Life history flexibility of Drunella submontana Brodsky, 1930 (Ephemeroptera: Ephemerellidae) along altitude gradients in Shennongjia National Park, China

Abstract

We investigated the life history of Drunella submontana Brodsky, 1930 using the size-frequency method at four sites at different altitudes (from 590 m to 2180 m) in Shennongjia National Park, Central China. Monthly samples of larvae were taken over a two-year period (May 2015–April 2017). Drunella submontana was considered exhibit three overlapping life cycle types: univoltinism with a short egg stage, univoltinism with a long egg stage and semivoltinism. Under diverse climatic habitats in the river ecosystem in Shennongjia National Park, some physicochemical parameters (such as temperature, conductivity, salinity, total dissolved solids and pH) of water showed significantly differences, and the developmental time of D. submontana prolongated from low to high altitudes. High larva density and the short egg stage appeared in middle altitude.

Keywords:

• Ephemeroptera
• Drunella submontana
• life cycle
• altitude gradients
• northern subtropical
• Central China

Acknowledgements

Thanks are due to Yang Li, Fei-Yan Zheng, and Kun-Zhi Wan who provided help in the laboratory and field. Thanks professor Wen Xiao and Dr Shuo-Ran Liu (Dali University) for their help in writing the article.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This research was funded by National Key R&D Program of China (Grant 2017YFC0506406), National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant U1602262, 31470510, 31760126, 31960255), National S&T Basic Work of China (Grant 2014FY120200) and Strategic Pilot Science and Technology Projects (A) Category, Chinese Academy of Science (Grant XDA23040103).