Abstract

TRAMA, Florencia Andrea  and  MEJIA MARCACUZCO, Jesús Abel. Biodiversity of benthic macroinvertebrates in a rice field system at the muñuela margen derecho sector, Piura, Peru. Ecol. apl. [online]. 2013, vol.12, n.2, pp.147-162. ISSN 1726-2216.

The objective of this study was to describe the structure and composition of aquatic macroinvertebrate communities in the irrigation system and rice fields of the Muñuela Margen Derecho sector in the low Piura, Peru. The colonization of macroinvertebrates in artificial substrates was evaluated in three main sampling points (water entrance) P1, P2 (main drain) and P3 (outlet channel at the Manglares de San Pedro de Vice). We also evaluated three rice fields within the selected irrigation system as well as in three main sites and in three rice plots: site P1 presented a mean family richness of 11, a mean species richness of 16, a diversity with the index of Shannon-Wiener of 2.24 and a mean abundance of macroinvertebrates of 450 greater than P2 and P3 (always with P values < 0.01); individual rice plots presented differences between them, but always had values of richness, diversity and abundance below the values at the main sampling sites. Some physicochemical parameters (conductivity, salinity and dissolved oxygen) and evaluated nutrients (phosphorus and total inorganic nitrogen sources) explained the observed responses in the variation of structure and composition of the communities of aquatic macroinvertebrates between different sampling sites assessed. The results of this study show a first approximation to the macroinvertebrate communities in these agro-ecosystems and at the irrigation system, which could be used as indicators of water quality to improve crop management practices in the future.

Keywords : agroecosystems; macroinvertebrates; rice; irrigation; Piura.

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