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THE IMPACT OF WATER CHEMISTRY AND LAKE CHARACTERISTICS ON MORPHOLOGY OF DAMSELFLY LARVAE

Authors: Ruth H. Hoover Patrick D. Carroll Adam M. Siepielski Kate S. Boersma Humans affect aquatic habitats by altering their chemistry, nutrient content, and temperature. Studies have recorded impacts of these anthropogenic changes on the physiology and behavior of aquatic organisms, but less is known about how changes in water chemistry affect morphology. We examined the effects of physical, chemical, and biological changes in the aquatic environment on gill morphology in larval damselflies (Ischnura) collected from 19 lakes throughout California. We used linear modeling to determine which of a suite of 60 environmental predictors affected gill surface area (lamellae). Specifically, we hypothesized that increasing water temperatures and hypoxic conditions would be associated with damselfly larvae with larger lamellae. We found that turbidity was positively correlated with lamellae size but that temperature and dissolved oxygen were not important predictors. Damselfly larvae with larger lamellae are easier prey for fish, so a relationship between turbidity and lamellae size could impact aquatic food webs. Urbanization can cause increased turbidity and as human populations grow it is important to look at how ongoing anthropogenic changes will affect aquatic organisms.

Ruth Hoover (Primary Presenter/Author), University of San Diego, ruthhoover@sandiego.edu;


Patrick Carroll ( Co-Presenter/Co-Author), University of San Diego, patrickcarrol@sandiego.edu;


Kate Boersma ( Co-Presenter/Co-Author), University of San Diego, kateboersma@sandiego.edu;


Adam Siepielski ( Co-Presenter/Co-Author), University of Arkansas, amsiepie@uark.edu;