Macroinvertebrate Community Composition in Wetlands of the Desert Southwest is Driven by wastewater-associated Nutrient Loading Despite Differences in Salinity.

ABSTRACT: The relatively rare freshwater ecosystems in the arid southwestern United States serve as biodiversity hotspots, yet they remain among the most threatened systems in the world due to human impacts and climate change. Globally, arid region wetlands remain understudied with respect to their ecology, making assessments of quality or restoration efforts challenging. To address these needs, this project aims to better understand the factors that drive water quality and macroinvertebrate community composition of wetlands of the US desert Southwest. Water quality and macroinvertebrate data were collected over three years from 14 different wetland and riparian sites spanning across West Texas, New Mexico and Arizona. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) indicated that salinity related variables such

SUBMITTER: Pina AE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9745719 | biostudies-literature | 2022

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature