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Title: Wetlands, Invertebrates and Waterfowl


1
Wetlands, Invertebrates and Waterfowl
  • Whats the Connection?

2
Phylum Annelida
Leech
  • Segmented Worms

Christmas tree worm
Fireworm
Bloodworms
3
Annelid Characteristics
  • Segmentation
  • both internal and external
  • Allows for specialization

4
Phylum Annelida Segmented Worms
  • Two classes are important in freshwater
  • Oligochaeta (worms)
  • Hirudinea (leaches)
  • One class important in marine environment
  • Polychaeta (polychaets)
  • Important for waterfowl feeding in estuaries and
    marine waters

5
Class Oligochaeta(few hairs)
  • Probably descended from marine polychaet
  • Either terrestrial, freshwater, or wetlands

6
Oligochaet Diversity
7
Ecology and Distribution
  • Many species are cosmopolitan or very widespread
  • However, some species have very limited
    distribution
  • Biogeography of species has not been well studied
  • Some may have naturally wide ranges
  • Others may be introductions similar to the zebra
    mussel or asiatic clam or water hyacinth
  • Ecology of worm communities is not well understood

8
Class Hirudinea(Greek for leech)no setae
  • Freshwater, terrestrial, or wetlands
  • Have suckers (anterior and/or posterior)
  • some are predators
  • some are facultative parasites
  • some eat organic material

9
Class Hirudinea
  • 69 species are known from North America
  • Most are not parasitic
  • Majority are predators feeding on invertebrates
  • Most are freshwater
  • a few are marine
  • a few live in very moist terrestrial habitats
  • Most abundant in northern regions, i.e., MN, WS,
    etc.

10
Class Hirudinea
  • Parasitic species
  • Are sanguivorous (feeding on blood) are
    temporary parasites (i.e., take a blood meal then
    leave host)
  • Feed on the blood of
  • fish
  • turtles
  • amphibians
  • birds
  • humans and other mammals
  • Three or more blood meals are required before
    reaching maturity
  • Non-parasitic species
  • Function is similar to earthworms, i.e. feed on
    detritus

11
Phylum ArthropodaIntroduction
12
ArthropodaGeneral Characteristics
  • Age of Arthropods
  • Largest phylum of animals
  • Over 900,000 species described
  • Includes
  • spiders, scorpions, mites, ticks mostly
    terrestrial
  • insects, millipedes, centipedes mostly
    terrestrial
  • crabs, shrimp, lobsters, crayfishes mostly
    marine
  • Very adaptive - found in virtually every habitat

13
WHY ARTHROPODS ARE SO SUCCESSFUL?
  • Versatile exoskeleton
  • Specialization of appendages
  • Air piped to cells directly
  • Insects
  • Highly developed sensory organs
  • Complex behavior patterns
  • Reduced competition through metamorphosis
  • Insects and marine crustaceans

14
Phylum ArthropodaHigher Classification
  • Living Subphyla
  • Chelicerata- arachnids and their relatives
  • Crustacea- crayfish, shrimp, crabs, etc.
  • Uniramia- millipedes, centipedes, insects

15
Subphylum Crustacea
  • Approximately 35,000 species worldwide
  • 13 orders found in U.S.
  • Only 5 are strictly freshwater
  • Includes 1200 freshwater species

16
Subphylum CrustaceaClass Branchiopoda
  • very primitive crustaceans
  • No specialized respiratory structures- use legs
  • Most are filter feeders
  • Most are microscopic
  • Many live in temporary aquatic habitats, i.e.,
    wetlands

17
Class Branchiopoda
  • Divided into 4 orders
  • Anostraca fairy shrimp
  • Notostraca tadpole shrimp
  • Conchostraca clam shrimp
  • Cladocera water fleas

18
Order Anostracafairy shrimp
  • Elongated, somewhat cylindrical, separated from
    other branchiopods by not having a carapace
  • Have a pair of compound stalked eyes and single
    eyespot
  • Fairy shrimp range from 5-100 mm in length

19
Order Anostracafairy shrimp
  • Each segment with a pair of appendages which
    function for
  • Locomotion
  • Food gathering
  • Respiration

