Lateral and longitudinal flight dispersals of a stonefly, Alloperla ishikariana (Plecoptera, Chloroperlidae), from the hyporheic zone in a gravel-bed river in Japan

The life-history traits of amphibitic insects are not well understood. These insects inhabit saturated interstitial areas below the riverbed (hyporheic zone) at the larval stage, mate in terrestrial habitats, and return to rivers for oviposition, but there is no knowledge concerning their dispersal characteristics. We sought to address this by examining how far amphibitic insects disperse away from the channel (laterally) and along upstream or downstream (longitudinally) in a gravel-bed river. Alloperla ishikariana was selected as the focal species because it numerically dominates other amphibites in an 18-km study segment of a 4th-order gravel-bed river in Hokkaido, Northern Japan. Malaise traps were set at various distances from the channel towards the riparian forest to estimate lateral dispersal distances. An elevated stable nitrogen isotope ratio in downstream larvae, caused by the influence of effluent from a wastewater treatment plant, was used to assess longitudinal dispersal by identifying and tracking adult movements. Laterally, 50th and 90th percentile dispersal distances were 11.66 and 35.09 m for female A. ishikariana and 20.59 and 59.20 m for male, respectively; this overlapped with distances previously estimated for other aquatic benthic taxa. Longitudinally, 50th and 90th percentile dispersal distances were 0.74 and 1.43 km for female and 3.11 and 7.87 km for male, respectively. Alloperla ishikariana had one of the longest upstream traveling distances compared with other aquatic insects, and the longest among Plecoptera taxa known thus far where male exhibited a greater dispersal distance. A higher number of adults demonstrated upstream movement, suggesting an upstream bias in the longitudinal dispersal of A. ishikariana. Overall, amphibitic stoneflies did not exhibit distinct dispersal characteristics compared with the results of previous reports on presumably benthic taxa. Our findings support an improved visualization of a multi-dimensionally connected river ecosystem in terms of material flow, including vertical connectivity.

Automated summary

This study investigates the dispersal characteristics of amphibitic insects, focusing on Alloperla ishikariana in a gravel-bed river in Northern Japan. The research found that these insects exhibit both lateral and longitudinal dispersal patterns, with males showing longer dispersal distances. The study supports a more comprehensive understanding of river ecosystems, particularly in terms of material flow.