Benthonic macroinvertebrates in springs in different land use

Abstract

The present thesis is organized into three parts. The first part presents a general introduction and the overall objectives. The second part includes two original chapters (manuscripts) intended for submission to scientific journals. The first manuscript, submitted to a scientific journal and titled "Changes in land use affect the benthic macroinvertebrate community in springs: a systematic review", aims to answer the following question: What are the effects of different land uses on the diversity of benthic macroinvertebrates in springs? The PRISMA workflow was applied. Our findings revealed water quality deterioration as well as biodiversity loss of benthic macroinvertebrates in springs with anthropogenic disturbances. The second manuscript, titled "Does the gradient of environmental degradation affect the macroinvertebrate community in springs?", investigates how land use changes affect the benthic community in forty springs located in areas of native forest, eucalyptus plantations, pasture, and urban zones. The results showed that different land uses impacted the richness, composition, and functional diversity of the benthic macroinvertebrate community, with the greatest losses associated with springs in urban areas. The third part of the thesis focuses on scientific dissemination, resulting in the production of the mini-book "Conhecer para conservar: A bacia hidrográfica do Ribeirão Ipanema" ("Know to conserve: The Ribeirão Ipanema watershed").