20
Order AnostracaLife History
  • Are dioecious with internal fertilization
  • Males usually less abundant than females
  • Are distributed locally and sporadically
  • Inhabit temporary ponds or pools (wetlands)
  • Presence of adults is very seasonal
  • Generation time is very short
  • usually about 3 weeks or as long as 24 weeks

21
Order Notostracatadpole shrimp
  • Have a large rounded carapace that covers the
    head and thorax
  • separates it from other orders in class
  • Segments or body rings have more than one pair
    of appendages, unique to this group
  • May have from 35 to 70 pairs of appendages
    depending on species

22
Order Notostracatadpole shrimp
  • Inhabit temporary pools in western U.S.
  • Not good swimmers so creep and burrow into
    substrate
  • Eggs maintained by females in ovisacs attached to
    11th segment
  • Feed on microorganisms and detritus

23
Order Conchostraca clam shrimp
24
Order Conchostraca clam shrimp
  • Characterized by a bivalve shell- actually the
    carapace that is folded
  • Has growth lines, each indicating a single
    ecdysis or molt
  • Body divided into 2 regions head and trunk

25
Order Conchostraca clam shrimp
  • Are free swimming, living near bottom of lakes,
    ponds and temporary ponds or pools
  • Have very spotty distribution and are extremely
    seasonal, but are widespread
  • Are filter feeders feeding on microorganisms and
    detritus
  • Females deposits eggs into brood chamber
  • When she molts eggs remain in exuvium and fall to
    bottom where they hatch

26
Order Cladocera water fleas
  • More than half of the 800 living species of
    branchiopods are cladocerans
  • Most closely related to conchostracans share a
    bivalve carapace
  • Size ranges from 0.2 to 3.0 mm

27
Order Cladocera water fleas
  • All have a distinct head and a bivalve carapace
  • Have a single sessile compound eye and a smaller
    ocellus

28
Order Cladocera water fleas
  • Body divided into head, thorax and abdomen

29
Order Cladocera water fleas
  • Most cladocerans also exhibit daily vertical
    migration
  • Live in deep waters during the day
  • Migrate to shallow waters at night
  • It is usually related to food gathering

30
Subphylum CrustaceaClass Maxillopoda
  • Important component of the zooplankton of
    freshwaters and marine waters of the worldhave
    no abdominal appendages
  • Includes organisms like copepods and fish lice
  •  

31
CLASS OSTRACODA(seed shrimp)
32
CLASS OSTRACODA(seed shrimp)
  • Bivalved carapace range from 0.35-7.0 mm
  • Easily distinguished from Conchostraca by
  • absence of growth lines on carapace
  • few appendages
  • About 2000 species about 1/3 are freshwater
  • Inhabit wide variety of habitats lakes, swamps,
    streams, caves, oceans, on crayfishes

33
CLASS OSTRACODA(seed shrimp)
  • Ecology
  • Very tolerant organisms to thermal and organic
    pollution
  • Many can live in oxygen depleted waters for a
    period of time
  • Eggs and last few larval stage may aestivate to
    survive drying and freezing
  • Larvae may bury themselves in mud

34
Subphylum CrustaceaClass Malacostraca
  • Largest and most successful crustacean class
  • Most are marine with complicated life cycles that
    include several larval stages
  • Freshwater forms usually have direct development

35
Malacostracans
Isopods
Amphipods
Decapods
Mysid Shrimp
36
Order Amphipoda(Side Swimmers, Scuds)
  • Are about 100 freshwater species in North America
  • Unlike isopods there are not terrestrial species
  • Live in lakes, ponds, streams, springs and
    subterranean waters
  • Usually found in clean and unpolluted waters

37
Order Amphipoda(Side Swimmers, Scuds)
  • Range from 5-20 mm are laterally compressed
  • Like isopods the cephalothorax is a combination
    of head and first thoracic segment
  • Compound eyes
  • usually well developed and sessile
  • in subterranean forms are reduced or absent

