Skip to main content

Advertisement

Log in

Aquatic Insect Assemblages of Man-Made Permanent Ponds, Buenos Aires City, Argentina

  • Ecology, Behavior and Bionomics
  • Published:
Neotropical Entomology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Freshwater habitats are important elements within urban green space and they are endangered by various types of human activity. With the aim to increase the knowledge about species biodiversity in urban ecosystems, we characterised the assemblages of aquatic insects in four permanent man-made ponds in Buenos Aires city (Argentina) during a 1-year period. We recorded 32 species with Sigara spp. (Hemiptera) as the most abundant. The removal of aquatic vegetation from the studied ponds may have affected both the establishment and permanence of the insect community. Swimmers were the dominant group in the studied sites, followed by burrowers and sprawlers, and only a few strictly climbers were collected. Therefore, all sampled ponds were dominated by collectors (principally gatherers), secondarily by predators and only few shredders were detected, which was much affected by the removal of macrophytes. Non-parametric abundance indexes estimated a number of species very close to the observed number in each site. Conversely, the incidence indexes estimated more species because there were many more taxa present only in one sample than those represented by few individual in a sample. Our data provides some insights on the community of man-made ponds that can improve the management of these aquatic urban habitats. Considering that macrophytes affect animal assemblages due to their role as physical structures that increase the complexity or heterogeneity of habitats, they should not be removed by authorities in order to promote biodiversity.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig 1
Fig 2
Fig 3
Fig 4

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Archangelsky M (1997) Studies on the biology, ecology, and systematics of the immature stages of New World Hydrophiloidea (Coleoptera: Staphyliniformia). Bull Ohio Biol Survey, New Series 12:1–207

    Google Scholar 

  • Arocena R (2007) Effects of submerged aquatic vegetation on macrozoobenthos in a costal lagoon of the Southwestern Atlantic. Int Rev Hydrobiol 95:33–47

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bachmann AO (1981) Insecta, hemiptera, corixidae. In: Ringuelet RA (ed) Fauna de agua dulce de la República Argentina; vol 35(2). Cooperativa gráfica General Belgrano, Buenos Aires, p 305

    Google Scholar 

  • Bachmann AO, López Ruf ML (1994) Los Pleoidea de la Argentina (Insecta: Hemiptera). In: de Castellanos ZA (ed) Fauna de agua dulce de la República Argentina; vol 35(3). Estudio Sigma SRL, La Plata, p 32

    Google Scholar 

  • Bazzanti M, Della Bella V (2004) Functional feeding and habit organization of macroinvertebrate communities in permanent and temporary ponds in central Italy. J Freshw Ecol 19:493–497

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bazzanti M, Seminara M, Baldoni S (1997) Chironomids (Diptera: Chironomidae) from three temporary ponds of different wet phase duration in central Italy. J Freshw Ecol 12:89–99

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bazzanti M, Della Bella V, Seminara M (2003) Factors affecting macroinvertebrates communities in astatic ponds in central Italy. J Freshw Ecol 18:537–548

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bazzanti M, Coccia C, Dowgiallo MG (2010) Microdistribution of macroinvertebrates in a temporary pond of central Italy: taxonomic and functional analyses. Limnologica 40:291–299

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Biggs J, Williams P, Whitfield M, Nicolet P, Weatherby A (2005) 15 years of pond assessment in Britain: results and lessons learned from the work of Pond Conservation. Aquat Conserv: Mar Freshw Ecosyst 15:693–714

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Boothby J (ed) (2000) A landscape worth saving: final report of the pond biodiversity survey of northwest England. The Pond Life Project, Liverpool (England), p 130

    Google Scholar 

  • Brauns M, Garcia XF, Walz N, Pusch MT (2007) Effects of human shoreline development on littoral macroinvertebrates in lowland lakes. J Appl Ecol 44:1138–1144

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brose U, Martinez ND, Richard JW (2003) Estimating species richness: sensitivity to sample coverage and insensitivity to spatial patterns. Ecology 84:2364–2377

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chao A, Chazdon RL, Colwell RK, Shen T (2005) A new statistical approach for assessing similarity of species composition with incidence and abundance data. Ecol Lett 8:148–159

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Colwell RK (2009) EstimateS: Statistical estimation of species richness and shared species from samples. Version 8.2. User’s guide and application [2009 Jul 20]. Available from: http://viceroy.eeb.uconn.edu/EstimateSPages/

  • Cremona F, Planas D, Lucotte M (2008) Biomass and composition of macroinvertebrates communities associated with different types of macrophyte architectures and habitats in a large fluvial lake. Fund Appl Limnol 171(2):119–130

