Spatial and Temporal Patterns of Coexistence in Closely Related <i>Rhyacophila</i> (Trichoptera) Species

Abstract

Environmental change affects the survival, interaction and co-existence of species within an ecosystem. We studied multiple species of Rhyacophila, a primitive genus of caddisfly that, in its larval state, lives at the bottom of cold, oxygen rich and fast flowing streams. Previous research has shown that six species, four of which are common, occur in the high montane, subalpine and alpine streams of the Upper East River Basin in the Gunnison National Forest. The goals of this study are: 1) to document the patterns of co-existence of different Rhyacophila species over space by sampling the same streams previously surveyed and to conduct species co- occurrence analyses to determine if there are any positive or negative associations between pairs of species; 2) to measure various environmental factors to obtain descriptive data about the typical niches of different species, which enabled us to generate hypotheses about potential causes of species co-occurrences; and 3) to conduct both seasonal and long-term temporal comparisons of Rhyacophila species co-occurrence patterns and environmental associations using the past 31 years of data. Results suggest that partitioning of space, time and competition are a few key mechanisms that can explain the observed patterns of Rhyacophila coexistence. Because Rhyacophila are particularly sensitive to environmental change, this study provides clues to climate change related impacts and serves as a comparative model for more threatened freshwater systems in Colorado.

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