Biodiversidad y composición espacial de la comunidad de macroinvertebrados acuáticos del humedal Huacho-Hualmay-Carquín, Lima, Perú

Biodiversity and spatial composition of the aquatic macroinvertebrate community of the Huacho-Hualmay-Carquín wetland, Lima, Peru

Abstract

In the last decades, the loss and reduction of wetlands have become evident worldwide due to various pressures related to the increase in human population and their activities. This situation is also present in the coastal wetlands of Peru, especially in small bodies, which makes it necessary to investigate their biodiversity and ecology in order to provide useful information for management and conservation plans for these environments. The objective of this study was to describe the biodiversity and spatial composition of the aquatic macroinvertebrate community of the HuachoHualmay-Carquín coastal wetland. Collection was carried out in August 2018 at fifteen sites, divided into five sectors, recording the pH, electrical conductivity, salinity, total dissolved solids, and dissolved oxygen of each station. A total of 3 550 macroinvertebrates were collected, distributed in 67 genera, with a predominance of the orders Diptera, Coleoptera, and Hemiptera, which are widely cited as dominant groups in coastal lentic environments. This small
wetland showed lower water electrical conductivity values compared to values reported in other Peruvian coastal wetlands; furthermore, it exhibited greater genus richness, especially in less impacted areas with considerable depth and high dissolved oxygen values, making it a diverse and important ecosystem within the large Peruvian coastal corridor