Physical habitat condition as a key tool to maintain freshwater biodiversity in neotropical artificial ponds

Abstract

In areas highly affected by anthropogenic disturbances, artificial (human-made) freshwater ecosystems can provide habitat for maintaining and conserving regional freshwater biodiversity. We assessed how the physical habitat of artificial ponds affected the structure of benthic macroinvertebrate assemblages. To do so, we tested two hypotheses. (1) Physical habitat disturbances are not detrimental to the diversity of nearby artificial ponds, and (2) Physical habitat disturbances do not cause significant shifts in taxonomic composition. Our results rejected both null hypotheses, i.e., macroinvertebrate diversity metrics correlated significantly and positively with Physical Habitat Integrity index scores, and only sites with high habitat condition scores were significantly associated with sensitive indicator taxa. Our results highlight the importance of maintaining physical habitat conditions for sustaining the ecological health of artificial ponds.