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INSECT COMMUNITIES OF NEWFOUNDLAND BOG POOLS WITH EMPHASIS ON THE ODONATA

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  31 May 2012

D.J. Larson  and
N.L. House
D.J. Larson
Affiliation:
Department of Biology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada A1B 3X9
N.L. House
Affiliation:
Department of Biology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada A1B 3X9
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Abstract

The arthropod and annelid fauna of a series of small, acidic pools in a domed, ombrotrophic bog on the Avalon Peninsula, Newfoundland, was studied over the ice-free season of 1986. Pools were assigned to four classes on the basis of their surface area (<1; 1.1–10; 10.1–100; >100 m2) and at least two 1-m2 (entire pool if area <1 m2) substrate samples, plankton samples, and moss samples were taken from pools of each size class biweekly. One hundred and thirty-one taxa, most identified to the species level, were collected. Taxa varied in abundance between pools of various size classes and, using Cluster Analysis and TWINSPAN, two principal communities were identified. Oligochaetes, beetles, and mosquitoes dominated small, astatic pools and odonates, chironomids, and several other taxa predominated in large, stable, vegetated pools. Water level stability is postulated to be the principal factor determining this community structure. Within large pools, odonate larvae were the dominant predators and comprised the majority of the standing crop. Odonate larvae have life cycles of 2 or more years; their slow growth is probably due to prey limitation. Odonate larvae potentially exert a powerful predation pressure within the large pool community, and may be the principal biotic factor determining abundance and distribution of prey taxa within the bog pool system.

Résumé

La faune d’arthropodes et d’annélides d’une série de petits étangs acides d’un marécage ombrotrophique de la péninsule Avalonne, à Terre Neuve, a été étudiée en 1986 durant la période sans glace. Les étangs ont été regroupés en 4 classes selon leur surface (<1; 1.1–10; 10.1–100; >100 m2) et, deux fois par semaine au moins deux échantillons de 1 m2 (la mare entière si la surface <1 m2) de substrat, des échantillons de plancton et de mousses ont été recueillis dans chacune des classes de taille des étangs. Cent trente et un taxa, la plupart identifiés par l’espèce, ont été récoltés. Les taxa ont varié en abondance entre les différentes classes de taille des étangs et par l’utilisation de l’analyse de groupement (Cluster Analysis) et TWINSPAN, deux communautés principales ont été identifiées. Les Oligochaetes, les coléoptères et les moustiques dominaient dans les petites mares astatiques alors que les odonates, les chironomides et plusieurs autres taxa ont prédominé dans les plus gros étangs, stables et pourvus de végétation. L’hypothèse émise est que la stabilité du niveau de l’eau serait le principal facteur déterminant de la structure de cette communauté. Dans les plus gros étangs, les larves d’odonates sont les principales prédatrices et constituent la majorité de la production présente. Le cycle de vie des larves d’odonates est de 2 ans ou plus; leur lente croissance résulte probablement de la quantité limitée des proies. Les larves d’odonates exercent une très forte pression de prédation dans les communautés des gros étangs et peuvent être le principal facteur biotique déterminant l’abondance et la distribution des taxa de proies à l’intérieur du système des étangs du marais.

Type
Articles
Information
The Canadian Entomologist , Volume 122 , Issue 3 , June 1990 , pp. 469 - 501
Copyright
Copyright © Entomological Society of Canada 1990

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