare. We also analyzed the DNA barcode reference libraries for the primer set used to barcode species. Only for 52% of the examined barcoded species were the primers reported, indicating the importance of uploading this information in the databases for a more extensive use of the DNA metabarcoding. We also highlighted the opportunity to develop combinations of primers useful at the regional level. We tested the application of the DNA barcoding single species to a lagoon ecosystem (the lagoon named “Aquatina di Frigole” in the Apulia region) which are richer in humic substances than other aquatic environments and in which DNA metabarcoding remains under explored.

Evaluation of Proximate and Heavy Metals in Twelve Edible Freshwater Macroinvertebrates of Poba Reserve Forest Assam, India.

The present study focuses on proximate and mineral compositions on 12 freshwater edible macroinvertebrate species under phylum Arthropoda and Mollusca mostly preferred by the ethnic communities around the Poba reserve forest of Assam, India. The analysis revealed protein was the most abundant nutrient for all the species; followed by carbohydrates and fats. The highest protein content was in Lobothelphusafungosa, (50.50%), total carbohydrate in Bellamyabengalensis (22.54%) and fats in Sartorianaspinigera (16.32%). Ash, fibre and moisture were highest in Corbiculaassamensis (12.46%), Sartorianaspinigera (11.41%) and Pilaglobosa (63.72%) respectively. Among the minerals, Calcium, Copper, Iron, Manganese, and Zinc were recorded highest in Bellamyabengalensis (138.62 mg/100g) Macrobrachiumassamense (2.73 mg/100g), Sartorianaspinigera (35.02 mg/100g), Macrobrachiumassamense (11.42 mg/100g) and Lethocerusindicus (3.71 mg/100g) respectively. Heavy metals (Lead, Cadmium, Molybdenum and Mercury) were absent in all the species under study. The freshwater macroinvertebratesanalyzed could form a baseline for future non-conventional food resources of considerable nutritive value.