Effects of river ice break-up on organic-matter dynamics and feeding ecology of aquatic insects

Disturbance shapes the structure and function of aquatic communities and ecosystems, but the dynamics of ice are a less studied dimension of the disturbance-regime of rivers. We investigated effects of a river-ice regime on organic-matter dynamics and feeding ecology of aquatic insects. Samples of biofilm and aquatic insects for gut content analysis were collected monthly from Big Creek, a sixth - order tributary of the Middle Fork Salmon River in central Idaho, USA, during winter 2010-2011. Our results indicate that river ice affects both quantity and quality of organic matter available to, and used by, consumers. Specifically, scour from December and February ice break-up events reduced biofilm biomass by one-half and one-third, respectively, whereas quality (chlorophyll-a: ash-free dry mass) increased. Diets of scrapers, Rhithrogena (Heptageniidae) and Bibiocephala (Blephariceridae), collector-gatherers, Baetis (Baetidae), and collector-filterers, Simulium (Simulidae) appeared to follow patterns of organic matter. Following ice break-up events, diets of these taxa had increased proportions of diatom frustules, which are high-quality food resources due to their relatively high nutrient content. Other taxa, such as collector-gatherers, non-Tanypodinae (Chironomidae), and the collector-filterer, Arctopsyche grandis (Hydropsychidae), consistently consumed high proportions of diatom frustules and insect material, respectively, suggesting they were able to feed more selectively throughout winter. Our study indicates that ice regimes in temperate rivers can affect organic-matter dynamics and feeding ecology of aquatic insects, a possibility that deserves additional investigation, particularly in light of potential changes to the ice regimes of rivers with changing climate.