2021/06/09 by O’Connor, Marley, Mun, Emily, Dawdy, Cole +1
#Ilybius walsinghami #San Jacinto Mountains #choice experiment #hydrology #substrate
paper · doi:10.21973/n3h080
Due to climatic changes, stream habitats are projected to be exposed to more frequent and intense floods. Floods can dramatically alter the stream ecosystem by lowering aquatic invertebrate abundance and richness, changing stream substrate composition, and impacting microhabitat availability. Depending on the substrate preferences of individual species, aquatic invertebrate populations could be impacted not only directly by floods, but also in their ability to re-populate highly altered stream habitats. In this study, we focused on exploring the substrate preferences of Ilybius walsinghami, a species of predaceous diving beetle common in freshwater stream ecosystems, by conducting a combination of an observational study as well as two choice-experiments. We found that I. walsinghami prefers fallen organic debris over rock, green algae, and sand for shelter preference. Our findings can be utilized for future projections to estimate how I. walsinghami may be impacted by increased high-intensity floods.