38
Order Amphipoda(Side Swimmers, Scuds)
  • Most commonly found in streams and lakes where
    there is a lot of decaying vegetation
  • Skeletal decaying leaves
  • Can be found in very large numbers

39
ORDER ISOPODA(Pill bugs or sow bugs)
  • Are mainly terrestrial (only crustacean group
    with significant number of terrestrial species)
    or marine
  • Are about 80 freshwater species in North America
  • Live primarily in springs, streams subterranean
    waters

40
ORDER ISOPODA(Pill bugs or sow bugs)
  • Flattened dorsoventrally
  • Lack a carapace

41
ORDER ISOPODA(Pill bugs or sow bugs)
  • Ecology
  • Species usually reside in clean waters, feed on
    decaying vegetation on the bottom
  • Some have been used as water quality indicators
    especially for organic pollution
  • Live in the same habitats as amphipods, also can
    be found in large numbers

42
Order Decapoda
  • Freshwater species include crayfishes and shrimp
  • Most are in more permanent waters but wetlands
    adjoining permanent water will have these species
  • More common species in wetland areas are
    burrowing crayfishes

43
ECOLOGICAL CATEGORIESOF CRAYFISHES
  • Epigean- surface water species
  • Lotic
  • Lentic
  • Hypogean- subsurface water species
  • Burrowers
  • Cave Dwellers

Orconectes juvenilis
Orconectes inermis
Cambarus deweesae
44
Phylum ArthropodaSubphylum Uniramia
45
Subphylum Uniramia
  • Includes
  • Millipedes and Centipedes
  • Completely terrestrial
  • Not important to waterfowl
  • Insects
  • Aquatic insects of greatest importance to
    waterfowl

46
Aquatic Insects
47
Whats an Aquatic Insect?
  • Any insect that spends at least part of its life
    in water
  • In most aquatic insects that stage is the
    immature or larval stage
  • Some aquatics live in water as adults, which is
    generally the dispersal stage
  • Aquatic stages most important to waterfowl

48
Order Ephemeroptera
  • Mayflies

49
Ephemeroptera
  • 2000 Species worldwide
  • 568 North American species
  • Primarily collector-gatherers
  • Extremely abundant in lotic habitats, not so much
    in lentic habitats

50
Order Odonata
  • Dragonflies and Damselflies

51
Unique Feature
  • Larvae of this order can be separated from all
    other insect orders by the form of the labium
  • It is developed into a protractile organ which is
    used for grasping living prey
  • They are strictly predators as adults and larvae

52
Odonate Habitats
  • Most larvae develop in freshwater a few are
    semiaquatic and live in bogs few live in
    brackish water
  • Are found in all types of aquatic habitats-
    ranging from ponds, lakes, streams, rivers,
    canals, roadside ditches
  • Adults however are excellent fliers some of the
    best in the insect world (except for some Diptera
    and Hymenoptera), and are often found miles from
    water
  • Larvae in lentic and wetland habitats probably
    most important to waterfowl

53
Order Hemiptera
  • Bugs

54
Suborder Heteroptera
  • Are known as "true bugs"
  • They can be separated from all other insects on
    the basis of their mouthparts
  • they form a segmented beak that is used for
    piercing
  • All aquatic species are predators, except
    waterboatmen are ooze feeders
  • Both adults and immatures found in water
  • Potentially very important to waterfowl, i.e.,
    common in lentic habitats and wetlands

55
Suborder Heteroptera
  • In Kentucky 6 families are totally aquatic
    leaving the water only to migrate
  • waterboatmen
  • giant water bugs
  • water scorpions
  • creeping water bugs
  • pygmy backswimmers
  • Backswimmers
  • Probably an important food source for some diving
    ducks

56
Suborder Heteroptera
  • Remaining families considered semiaquatic
  • Five families live on the surface film
  • Two families live at the margins of streams and
    lakes

57
Order Trichoptera
  • Caddisflies

58
Trichoptera
  • Truly aquatic order
  • Adult terrestrial
  • Larvae aquatic

59
Trichoptera
  • Larvae of caddisflies are common in almost any
    type of aquatic habitat
  • Many families within the order are restricted to
    lotic habitats,
  • But a large number have adapted to the lentic
    environment
  • Some species live in temporary streams or ponds

