Low oxygen pressure as a driving factor for the altitudinal decline in taxon richness of stream macroinvertebrates

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Low oxygen pressure as a driving factor for the altitudinal decline in taxon richness of stream macroinvertebrates. / Jacobsen, Dean.

In: Oecologia, Vol. 154, No. 4, 2008, p. 795-807.

Research output: Contribution to journalJournal articleResearchpeer-review

Harvard

Jacobsen, D 2008, 'Low oxygen pressure as a driving factor for the altitudinal decline in taxon richness of stream macroinvertebrates', Oecologia, vol. 154, no. 4, pp. 795-807. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-007-0877-x

APA

Jacobsen, D. (2008). Low oxygen pressure as a driving factor for the altitudinal decline in taxon richness of stream macroinvertebrates. Oecologia, 154(4), 795-807. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-007-0877-x

Vancouver

Jacobsen D. Low oxygen pressure as a driving factor for the altitudinal decline in taxon richness of stream macroinvertebrates. Oecologia. 2008;154(4):795-807. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-007-0877-x

Author

Jacobsen, Dean. / Low oxygen pressure as a driving factor for the altitudinal decline in taxon richness of stream macroinvertebrates. In: Oecologia. 2008 ; Vol. 154, No. 4. pp. 795-807.

Bibtex

@article{b3c994e0a27811dcbee902004c4f4f50,
title = "Low oxygen pressure as a driving factor for the altitudinal decline in taxon richness of stream macroinvertebrates",
abstract = "The objective of this study was to explore the altitudinal decrease in local richness of stream macroinvertebrates. I compared the explicatory power of a mid-domain effect (MDE) null model and a number of selected contemporary ecological variables, with a special emphasis on the altitude-mediated decrease in temperature and oxygen availability as possible driving factors for the observed pattern. Benthic macroinvertebrates were sampled at 30 stream sites between 2,600 and 4,000 m a.s.l. in northern Ecuador. All four measures of local richness (total number of taxa, taxa in Surber samples, Fisher's alpha index and rarefied richness) decreased with increasing altitude. The MDE null model, water temperature and dissolved oxygen also decreased with altitude, while other measured variables were uncorrelated with altitude. Minimum oxygen saturation had the highest explanatory power of the density-corrected Fisher's alpha and rarefied richness (R = 0.48 and 0.52, respectively), but also minimum temperature (R = 0.48 and 0.41) and the MDE null model (R = 0.48 and 0.46) correlated significantly. Multiple regression analyses using several predictive variables showed that oxygen saturation had the greatest and only significant effect on density-corrected richness. The relationship between richness and oxygen corrected for the effect of altitude (using analyses of double residuals) was significant, whereas that of richness versus temperature was not. The results indicate that the decrease in richness with increasing altitude is mainly caused by a decrease in oxygen saturation rather than by a decrease in temperature. Levels of oxygen saturation such as those found at high altitudes do not appear to be lethal to any species, but could affect macroinvertebrates through long-term, sub-lethal effects. I suggest that low oxygen availability may limit biodiversity at high altitudes not only in the aquatic, but also in the terrestrial environment.",
author = "Dean Jacobsen",
note = "Keywords: Altitude; Animals; Biodiversity; Ecuador; Invertebrates; Oxygen; Rivers; Temperature",
year = "2008",
doi = "10.1007/s00442-007-0877-x",
language = "English",
volume = "154",
pages = "795--807",
journal = "Oecologia",
issn = "0029-8519",
publisher = "Springer",
number = "4",

}

RIS

TY - JOUR

T1 - Low oxygen pressure as a driving factor for the altitudinal decline in taxon richness of stream macroinvertebrates

AU - Jacobsen, Dean

N1 - Keywords: Altitude; Animals; Biodiversity; Ecuador; Invertebrates; Oxygen; Rivers; Temperature

PY - 2008

Y1 - 2008

N2 - The objective of this study was to explore the altitudinal decrease in local richness of stream macroinvertebrates. I compared the explicatory power of a mid-domain effect (MDE) null model and a number of selected contemporary ecological variables, with a special emphasis on the altitude-mediated decrease in temperature and oxygen availability as possible driving factors for the observed pattern. Benthic macroinvertebrates were sampled at 30 stream sites between 2,600 and 4,000 m a.s.l. in northern Ecuador. All four measures of local richness (total number of taxa, taxa in Surber samples, Fisher's alpha index and rarefied richness) decreased with increasing altitude. The MDE null model, water temperature and dissolved oxygen also decreased with altitude, while other measured variables were uncorrelated with altitude. Minimum oxygen saturation had the highest explanatory power of the density-corrected Fisher's alpha and rarefied richness (R = 0.48 and 0.52, respectively), but also minimum temperature (R = 0.48 and 0.41) and the MDE null model (R = 0.48 and 0.46) correlated significantly. Multiple regression analyses using several predictive variables showed that oxygen saturation had the greatest and only significant effect on density-corrected richness. The relationship between richness and oxygen corrected for the effect of altitude (using analyses of double residuals) was significant, whereas that of richness versus temperature was not. The results indicate that the decrease in richness with increasing altitude is mainly caused by a decrease in oxygen saturation rather than by a decrease in temperature. Levels of oxygen saturation such as those found at high altitudes do not appear to be lethal to any species, but could affect macroinvertebrates through long-term, sub-lethal effects. I suggest that low oxygen availability may limit biodiversity at high altitudes not only in the aquatic, but also in the terrestrial environment.

AB - The objective of this study was to explore the altitudinal decrease in local richness of stream macroinvertebrates. I compared the explicatory power of a mid-domain effect (MDE) null model and a number of selected contemporary ecological variables, with a special emphasis on the altitude-mediated decrease in temperature and oxygen availability as possible driving factors for the observed pattern. Benthic macroinvertebrates were sampled at 30 stream sites between 2,600 and 4,000 m a.s.l. in northern Ecuador. All four measures of local richness (total number of taxa, taxa in Surber samples, Fisher's alpha index and rarefied richness) decreased with increasing altitude. The MDE null model, water temperature and dissolved oxygen also decreased with altitude, while other measured variables were uncorrelated with altitude. Minimum oxygen saturation had the highest explanatory power of the density-corrected Fisher's alpha and rarefied richness (R = 0.48 and 0.52, respectively), but also minimum temperature (R = 0.48 and 0.41) and the MDE null model (R = 0.48 and 0.46) correlated significantly. Multiple regression analyses using several predictive variables showed that oxygen saturation had the greatest and only significant effect on density-corrected richness. The relationship between richness and oxygen corrected for the effect of altitude (using analyses of double residuals) was significant, whereas that of richness versus temperature was not. The results indicate that the decrease in richness with increasing altitude is mainly caused by a decrease in oxygen saturation rather than by a decrease in temperature. Levels of oxygen saturation such as those found at high altitudes do not appear to be lethal to any species, but could affect macroinvertebrates through long-term, sub-lethal effects. I suggest that low oxygen availability may limit biodiversity at high altitudes not only in the aquatic, but also in the terrestrial environment.

U2 - 10.1007/s00442-007-0877-x

DO - 10.1007/s00442-007-0877-x

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 17960424

VL - 154

SP - 795

EP - 807

JO - Oecologia

JF - Oecologia

SN - 0029-8519

IS - 4

ER -

ID: 1680990