Benthic Macroinvertebrate Diversity in the Middle Doce River Basin, Brazil

This resource contains a checklist of the benthic macroinvertebrate community sampled biannually from 1999 to 2010 in eight natural lakes from the middle Rio Doce Valley lake system and eight river segments in the Piracicaba River basin (sub-basin of Doce river), Minas Gerais State, Brazil. Three of the lakes are located inside a protected state park and are surrounded by preserved vegetation (Atlantic Forest). The other five lakes are in private properties, surrounded by Eucalyptus plantations. The seven stretches of rivers have a distinct degree of anthropogenic impacts. Samples were collected with a kick net and fixed with formaldehyde solution. Four phyla were represented: Mollusca, Annelida, Arthropoda, and Platyhelminthes. For Insecta, 76 families were identified, one family was identified for Crustacea, and nine families were identified for Mollusca. This subproject belongs to the International Long-Term Ecological Research Project (ILTER—Programa de Pesquisas Ecologicas de Longa Duracao—PELD) site 4.


Introduction
In environmental evaluation practices, the use of biological variables represents a significant advantage over using exclusively physical and chemical parameters [1]. This approach enables not only the study of a momentary situation but also the influence of past modifications on environmental quality that still affects the aquatic biota [2]. In this perspective, the use of benthic macroinvertebrates is a powerful tool for biomonitoring programs due to the clear influence of habitat modifications over their community structure and taxa distribution, which makes this community a useful environmental bioindicator [3][4][5].
The benthic macroinvertebrate community is composed of organisms from several taxonomic groups and trophic guilds. During at least part of their life cycles, they live associated with the substrate of water bodies (sediments, wood debris, rocks, aquatic macrophytes, filamentous algae, etc.).

Temporal Coverage
The database includes benthic macroinvertebrates at the family, genus, or species level reported for different river and lake segments in the freshwater basin during the period 1999-2010. Eight river segments (Caraça, Barão de Cocais, Santa Bárbara, Peixe, Severo, Piracicaba, Ipanema, Doce) and eight lakes (Dom Helvécio, Gambazinho, Carioca, Amarela, Á guas Claras, Barra, Jacaré and Palmeirinha) were sampled once in the dry and rainy seasons of each year (Table 1).

Temporal Coverage
The database includes benthic macroinvertebrates at the family, genus, or species level reported for different river and lake segments in the freshwater basin during the period 1999-2010. Eight river segments (Caraça, Barão de Cocais, Santa Bárbara, Peixe, Severo, Piracicaba, Ipanema, Doce) and eight lakes (Dom Helvécio, Gambazinho, Carioca, Amarela, Á guas Claras, Barra, Jacaré and Palmeirinha) were sampled once in the dry and rainy seasons of each year (Table 1).

Taxonomic Coverage
Specimens are identified at the lowest possible taxonomic level as possible, mostly at the family level (Table 4). Some taxa were identified until the genus or the species level. Four phyla were represented: Mollusca, Annelida, Arthropoda, and Platyhelminthes. Seven classes were identified: Insecta, Bivalvia, Gastropoda, Clitellata, Malacostraca, Ostracoda, and Arachnida. For Insecta, 76 families were identified, one family was identified for Crustacea, and nine families were identified for Mollusca.   In major lines, it is possible to observe differences in macroinvertebrate community structure from rivers and lakes ( Figure 3). The phylum Annelida and the subphylum Hexapoda were present in all lake and river sites sampled. The frequency of Arthropoda in lakes inside the RDSP was higher than lakes outside the RDSP (except for lake BA), especially for Trichoptera (e.g., Leptoceridae and Polycentropodidae), Ephemeroptera (e.g., Caenidae and Leptophlebidae), and Heteroptera (e.g., Notonectidae, Belostomatidae, and Corixidae). The river segment CR had a higher frequency of Trichoptera (e.g., Helicopsychidae, Limnephilidae, and Hydroptilidae), and Heteroptera (e.g., Naucoridae). The crustaceans had a higher frequency in lakes when compared to rivers. However, the Carioca (CA) and the Águas Claras (AC) lakes showed no crustaceans sampled within their shores. The Mollusca phylum showed a higher frequency in the Dom Helvécio (DH), Jacaré (JH), and Barra (BA) lakes, and in the Santa Bárbara (SB) and Doce (DC) rivers. This high frequency is due to the presence of the invasive species Melanoides tuberculatus and the high frequency of the genus Pomaceae (Ampullaridae) in the Jacaré (JA) lake. In major lines, it is possible to observe differences in macroinvertebrate community structure from rivers and lakes ( Figure 3). The phylum Annelida and the subphylum Hexapoda were present in all lake and river sites sampled. The frequency of Arthropoda in lakes inside the RDSP was higher than lakes outside the RDSP (except for lake BA), especially for Trichoptera (e.g., Leptoceridae and Polycentropodidae), Ephemeroptera (e.g., Caenidae and Leptophlebidae), and Heteroptera (e.g., Notonectidae, Belostomatidae, and Corixidae). The river segment CR had a higher frequency of Trichoptera (e.g., Helicopsychidae, Limnephilidae, and Hydroptilidae), and Heteroptera (e.g., Naucoridae). The crustaceans had a higher frequency in lakes when compared to rivers. However, the Carioca (CA) and the Á guas Claras (AC) lakes showed no crustaceans sampled within their shores. The Mollusca phylum showed a higher frequency in the Dom Helvécio (DH), Jacaré (JH), and Barra (BA) lakes, and in the Santa Bárbara (SB) and Doce (DC) rivers. This high frequency is due to the presence of the invasive species Melanoides tuberculatus and the high frequency of the genus Pomaceae (Ampullaridae) in the Jacaré (JA) lake.

Methods
Method step description: For each lake, one or more sampling stations were determined in the littoral region. In the rivers, a single sampling station was determined in the left margin of each environment. Samples were collected with a kick net; then, they were packed in plastic bags, fixed with 10 mL of 40% formaldehyde solution, labeled, and stored in polystyrene boxes. In the laboratory, the collected material was washed, and the organisms were retained in descending mesh screens

Methods
Method step description: For each lake, one or more sampling stations were determined in the littoral region. In the rivers, a single sampling station was determined in the left margin of each environment. Samples were collected with a kick net; then, they were packed in plastic bags, fixed with 10 mL of 40% formaldehyde solution, labeled, and stored in polystyrene boxes. In the laboratory, the collected material was washed, and the organisms were retained in descending mesh screens (meshes of 2, 1, 0.5, and 0.250 mm). The organisms were screened using a stereomicroscope. Taxonomic identifications were made, whenever possible, up to the level of family, genus, and/or species, based on the following literatures: [6,[19][20][21][22][23][24].