Aquatic Coleoptera and Hemiptera in some Canadian saline lakes: patterns in community structure

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Abstract
Communities of aquatic Coleoptera and Hemiptera were examined in eight fishless lakes of varying salinities in central British Columbia. A total of 28 coleopteran and 8 hemipteran species were collected. Taxonomic and ecological classification schemes, cluster analysis, and quantitative parameters were used to elucidate patterns of community structure from survey data. Species were characteristic of high, moderate, or low salinities, or tolerant of all salinities encountered. Species distributions were disjunct at conductivities of 80 and 5000 μS cm−1, yet community complexity changed more gradually with salinity. Densities increased and species richness, species diversity, feeding guild diversity, and ecological category diversity decreased with increased conductivity. Predatory Coleoptera were well represented in all lakes, but herbivores were less abundant with increased salinity. A curious size–distribution pattern was observed: a wide range of species sizes occurred in the most freshwater lake, but fewer size classes and only small sizes were represented in more saline lakes. Several mechanistic hypotheses are suggested to explain the observed patterns.

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