60
Trichoptera
  • The most interesting aspects of caddisflies is
    construction of the shelters by the larvae
  • this is done with the use of silk- caddisflies
    are among 6 orders of insects that are able to
    produce silk
  • this also is the reason they have received the
    attention they have gotten some of the cases are
    of extraordinary construction!!
  • Larvae are part of all trophic levels in aquatic
    systems

61
Order Coleoptera
  • Aquatic Beetles

62
Coleoptera
  • Single largest order of insects
  • It includes about 400,000 described species
  • Of these only about 5000 are aquatic in at least
    part of their life cycle
  • About 1000 species are known from North America

63
Coleoptera
  • Adults are aquatic
  • Larvae are aquatic
  • Pupae are terrestrial

64
Coleoptera
  • Larvae
  • Resemble caddisflies or hellgrammites
  • Differ in anal prolegs, and other features

65
Coleoptera
  • Biology and Ecology
  • Live in a wide spectrum of habitats including
  • springs, streams, ponds, lakes, brackish water,
    rocky seashores
  • Most aquatic beetles are substrate dwellers, but
    some are good swimmers
  • Many species live in cracks and crevices or
    burrows and seldom get into open water
  • Many species like to live among aquatic plants
  • Most species need to come to the surface for air
  • May be most vulnerable to waterfowl at this time

66
DIPTERA
  • TRUE FLIES

67
Diptera
  • Contains the true flies
  • Gnats
  • Mosquitoes
  • Midges
  • Horseflies
  • Blackflies
  • Craneflies, etc.

68
Diptera
  • In North America about 3500 species have been
    described
  • The group includes many economically important
    pests such as mosquitoes, blackflies, horseflies,
    sandflies, etc.
  • Are vectors of diseases such as malaria,
    filariasis, yellow fever, and encephalitis

69
Diptera
  • Besides the pest species
  • Dipterans constitute an important ecological role
  • Many function as
  • Decomposers,
  • Filter feeders
  • Detritus feeders
  • And generally act as agents in the recycling of
    nutrients
  • Often found in huge numbers (1000s/m2)
  • Therefore may be an important food source for
    waterfowl

70
Diptera
  • Adults
  • The hindwings are extremely reduced to form club
    shaped balancing structures called halteres
  • The mouthparts are modified for sucking or
    lapping liquid food
  • In many families the mouthparts in at least the
    females form a piercing structure

71
Diptera
  • Larvae
  • Never possess true, segmented legs
  • They may have several pairs of prolegs

72
GENERAL LIFE HISTORY
Female
Male
  • Characteristically egg stage is very brief (few
    days to 2 weeks)
  • 3-4 (some have more) larval instars first 3
    usually short in relation to last
  • Pupal stage lasts 5-12 days
  • Adult stage lasts few days to several months
    females generally live longer than males

Pupa
Life Cycle
Eggs
Larva
73
Phylum Mollusca
  • Two important freshwater groups
  • Class Gastropoda snails
  • Class Bivalvia clams and mussels

74
Class Gastropodasnails and slugs
75
Common Freshwater Gastropod Families
  • Pleuroceridae
  • Viviparidae
  • Physidae
  • Lymnaeidae
  • Planorbidae

76
Freshwater Bivalve Families
  • Unionidae Freshwater mussels
  • The most important family
  • Contains about 300 North American species
  • Sphaeriidae - fingernail clams
  • Corbiculidae - asiatic clam
  • Dreissenidae- zebra mussel

77
Why as a wildlife biologist is it important to
understand these organisms?
78
Are they just food items?
  • Or do they give insight to waterfowl species?

79
They can help answer questions important questions
  • How do these birds feed?
  • Filter feeders?
  • Special modifications of bills?
  • Hunters?
  • Where do they feed?
  • In the water column?
  • On the bottom?
  • When do they feed and on what?
  • What resources are important to them?
  • Temporary waters?
  • Permanent waters?
  • Can help in management decisions
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