Changes in Mediterranean high mountain Trichoptera communities after a 20-year period

Rivers in Mediterranean high mountains are especially vulnerable to climate change because these areas are characterized by extreme climatic conditions of snowy winters and relatively frequent summer droughts. Climate induced alterations in temperature and the magnitude of high and low river flows a...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Aquatic sciences 2016-10, Vol.78 (4), p.669-682
Main Authors: Sáinz-Bariáin, Marta, Zamora-Muñoz, Carmen, Soler, Juan J., Bonada, Núria, Sáinz-Cantero, Carmen Elisa, Alba-Tercedor, Javier
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Air temperature
Altitude
Aquatic animals
Aquatic ecosystems
Aquatic fauna
Aquatic insects
Biomedical and Life Sciences
Climate change
Climatic conditions
Dispersal
Drought
Ecology
Environmental conditions
Freshwater
Freshwater & Marine Ecology
Groundwater discharge
Headwaters
Life Sciences
Marine & Freshwater Sciences
Mountains
Oceanography
Research Article
River flow
Rivers
Species richness
Streams
Temperature
Trichoptera
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Summary:Rivers in Mediterranean high mountains are especially vulnerable to climate change because these areas are characterized by extreme climatic conditions of snowy winters and relatively frequent summer droughts. Climate induced alterations in temperature and the magnitude of high and low river flows are expected to have significant effects on aquatic fauna. Here, we analysed changes in the caddisfly communities of the Sierra Nevada during a 20-year period on an altitudinal gradient range of 952–3050 m. Furthermore, we related these changes to an observed increase in air temperature and decrease in river flow over the last 40 years. Overall, caddisfly species richness increased but patterns varied depending on altitude in a non-linear shape. Richness increased in altitude with maximum values at sites of intermediate-high altitude (1800–2000 m). The effects of the observed climate change may be explained by the colonization of headwaters and middle reaches from mid-lowland species or by those from streams and rivers in nearby mountain chains at lower altitude. The observed richness increase and its association with environmental conditions suggest that mountains with a considerable altitudinal gradient may function as refuges for species and populations during periods of climatic change, which strength the importance of the conservation of mountainous habitat.
ISSN:1015-1621
1420-9055
DOI:10.1007/s00027-015-0457-9