Null models for explaining macroinvertebrate communities in northern Patagonian Cautin river (39° S, Araucania region, Chile)
Null models for explaining macroinvertebrate communities in northern Patagonian Cautin river (39° S, Araucania region, Chile)
Authors
Figueroa, David
De los Rios-Escalante, Patricio
De los Rios-Escalante, Patricio
Profesor Guía
Authors
Date
Datos de publicación:
SPIXIANA,Vol.45,169-176,2023
Tipo de recurso
Article
Keywords
Materia geográfica
Collections
Abstract
The Cautin river is closely related to the economic development of Temuco city, Chile, and this river has along its course different kinds of human intervention. The present study aims to characterise the benthonic macroinvertebrate communities using species co-occurrence and niche sharing null models to understand the pres-ence of a random or structured pattern in species assemblages for ten stations throughout the main course of the Cautin river from its origin to its low zones. The results of co-occurrence null model revealed that species associations are structured in one of three models, whereas two models revealed that species associations are random, whereas the results of the niche sharing null model revealed the absence of niche sharing, which would indicate the lack of interspecific competition. The obtained results provide information about the ecological structure and function in the benthos of the Cautin river, which would be similar to other descriptions for other Argentinean and Chilean Patagonian rivers.