The Chironomidae family is one of the main groups of aquatic insects present in streams. This work aimed to investigate the influences of anthropogenic pressures and substrate types on chironomid community composition and structure. Chironomid larvae were collected during the summer of 2007 at four sites along the Vacacaí-Mirim River microbasin, chosen based on the different available benthic s...

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVES An efficient larvivorous fish must show a predilection for mosquito larvae in the presence of alternative preys. This study compares the feeding capacity and preference of Aphyosemion gularis exposed to different kinds of aquatic macroinvertebrates. METHODS Various prey organisms such as Anopheles larvae and pupae, Culex larvae, chironomid larvae and ostracods were eit...

Laboratory experiments were used to assess morphological responses of Chironomus tentans larvae exposed to three levels of zinc and lead. Chironomus tentans egg masses were placed into triplicate control and metal-spiked aquaria containing the measured concentrations 1,442, 3,383, and 5,562 microg/g Pb dry weight and 1,723, 3,743, and 5,252 microg/g Zn dry weight. Larvae were collected at 10-d ...

This study investigates a phytophylous community of Chironomidae larvae on the submerged plant species Myriophyllum spicatum L. in a eutrophic lake (Lake Sakadaš, Danube floodplain area in Croatia) during summer 2004. This macrophyte species appeared for the first time in the lake in 2004, lasted approximately three months and was considered as a temporary habitat. The chironomid community was ...

Chironomid hemoglobins are potent allergens. The allergenic and antigenic activities of these hemoglobins are studied with the help of RAST, RAST inhibition and double immunodiffusion. Human as well as rabbit antisera were used. It was shown that hemoglobins are the main antigenic/allergenic components in extracts of Camptochironomus tentans larvae. Furthermore, immunological cross-reactivity a...

The Arctic has a disproportionately large response to changes in radiative forcing of climate, and arctic lacustrine ecosystems respond sensitively to these changes. The goal of this research is to generate high-resolution climate records for the past two millennia using multiple proxies in order to place 20th and 21st century climate and environmental change into a long-term context. We use a ...

A qualitative and quantitative population survey of immature and adult Chironomidae was conducted for 1 year in a country club wetlands in northeast Florida, USA. Glyptotendipes paripes and Goeldichironomus carus were the 2 predominant chironomid species in the wetlands. Adults of these 2 species emerged at nuisance levels from Apr through Jun, and in Aug and Sep. Polypedilum , Cryptochironomus...

Despite the fact that rock glaciers are one of the most common geomorphological expressions of mountain permafrost, the impacts of their solute fluxes on lakes still remain largely obscure. We examined water and sediment chemistry, and biota of two neighboring water bodies with and without a rock glacier in their catchments in the European Alps. Paleolimnological techniques were applied to trac...