Macroinvertebrate richness is lower in high-elevation lakes vs nearby streams: evidence from Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming

ABSTRACT

Mountain ecosystems will be strongly impacted by climate change, yet little is known of extant biodiversity in high-elevation lakes, particularly in North America. In this study, we sampled the littoral zone of six alpine and subalpine lakes in Grand Teton National Park (GRTE), Wyoming, to characterise invertebrate diversity and environmental variation in these climate change-threatened ecosystems. Overall, we collected 19 aquatic invertebrate taxa, and found that each lake harboured a unique assemblage of invertebrates despite close geographic proximity in some instances (e.g. less than 5 km). The results of this study complement previous efforts focused on macroinvertebrate diversity of streams in the Teton Range, highlighting much lower diversity in montane lakes vs nearby streams. Taken together, the two studies establish an important baseline understanding of mountain freshwater biodiversity in GRTE. With rapidly changing hydrologic inputs to mountain lakes driven primarily by the recession of alpine glaciers, these results may help target aquatic invertebrates to monitor as climate change affects the region. Moreover, these data clarify habitat factors, both biotic and abiotic, that influence high-elevation lake assemblages of the Teton Range.

KEYWORDS:

• Teton Range
• aquatic ecology
• lentic
• climate change
• alpine
• subalpine

Acknowledgements

We thank Mark Andersen for map-making assistance. Bryan Tronstad was instrumental in data entry. Don and Lusha Alzner provided lodging between sampling trips. We also thank Grand Teton National Park (Grant #P11AT10878) for funding as well as the staff who helped with logistics.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Geolocation information

Our research took place in the Teton Range of Grand Teton National Park (43.7411°N, −110.7975°W).

Supplemental data

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed here.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by Grand Teton National Park [P11AT10878].