Some Factors Influencing the Diversity and Species Composition of Benthic Invertebrate Communities in Twenty Arctic and Subarctic Lakes

✍ Scribed by Dr. James W. Moore

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1978
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 933 KB
• Volume: 63
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 1434-2944
• DOI: 10.1002/iroh.19780630605

✦ Synopsis

The factors influencing the density, diversity and species composicion of benthic invertebrate communities in 20 lakes in the Canadian arctic and subarctic were determined during 1975, 1976 a n d 1977. Despite small differences in nutrient and phytoplankton levels among the lakes, there was a strong positive correlation between these parameters and t h e density and diversity of the communities. Other factors, including maximum summer water temperature, lake depth and surface area had little overall effect on the communities. The densities of 2 ultra-oligotrophic chironomids (Heterotrissocladius oliveri and Micropsectra cf. groenlandica) increased markedly in cold deep lakes. However the abundance of the majority of species, most notably Procladius denticulatus, Tanytarsus sp., and Stictochironomus sp., was not effected by temperature. Other species, (Pontoporeia uffinis, NonodiamPsa bathyphila and Dicrotendipes nervosus) were probably restricted in their northern distribution by temperature. Surface area usually had little effect on the densities of all common species.