Relación entre la comunidad de macroinvertebrados acuáticos bentónicos (MAB), microhábitats y bosque ripario en la zona alta de río Acacías-Meta

Abstract

One of the most used indicators in enviromental studies to measure the water quality of a river, is the determination of the species abundance and diversity, genera or families of benthic aquatic macroinvertebrates (BAM), community that depends on riparian forest. These ecosystems are essential to keep the biotic and abiotic elements in a river in balance, and their population growth, ecosystem presence and interaction with BAM is very sensitive to changes in physical, chemical and bathymetric parameters. This study is in essence, an extensive work of observation and measurement on the populations of different genera of BAM present in microhabitat of plant material, rock and leaf litter, related to the riparian forest of the Acacias river. A total collection of 715 organisms distributed heterogeneously in each microhabitat and sampling station was made. Monitoring of measured variables (pH, temperature, dissolved oxygen and conductivity) allowed to observe constant changes in their values, affecting diversity in the ecosystem, producing a dominance of genus organisms with better adaptive mechanisms: Camelobaetidius sp, Anacroneuria sp and Farrodes sp. Additionally, it was observed that at the sampling point two downstream there is a larger population of BAM recorded than in point one. Other determining factors are bathymetric variables (flow and depth) measured during the sampling of BAM, that generate adverse mechanical effects to the establishment of populations of different genders of BAM in the riparian forest of the Acacias river.