| Title |
Multivariate Analysis of Environmental Factors Differentiating the Ecological Distribution of the Mayfly Genus Ephemera (Ephemeroptera: Ephemeridae) |
| Authors |
정찬영(Chanyoung Jeong) ; 공동수(Dongsoo Kong) |
| DOI |
https://doi.org/10.15681/KSWE.2025.41.3.214 |
| Keywords |
Chemical water quality; Ecological distribution; Ephemera; Multivariate analysis; Physical microhabitat factors |
| Abstract |
This study investigated environmental determinants, ecological distribution, and niche separation among three Ephemera species (E. orientalis-sachalinensis, E. strigata, and E. separigata) in South Korea. A total of 23,957 samples were collected from 6,664 sites across the country between 2010 and 2021, with 4,962 sites selected for multivariate analysis. To assess the influence of environmental factors, biota-environment matching (BIOENV), redundancy analysis (RDA), partial least squares regression (PLSR), and ordinary least squares (OLS) regression were employed. Environmental variables included altitude, microhabitat characteristics (water depth, mean current velocity, mean diameter), and water quality indicators (pH, DO, BOD, TSS, TN, TP). BIOENV identified altitude as the most influential variable (Pearson’s ρ = 0.1712). RDA revealed that E. strigata and E. separigata were strongly aligned with high-altitude, fast-flowing, and low-pollution conditions, while E. orientalis?sachalinensis was associated with lowland, slow-flowing, and nutrient-enriched environments characterized by high BOD, TSS, and TP. Both PLSR and OLS models consistently indicated that altitude was a key predictor of species occurrence, reflecting coherent ecological responses across methods. Species-specific elevation patterns confirmed niche separation. E. orientalis-sachalinensis dominated in lowland zones (0 ? 200 m). E. strigata was the most frequent at mid-elevations (500 ? 600 m). E. separigata peaked in highland areas (700 ? 800 m). These findings demonstrate that altitude and environmental gradients can drive clear ecological distribuition among Ephemera species, offering a scientific basis for improved bioassessment and conservation strategies targeting benthic macroinvertebrate communities in lotic ecosystems. |