Publication details
Intraspecific variability in fecundity of Leptophlebia vespertina (Ephemeroptera: Leptophlebiidae) in seven acidified lakes in the Bohemian Forest
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| Year of publication | 2016 |
| Type | Conference abstract |
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| Description | Although fecundity (number of eggs per female) is known in many species of mayflies, the knowledge of factors influencing mayfly fecundity remains fragmentary. As fecundity of mayflies is strongly positively correlated with the body size of mature larvae, factors influencing larval body size (particularly temperature, food, water pollution, and predator pressure) have been suggested to explain also fecundity. There are only few studies describing the effect of acidification on the body size and fecundity of mayflies. The main aim of this study is to describe the variability of larval body size and fecundity in acid tolerant mayfly Leptophlebia vespertina inhabiting acidified lakes in the Bohemian Forest. This region suffered from high atmospheric pollution from the 1950s to the late 1980s, but has since been recovering from acidification due to decrease in sulphur and nitrogen deposition in the 1990s–2000s. Mature larvae of L. vespertina were collected in seven glacial lakes, four chronically acidified lakes with pH 4.5–5.5 and negative alkalinity, and three recovering lakes with pH 5.6–6.2 and positive alkalinity. Body size of larvae, number of eggs per female and egg size were measured using an image analysis. Preliminary results showed relatively high variability in both body size and fecundity among lakes and indicated the adverse effect of low acidity in strongly acidified lakes. Body size and fecundity of mayflies in recovering lakes could be influenced by other factors, such as the presence of fish. |