Does the environmental degradation gradient affect the macroinvertebrate community in springs?

Anthropogenic alterations in natural environments can lead to changes in benthic communities, producing profound impacts on ecological processes in spring ecosystems. In this study, the objective was to investigate the effect of different land uses (urban, pasture, eucalyptus, and native forest) on the taxonomic structure and functional feeding groups (FFGs) of benthic macroinvertebrates in springs. The study was conducted in 40 springs located in the Ipanema stream sub-basin, in the municipality of Ipatinga, Minas Gerais, Brazil. All statistical analyses were performed in R software, version 4.5.0. In springs located in native forest, eucalyptus, and pasture areas, the families Chironomidae, Calamoceratidae, and Ceratopogonidae were the most frequent. In contrast, urban areas presented the lowest number of individuals, with Chironomidae, Oligochaeta, and Ceratopogonidae being the most abundant taxa. Vegetation cover percentage varied significantly among land uses, influencing richness and abundance. Richness (114.64; p < 0.005) and abundance (43.646; p < 0.005) were distinct among the evaluated land uses. Our results showed that the taxonomic structure of macroinvertebrate communities responded to the environmental degradation gradient caused by anthropogenic activities, especially urbanization. We verified that the abundance of functional feeding groups was distinct among the land uses, being higher in all categories analyzed in areas of native forest.