Sensitivity and tolerance of Riparian arthropod communities to altered water resources along a drying river.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Rivers around the world are drying with increasing frequency, but little is known about effects on terrestrial animal communities. Previous research along the San Pedro River in southeastern AZ, USA, suggests that changes in the availability of water resources associated with river drying lead to changes in predator abundance, community composition, diversity, and abundance of particular taxa of arthropods, but these observations have not yet been tested manipulatively.

Methods and results

In this study, we constructed artificial pools in the stream bed adjacent to a drying section of the San Pedro River and maintained them as the river dried. We compared pitfall trapped arthropods near artificial pools to adjacent control sites where surface waters temporarily dr

SUBMITTER: McCluney KE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4190312 | biostudies-literature | 2014

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature