Flow intermittency affects structural and functional properties of macroinvertebrate communities in alpine streams

Flow regime is a major determinant of the structure and functioning of aquatic ecosystems. Under climate change, flow intermittency is becoming more prevalent in glaciated alpine catchments, but the effects of increasing dryness on aquatic biodiversity remain largely unknown. We characterised flow intermittency patterns in 30 streams of a glaciated alpine catchment over 15 months and separated these streams into four intermittency categories: perennial streams, winter-drying streams, moderately intermittent streams with occasional drying in summer, and periodically intermittent streams with extensive dry periods throughout the year. We then examined how these drying patterns affected structural and functional properties of benthic macroinvertebrate communities, and whether these changes were primarily deterministic or stochastic. At the taxonomic level, we observed a response at the highest intermittency levels, with alpha diversity lower and beta diversity higher in periodically intermittent streams than in other stream types. This result suggested that local biota were well adapted to intermediate intermittency levels (mostly during winter) but not to high intermittency during summer. In contrast, functional diversity indices at the alpha and beta levels (based on trait abundances) did not differ across intermittency categories. Considering the moderate level of functional redundancy, we interpreted this as an indication that changes in taxonomic diversity may have resulted primarily from stochastic processes. Analysis of community and trait composition indicated that deterministic selection may indeed have occurred with increased intermittency, but this process was likely to be minor in comparison to stochastic extinctions. Notably, community evenness was highest in periodically intermittent streams and lowest in perennial streams, suggesting that frequent drying prevented competitive exclusion. Our results suggested that most macroinvertebrate populations are resilient to intermediate intermittency levels but are filtered at high intermittency, irrespective of their resilience capacities. However, more research is needed to clarify the specific roles of different facets of flow regimes, specifically frequency, duration, and timing of intermittency. Understanding the consequences of responses in diversity and community evenness with increasing intermittency on the functional properties of communities will allow better prediction of the future ecological status of alpine stream networks to ongoing environmental change.

Automated summary

The flow regime has a significant impact on the structure and functioning of aquatic ecosystems. In this study, the effects of increasing flow intermittency on benthic macroinvertebrate communities in a glaciated alpine catchment were investigated. The results showed that high intermittency levels led to lower taxonomic diversity and higher beta diversity. However, functional diversity indices did not differ across intermittency categories, indicating a moderate level of functional redundancy. Deterministic selection and stochastic extinctions were identified as the main factors influencing changes in taxonomic diversity. Additionally, frequent drying was found to prevent competitive exclusion and increase community evenness.