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Della Bella V, Bazzanti M, Chiarotti F (2005) Macroinvertebrate diversity and conservation status of mediterranean ponds in Italy: water permanence and mesohabitat influence. Aquat Conserv: Mar Freshw Ecosyst 15:583–600

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Domínguez E, Hubbard MD, Pescador ML, Molineri C (2001) Ephemeroptera, p. 17–53. In: Fernández HR, Domínguez E (eds) Guía para la determinación de los artrópodos bentónicos sudamericanos. Imprenta Central de la Universidad Nacional de Tucumán, Tucumán, p 282

    Google Scholar 

  • Fischer S, Marinone MC, Fontanarrosa MS, Nieves M, Schweigmann N (2000) Urban rain pools: seasonal dynamics and entomofauna in a park of Buenos Aires. Hydrobiologia 441:45–53

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Foggo A, Rundle SD, Bilton DT (2003) The net result: evaluating species richness extrapolation techniques for littoral pond invertebrates. Freshw Biol 48:1756–1764

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fontanarrosa MS, Torres PLM, Michat MC (2004) Comunidades de insectos acuáticos de charcos temporarios y lagunas en la ciudad de Buenos Aires (Argentina). Rev Soc Entomol Arg 63:55–65

    Google Scholar 

  • Fontanarrosa MS, Collantes MB, Bachmann AO (2009) Seasonal patterns of the insect community structure in urban rain pools of temperate Argentina. J Insect Sci 9(article10):1–18, Available from: insectscience.org/9.10

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Freimuth P, Bass D (1994) Physicochemical conditions and larval Chironomidae (Diptera) of an urban pond. Proc Okla Acad Sci 74:11–16

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Froese R, Pauly D (eds) (2008) FishBase. [2011 Feb] Available from: http://www.fishbase.org

  • Gledhill DG, James P, Davies DH (2005) Urban pond: a landscape of multiple meanings. Paper presented at: 5th International Postgraduate Research Conference in The Built and Human Environment, University of Salford, United Kingdom, pp 857–868

  • Gledhill DG, James P, Davies DH (2008) Pond density as a determinant of aquatic species richness in an urban landscape. Landsc Ecol 23:1219–1230

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hamerlik L, Brodersen KP (2010) Non-biting midges (Diptera: Chironomidae) from fountains of two European cities: micro-scale island biogeography. Aquat Insect 32:67–79

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hamerlík L, Jacobsen D, Brodersen KP (2011) Low species richness of non-biting midges (Diptera: Chironomidae) in Neotropical artificial urban water bodies. Urban Ecosyst, Published online: 08 February 2011. Available from: http://www.springerlink.com/content/b1701w4288741q00/fulltext.pdf

  • Militar IG (1998) Atlas geográfico de la República Argentina. Instituto Geográfico Militar, Buenos Aires, p 95

    Google Scholar 

  • [INDEC] Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos (2010) Censo Nacional de Población, Hogares y Viviendas 2010: total del país, resultados provisionales. Primera edición. Argentina: Ministerio de Economía y Finanzas Públicas, Available from: http://www.indec.mecon.ar

  • Koperski P (2010) Urban environments as habitats for rare aquatic species: the case of leeches (Euhirudinea, Clitellata) in Warsaw freshwaters. Limnologica 40:233–240

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lopretto EC, Tell G (eds) (1995) Ecosistemas de aguas continentales. Metodologías para su estudio. Vol. III. Ediciones Sur, La Plata, p 1401

    Google Scholar 

  • Magurran AE (2004) Measuring biological diversity. Blackwell, Oxford, 256

    Google Scholar 

  • McIntyre NE (2000) Ecology of urban arthropods: a review and a call to action. Ann Entomol Soc Am 93:825–835

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Merritt RW, Cummins KW (eds) (1984) An introduction to the aquatic insects of North America, 2nd edn. Kendal/Hunt, Dubuque, p 722

    Google Scholar 

  • Niemelä J (1999) Ecology and urban planning. Biodivers Conserv 8:119–131

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Oertli B, Auderset Joye D, Castella E, Juge R, Lachavanne J (2000) Technical report: Diversité biologique et typologie écologique des étangs et petits lacs de Suisse. Genève (Switzerland): Laboratoire d’écologie et de biologie aquatique, Université de Genève, 434p. Available from: http://leba.unige.ch/PLOCH/rapport/ploch1234.htm

  • Oertli B, Biggs J, Céréghino R, Grillas P, Joly P, Lachavanne J (2005) Conservation and monitoring of pond biodiversity: introduction. Aquat Conserv: Mar Freshw Ecosyst 15:535–540

