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Aquatic Macroinvertebrates

Aquatic Macroinvertebrates. What are Aquatic Macroinvertebrates?. Macroinvertebrates are small organisms that do not have a backbone. A great diversity of types. Insects Spiders Leeches Snails and clams Worms. What are Aquatic Macroinvertebrates?.

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Aquatic Macroinvertebrates

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  1. Aquatic Macroinvertebrates

  2. What are Aquatic Macroinvertebrates? • Macroinvertebrates are small organisms that do not have a backbone. • A great diversity of types. • Insects • Spiders • Leeches • Snails and clams • Worms

  3. What are Aquatic Macroinvertebrates? • Aquatic macroinvertebrates are those that live in water. • The majority of aquatic macroinvertebrates are insects • Insects can have three different life stages: larvae, pupae, and adult • Which stage is aquatic depends on the type of insect

  4. Insect Lifecycles - Incomplete Metamorphosis • Some insects do not have a pupae • They molt from a larval form to the adult

  5. Insect Lifecycles - Complete Metamorphosis

  6. What are Aquatic Macroinvertebrates? • For most insects it is the larval form that is aquatic • Common insect orders that have aquatic larvae but terrestrial adults include • Odonata – dragon flies and damselflies • Ephemeroptera – Mayflies • Plecoptera – Stoneflies • Trichoptera– Caddisflies • Diptera– Flies and Mosquitos

  7. What are Aquatic Macroinvertebrates? • Beetles, Order Coleoptera, have both aquatic larvae and adults • Interestingly, the pupae are often terrestrial • Many of the true bugs, Order Hemiptera, spend their entire life cycle in the water

  8. What are Aquatic Macroinvertebrates? • While insects are the most common aquatic macroinvertebrates, there is a wide variety of non insect forms • Includes members of the Mollusc, Annelid, and Arthropod Phyla to name a few

  9. Types of Aquatic Macroinvertebrates

  10. I. MOLLUSCS (SNAILS AND CLAMS)

  11. I. Molluscs A. The Phylum Mollusca is the second largest animal phylum in terms of number of species • While most species are marine (saltwater), two groups are common in North Dakota • Clams or mussels (bivalves) – not usually found in wetlands • Snails (gastropods)

  12. I. Molluscs • B. Gastropods – the snails • Several different kinds • Common snails in wetlands include the genus Physa

  13. II. ANNELIDS (WORMS AND LEECHES)

  14. II. Annelida A. Class Hirudinea – The Leeches • Several different types • Usually considered indicators of poorer water quality • Probably some exceptions to this • Characterized by suckers on both the anterior and posterior end • Also called blood suckers

  15. II. Annelida • Many are ectoparasites that feed on a blood meal • They attach to their host, inject an anticoagulant and an anesthetic • This allows them to feed on a blood meal usually undetected • There are some species that are vegetarians and some that are scavengers

  16. II. Annelida B. Class Oligochaeta • Aquatic worms - small segmented worms that live in the bottom sediments of rivers, streams, lakes, and marshes • Actually quite a few different kinds • Often overlooked because of their small size • Tubifex worms are often used for fish food

  17. Oligochaetes

  18. III. The Arthropods • Include the insects, crsutaceans, and others • Largest group of aquatic macroinvertebrates

  19. Aquatic Insects

  20. Aquatic insects • There is a great diversity of insect species that are aquatic • Many have an aquatic larval stage, but the adult has wings and lives in the habitat near water • A few groups have an entire life cycle in the water

  21. Aquatic insects A. Order Ephemeroptera - Mayflies • Larvae are aquatic • Spend the majority of their life as larvae • Adults are short lived – 24 – 48 hours • Where the term Ephemeroptera comes from - ephemeral

  22. Aquatic insects • Many different roles and adaptations • Some cling to rocks, others burrow, and some swim • Usually considered indicators of good water quality

  23. Burrowing mayflies Hexagenia limbata • Usually found in the bottoms sediments

  24. The small squaregills

  25. Aquatic insects B. Order Trichoptera - Caddisflies • Larval and pupal forms are aquatic • Considered to be indicators of good to moderate water quality • In many of the species the larvae form elaborate cases that they live in

  26. Aquatic insects • Larvae can often be identified by the following features • Usually live in a case • Have two “legs” on the back of their abdomen • These have hooks that the animal uses to anchor itself

  27. Longhorned Case maker-Ceraclea sp.

  28. Northern Case maker larvae with case

  29. Aquatic insects C. Diptera – Flies and Mosquitoes • Larval and pupal stages are aquatic • Wide variety – some indicators of good water quality, others indicate poor water quality • Larvae do not have legs – most are wormlike with very strange features

  30. Crane Fly Larvae

  31. Mosquito – Aedes sp.

  32. Aquatic insects D. Order Hemiptera – True bugs • Spend their entire life cycle in the water – although many can fly and migrate • Mouthparts consist of a tube used for sucking • Many are predators

  33. Mesoveliidae Gerridae Hebridae

  34. Giant water bugs

  35. Water Boatman

  36. Aquatic insects E. Order Odonata – Dragonflies and Damselflies • Larval forms (called nymphs or naiads) are aquatic • Both larvae and adults are predators

  37. III. Aquatic insects • Both damselfly and dragonfly larvae have a prehensile jaw that they can use to spear prey • Damselfly larvae are usually thinner, have three caudal gills • Dragonfly larvae have a stouter body, caudal appendages are much reduced

  38. DragonflyLarvae

  39. Jaws of Dragon fly larvae

  40. Odonata Adults Dragonfly adult Damselfly adult

  41. Aquatic insects F. Order Coleoptera – Aquatic Beetles • Beetles are the most diverse group of animals on earth • Many forms are aquatic • One of the few groups where both larvae and adults are aquatic • While some are considered to have little value in water quality determination, others are useful

  42. Chrysomelidae • Most members of this group are terrestrial • Do not have many obvious adaptations for aquatic life • Found mainly on aquatic vegetation

  43. Haliplidae – Crawling water beetles • Small aquatic beetles • Crawl around on submerged vegetation and debris • Top picture – adult • Bottom picture - larvae

  44. Gyrinidae – Whirlygig beetles • Often found buzzing around on waters surface • Unique in that they have two sets of eyes

  45. Dytiscidae – Predaceous diving beetles • Many different types found in wetlands • Both adults and larvae are aquatic • Both adults and larvae are predators

  46. Dytiscidae – Predaceous diving beetles – Example adult

  47. Dytiscidae – Predaceous diving beetles – Example larvae

  48. IV. OTHER ARTHROPODS

  49. IV. Other Arthropods A. Order Amphipoda – Scuds (see picture on previous slide) • Can be very common in some areas • One type, the genus Gammarus, is found primarily in lakes and marshes • Larger of the two types found in ND • An important forage food for fish in Devils Lake

  50. IV. Other Arthropods B. Order Decapoda – the Crayfish • Common inhabitants of rivers, streams, and lakes • Only a couple of species in North Dakota • Crayfish usually feed at night and are primarily scavengers • Fairly short lived with a life span usually of 2 years or less

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