ANALYSIS OF MACROINVERTEBRATE COMMUNITIES IN SEASONAL WETLANDS THROUGH TIME, ACROSS SPACE, AND USING SPECIES TRAITS

dc.contributor.advisorLamp, William Oen_US
dc.contributor.authorSpadafora, Elanoren_US
dc.contributor.departmentBehavior, Ecology, Evolution and Systematicsen_US
dc.contributor.publisherDigital Repository at the University of Marylanden_US
dc.contributor.publisherUniversity of Maryland (College Park, Md.)en_US
dc.date.accessioned2016-09-23T05:30:18Z
dc.date.available2016-09-23T05:30:18Z
dc.date.issued2016en_US
dc.description.abstractRestoration of natural wetlands may be informed by macroinvertebrate community composition. Macroinvertebrate communities of wetlands are influenced by environmental characteristics such as vegetation, soil, hydrology, land use, and isolation. This dissertation explores multiple approaches to the assessment of wetland macroinvertebrate community composition, and demonstrates how these approaches can provide complementary insights into the community ecology of aquatic macroinvertebrates. Specifically, this work focuses on macroinvertebrates of Delmarva Bays, isolated seasonal wetlands found on Maryland’s eastern shore. A comparison of macroinvertebrate community change over a nine years in a restored wetland complex indicated that the macroinvertebrate community of a rehabilitated wetlands more rapidly approximated the community of a reference site than did a newly created wetland. The recovery of a natural macroinvertebrate community in the rehabilitated wetland indicated that wetland rehabilitation should be prioritized over wetland creation and long-term monitoring may be needed to evaluate restoration success. This study also indicated that characteristics of wetland vegetation reflected community composition. The connection between wetland vegetation and macroinvertebrate community composition led to a regional assessment of predaceous diving beetle (Coleoptera: Dytiscidae) community composition in 20 seasonal wetlands, half with and half without sphagnum moss (Sphagnum spp.). Species-level identifications indicated that wetlands with sphagnum support unique and diverse assemblages of beetles. These patterns suggest that sphagnum wetlands provide habitat that supports biodiversity on the Delmarva Peninsula. To compare traits of co-occurring beetles, mandible morphology and temporal and spatial variation were measured between three species of predaceous diving beetles. Based on mandible architecture, all species may consume similarly sized prey, but prey characteristics likely differ in terms of piercing force required for successful capture and consumption. Therefore, different assemblages of aquatic beetles may have different effects on macroinvertebrate community structure. Integrating community-level and species-level data strengthens the association between individual organisms and their ecological role. Effective restoration of imperiled wetlands benefits from this integration, as it informs the management practices that both preserve biodiversity and promote ecosystem services.en_US
dc.identifierhttps://doi.org/10.13016/M2XB8H
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/1903/18840
dc.language.isoenen_US
dc.subject.pqcontrolledEcologyen_US
dc.subject.pqcontrolledEntomologyen_US
dc.subject.pquncontrolledAquatic Macroinvertebratesen_US
dc.subject.pquncontrolledCommunity Ecologyen_US
dc.subject.pquncontrolledDelmarva Baysen_US
dc.subject.pquncontrolledDNA Barcodingen_US
dc.subject.pquncontrolledDytiscidaeen_US
dc.subject.pquncontrolledWetland Restorationen_US
dc.titleANALYSIS OF MACROINVERTEBRATE COMMUNITIES IN SEASONAL WETLANDS THROUGH TIME, ACROSS SPACE, AND USING SPECIES TRAITSen_US
dc.typeDissertationen_US

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