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Oertli B, Céréghino R, Hull A, Miracle R (2009) Pond conservation: from science to practice. Hydrobiologia 634:1–9

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Oliva A, Fernández LA, Bachmann AO (2002) Sinópsis de los Hydrophiloidea acuáticos de la Argentina (Insecta, Coleoptera). Monogr Museo Arg Cs Nat 2:1–67

    Google Scholar 

  • Paggi AC (2001) Chironomidae, p. 167–193. In: Fernández HR, Domínguez E (eds) Guía para la determinación de los artrópodos bentónicos sudamericanos. Imprenta Central de la Universidad Nacional de Tucumán, Tucumán, p 282

    Google Scholar 

  • Peckarsky BL (1984) Predator–prey interactions among aquatic insects, p. 196–254. In: Resh VH, Rosenberg DM (eds) The ecology of aquatic insects. Praeger, New York, p 625

    Google Scholar 

  • Ringuelet RA, Aramburu RH, Alonso de Aramburu A (1967) Los peces argentinos de agua dulce. Comisión de Investigaciones Científicas de la Provincia de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, p 602

    Google Scholar 

  • Rodrigues Capítulo A (1992) Los Odonata de la República Argentina (Insecta). In: de Castellanos ZA (ed) Fauna de agua dulce de la República Argentina, vol 34. Estudio Sigma SRL, La Plata, p 91

    Google Scholar 

  • Savard JL, Clergeau P, Mennechez G (2000) Biodiversity concepts and urban ecosystems. Landsc Urban Plan 48:131–142

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schnack JA (1976) Insecta, hemiptera, belostomatidae. In: Ringuelet RA (ed) Fauna de agua dulce de la República Argentina, vol 35(1). Buenos Aires, Fundación para la educación, la ciencia y la cultura, p 66

  • Smith RM, Gaston KJ, Warren PH, Thompson K (2006) Urban domestic gardens (VIII): environmental correlates of invertebrate abundance. Biodivers Conserv 15:2515–2545

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Thomaz SM, Ribeiro de Cunha E (2010) The role of macrophytes in habitat structuring in aquatic ecosystems: methods of measurement, causes and consequences on animal assemblages’compositon and biodiversity. Acta Limnol Brasil 22:218–236

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vermonden K, Leuven RSEW, van der Velde G, van Katwijk MM, Roelofs JGM, Hendriks AJ (2009) Urban drainage systems: an undervalued habitat for aquatic macroinvertebrates. Biol Conserv 142:1105–1115

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • von Ellenrieder N, Fenández L (2000) Aquatic coleoptera in the subtropical-pampasic ecotone (Argentina, Buenos Aires): species composition and temporal changes. Coleopt Bull 54:23–35

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • von Ellenrieder N, Perez Goodwyn PJ (2000) Species composition and temporal variation of aquatic Heteroptera (Insecta) in the subtropical-pampasic ecotone in Argentina. Rev Brasil Etomol 44:43–50

    Google Scholar 

  • Williams P, Whitfield M, Biggs J, Bray S, Fox G, Nicolet P, Sear D (2003) Comparative biodiversity of rivers, streams, ditches and ponds in an agricultural landscape in Southern England. Biol Conserv 115:329–341

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wolf CF, Moorhead DL, Willig MR (1999) Urban playas of the southern high plains. The influence of water quality on macroinvertebrate diversity and community structure, p. 667–689. In: Batzer DP, Rader RB, Wissinger SA (eds) Invertebrate in freshwater wetlands of North American: Ecology and Management. Wiley, New York, p 1120

    Google Scholar 

  • Yli-Pelkonen V, Niemelä J (2005) Linking ecological and social systems in cities: urban planning in Finland as a case. Biodiver Conserv 14:1947–1967

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zapparoli M (1997) Urban development and insect biodiversity of the Rome area, Italy. Landsc Urban Plan 38:77–86

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

The authors wish to acknowledge the authority of the government of Buenos Aires City, Dirección General de Control de la Calidad Ambiental, for the data of chemical variables provided. This work was supported by Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Tecnológicas (CONICET, PIP 02541).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to M S Fontanarrosa.

Additional information

Edited by Fernando B Noll – UNESP

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Fontanarrosa, M.S., Collantes, M.B. & Bachmann, A.O. Aquatic Insect Assemblages of Man-Made Permanent Ponds, Buenos Aires City, Argentina. Neotrop Entomol 42, 22–31 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13744-012-0093-1

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13744-012-0093-1

Keywords

Navigation