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Aquatic insects associated with two morphologically different submerged macrophytes, Lagarosiphon ilicifolius and Vallisneria aethiopica, in small fishless ponds

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Abstract

The study assessed the composition and abundance of insect assemblages associated with two submerged macrophytes, Lagarosiphon ilicifolius and Vallisneria aethiopica, in fishless ponds. Six ponds were used, with each plant occurring singly in two ponds, whilst the remainder had both plants. The insects were sampled using a 500-μm mesh. The number of insect taxa, diversity and total abundance on Lagarosiphon were greater than on Vallisneria when the plants occurred in separate ponds. In ponds comprising both plants, the total insect abundance on Lagarosiphon was greater than on Vallisneria. In all ponds, anisopteran naiads were dominant. Hemicordulia, Diplacodes and Trithemis made up 36.2, 27.1 and 15.2%, respectively, of the total number of insects on Lagarosiphon in single plant ponds. Trithemis was the only odonate in ponds comprised exclusively of Vallisneria and made up 68.7% of insects. In ponds that were cultured with both plants, four anisopteran taxa, Hemicordulia, Diplacodes, Trithemis and Tramea, were collected. In single plant ponds, the body-size class distribution of naiads on Lagarosiphon was characterised by a broader range, with significantly greater numbers of smaller and larger size classes than on Vallisneria (Kolmogorov–Smirnov test, P < 0.05). The study shows that in fishless waters, epiphytic insect assemblages may differ between the two plant species, especially when they are widely separated in space, probably due to greater predator–prey interactions on Vallisneria than on Lagarosiphon. The two plants may also differentially affect water physicochemical conditions, which may possibly influence insect ovipositing behaviour, and so affect insect community assemblage.

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Acknowledgments

We are grateful for funding received from the Eric Abrahamse Scholarship through the University of Cape Town that enabled the completion of this study. We are also grateful for the support provided the University of Zimbabwe and by the technical team at the University of Zimbabwe Lake Kariba Research Station.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University Lake Kariba Research Station, P.O. Box 48, Kariba, Zimbabwe

    Crispen Phiri

  2. South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity, Private Bag 1015, Grahamstown, 6140, South Africa

    Albert Chakona

  3. Department of Ichthyology & Fisheries Science, Rhodes University, P.O. Box 94, Grahamstown, 6140, South Africa

    Albert Chakona

  4. Freshwater Research Unit, Zoology Department, University of Cape Town, 7707 Rhodes Gift, Western Cape, South Africa

    Jenny A. Day

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  1. Crispen Phiri
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  2. Albert Chakona
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Correspondence to Crispen Phiri.

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Handling Editor: Michael T. Monaghan.

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Phiri, C., Chakona, A. & Day, J.A. Aquatic insects associated with two morphologically different submerged macrophytes, Lagarosiphon ilicifolius and Vallisneria aethiopica, in small fishless ponds. Aquat Ecol 45, 405–416 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10452-011-9363-y

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