Does littoral substrate affect macroinvertebrate assemblages in Mediterranean lakes?

The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of substrate type in macroinvertebrate assemblages in Mediterranean lakes. Samplings have taken place in the littoral zone of 21 lakes in Greece, between 2015 and 2018. We compared benthic macroinvertebrate assemblages among three substrate types of their littoral zones; sandy, covered with macrophytes and stony substrate. Benthic macroinvertebrate assemblages at sites with extended macrophyte cover differed only slightly in composition and abundance from the ones found in stony and sandy substrates. Coenagrionidae were indicative of sites covered with macrophytes and Oligochaeta and Erpobdellidae were representative of stony substrates. The type of substrate proved to be a statistically significant factor influencing the number of benthic macroinvertebrate taxa, the relative abundance of Oligochaeta and the relative abundance of Odonata. In the context of designing site-adapted management measures, priority could be given to the conservation and restoration of aquatic vegetation in lake littoral zones, which host rich macroinvertebrate assemblages with abundant taxa of Odonata.

Automated summary

The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of different substrate types on macroinvertebrate assemblages in Mediterranean lakes. The study was conducted in the littoral zone of 21 lakes in Greece between 2015 and 2018. The researchers compared benthic macroinvertebrate assemblages in sandy, macrophyte-covered, and stony substrate areas. They found that macroinvertebrate composition and abundance were only slightly different between areas with macrophytes and areas with stony or sandy substrates. The type of substrate was found to significantly influence the number and abundance of certain macroinvertebrate taxa.