Aquatic macroinvertebrate conservation in lentic systems
Authors: Hill, M.J., Deacon, C., Wood, P.J., Milin, M., Gebreselassie, S.S. and Gibbins, C.
Pages: 357-371
DOI: 10.4324/9781003285793-32
Abstract:Lentic habitats, including ponds, lakes, and wetlands, make up a significant proportion of global freshwater resources and provide important contributions to society through ecosystem services. Despite their importance for biodiversity, particularly aquatic macroinvertebrates, they are one of the habitats under greatest threat from anthropogenic activities, including habitat destruction, fragmentation, pollution, over-abstraction, introduction of invasive species, and climate change. There are a wide range of potential conservation and management strategies to tackle declines in lentic biodiversity. Relatively small management changes to artificial lentic habitats can increase their suitability for aquatic macroinvertebrate communities (reconciliation ecology), and the recovery and reinstatement of lost ecosystem attributes (restoration ecology). These management strategies should be considered at the landscape scale (particularly focusing on maintaining habitat heterogeneity) as this is the scale at which aquatic macroinvertebrate populations and communities operate. To facilitate more effective conservation of lentic habitats at the landscape scale, gaps in our fundamental understanding of aquatic macroinvertebrate biodiversity and functioning need to be addressed. Technological advances should be embraced and interdisciplinary approaches adopted to maximise the value of lentic habitats for people and aquatic macroinvertebrates, and to help address many of the global threats driving freshwater biodiversity loss.
Source: Scopus