Family-Level Bio-Indication Does not Detect the Impacts of Dams on Macroinvertebrate Communities in a Low-Diversity Tropical River

The Ruzizi River, the outlet of Lake Kivu in Albertine Rift, flows into Tanganyika and is important for hydropower generation irrigation. impacts 2 dams River on macroinvertebrate community composition diversity were surveyed every 3 months from December 2015 to October 2017. Macroinvertebrate samples collected at sites upstream downstream additionally two further dams, both comparatively pristine highly disturbed areas. Several indices (Shannon-Wiener index, Simpson Pielou’s evenness, Rare Family Prevalence, Average Score Per Taxa) used determine alpha evenness macroinvertebrates family level. Our results showed little no immediate effect diversity. differed slightly below compared upstream. Communities near Dam II had higher I, probably because vicinity has an first dam likely 30 years younger than I. This study suggests importance using species-level better understand ecological tropical rivers with low species