Dataset Information

Diversity and composition of macroinvertebrate communities in a rare inland salt marsh.

ABSTRACT: Inland salt marshes are rare habitats in the Great Lakes region of North America, formed on salt deposits from the Silurian period. These patchy habitats are abiotically stressful for the freshwater invertebrates that live there, and provide an opportunity to study the relationship between stress and diversity. We used morphological and COI metabarcoding data to assess changes in diversity and composition across both space (a transect from the salt seep to an adjacent freshwater area) and time (three sampling seasons). Richness was significantly lower at the seep site with both datatypes, while metabarcoding data additionally showed reduced richness at the freshwater transect end, consistent with a pattern where intermediate levels of stress show higher diversity. We found complementary, rather than redundant, patterns of community composition using the two datatypes: not all taxa were equally sequenced with the metabarcoding protocol. We identified taxa that are abundant at the salt seep of the marsh, including biting midges (Culicoides) and ostracods (Heterocypris). We conclude that (as found in other studies) molecular and morphological work should be used in tandem to identify the biodiversity in this rare habitat. Additionally, salinity may be a driver of community membership in this system, though further ecological research is needed to rule out alternate hypotheses.

SUBMITTER: Cahill AE

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8571600 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Diversity and composition of macroinvertebrate communities in a rare inland salt marsh.

Cahill Abigail E AE Breen Christopher J CJ Corona-Avila Irene I Cortes Cesar A CA Hernandez Rosemary R Jost Saige S Ruger Breh L K BLK Stander Rachel M H RMH Tran Bach V BV

Ecology and evolution 20211020 21

Inland salt marshes are rare habitats in the Great Lakes region of North America, formed on salt deposits from the Silurian period. These patchy habitats are abiotically stressful for the freshwater invertebrates that live there, and provide an opportunity to study the relationship between stress and diversity. We used morphological and COI metabarcoding data to assess changes in diversity and composition across both space (a transect from the salt seep to an adjacent freshwater area) and time ( ...[more]

PMID: 34765111

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Dataset Information

Diversity and composition of macroinvertebrate communities in a rare inland salt marsh.

Publications

Diversity and composition of macroinvertebrate communities in a rare inland salt marsh.

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