Dispersal of benthic insects in lotic systems: New tendencies?

Abstract

Spatial mobility between habitat fragments may present significant changes to the benthic organism system. Freshwater insects achieve dispersal using a manifold of mechanisms that may vary with respect to the characteristics of the individual or the environment; these can be categorized as passive or actives and have important implications in the processes of colonization, gene flow and evolutionary divergence. This review aims to explore studies of benthic insect dispersal based on empirical, theoretical approaches and examples of the dispersion in tropical and templates areas. We discuss how the spread can occur, its consequences and adaptations, as well as the advantages and disadvantages of conventional methods with respect to the molecular methods to study the dispersal of aquatic insects and when it is considered that human activities can prevent or reduce dispersion between different river systems, through the disruption and habitat fragmentation. In general, we looked for new questions to the mechanisms and patterns of dispersal in freshwater invertebrates and how they can be extrapolated to other taxa, since the selective pressures in aquatic systems as discrete habitats are similar.