Drought dilemmas: Exploring the impact of drying on macroinvertebrate diversity in vernal ponds

Vernal ponds are essential components of forested ecosystems in the eastern United States, providing crucial ecosystem services such as water filtration, biodiversity support, and flood regulation. Characterized by their seasonal drying, these ponds are increasingly affected by climate change, which may intensify hydrological fluctuations and impact the communities they support. This study investigates the effects of drying disturbances on macroinvertebrate communities in vernal ponds, focusing on biodiversity metrics before and after hydrological drawdown. Weekly monitoring of pond inundation and macroinvertebrate sampling was conducted in five vernal ponds in Central Pennsylvania during 2023. Alpha diversity was assessed using species richness and Shannon diversity, while temporal beta diversity was analyzed with Jaccard’s dissimilarity index, examining turnover and nestedness components. Our findings indicate no significant changes in alpha diversity metrics between pre- and post-drying periods. However, there was a trend toward greater species losses (77% of dissimilarity) compared to gains (23%), though the evidence for this difference was weak. Beta diversity analyses demonstrated stable patterns of turnover and nestedness across temporal and spatial scales, suggesting that drying disturbances did not significantly disrupt macroinvertebrate community structure. These results contrast with previous studies reporting significant shifts in community composition following similar disturbances. This discrepancy may be due to the adaptive strategies of macroinvertebrates or the influence of metacommunity dynamics in species reestablishment. This research underscores the necessity of long-term studies and detailed assessments of drying intensity to better understand climate change impacts on vernal pond ecosystems. The insights gained can inform effective conservation strategies, making these findings relevant to an international audience interested in wetland ecology and biodiversity preservation.

Citation

Ward, Mason; Sweetman, Jon; Ali, Sara (2024). Drought dilemmas: Exploring the impact of drying on macroinvertebrate diversity in vernal ponds [Data set]. Scholarsphere. https://doi.org/10.26207/2x3h-5w21

Files

Metadata

Work Title Drought dilemmas: Exploring the impact of drying on macroinvertebrate diversity in vernal ponds
Access
Open Access
Creators
  1. Mason Ward
  2. Jon Sweetman
  3. Sara Hermann
License MIT License
Work Type Dataset
Publication Date 2024
DOI doi:10.26207/2x3h-5w21
Deposited October 18, 2024

Versions

Analytics

Collections

This resource is currently not in any collection.

Work History

Version 1
published

  • Created
  • Updated
  • Updated Description, Publication Date Show Changes
    Description
    • Vernal ponds are essential components of forested ecosystems in the eastern United States, providing crucial ecosystem services such as water filtration, biodiversity support, and flood regulation. Characterized by their seasonal drying, these ponds are increasingly affected by climate change, which may intensify hydrological fluctuations and impact the communities they support. This study investigates the effects of drying disturbances on macroinvertebrate communities in vernal ponds, focusing on biodiversity metrics before and after hydrological drawdown. Weekly monitoring of pond inundation and macroinvertebrate sampling was conducted in five vernal ponds in Central Pennsylvania during 2023. Alpha diversity was assessed using species richness and Shannon diversity, while temporal beta diversity was analyzed with Jaccard’s dissimilarity index, examining turnover and nestedness components. Our findings indicate no significant changes in alpha diversity metrics between pre- and post-drying periods. However, there was a trend toward greater species losses (77% of dissimilarity) compared to gains (23%), though the evidence for this difference was weak. Beta diversity analyses demonstrated stable patterns of turnover and nestedness across temporal and spatial scales, suggesting that drying disturbances did not significantly disrupt macroinvertebrate community structure. These results contrast with previous studies reporting significant shifts in community composition following similar disturbances. This discrepancy may be due to the adaptive strategies of macroinvertebrates or the influence of metacommunity dynamics in species reestablishment. This research underscores the necessity of long-term studies and detailed assessments of drying intensity to better understand climate change impacts on vernal pond ecosystems. The insights gained can inform effective conservation strategies, making these findings relevant to an international audience interested in wetland ecology and biodiversity preservation.
    Publication Date
    • 2024
  • Added Creator Mason Ward
  • Added Creator Jon Sweetman
  • Added Creator Sara Hermann
  • Added betadiv.csv
  • Added temp_pre_nest.csv
  • Added temp_pst_nest.csv
  • Added tmp_pre_total.csv
  • Added tmp_pre_turn.csv
  • Added tmp_pst_total.csv
  • Added tmp_pst_turn.csv
  • Added macro_predry.csv
  • Added macro_postdry.csv
  • Added PreAndPost.PUB.R
  • Added README.txt
  • Updated License Show Changes
    License
    • https://opensource.org/licenses/MIT
  • Published
  • Updated