Floating Littoral Zone (FLOLIZ): A solution to sustain macroinvertebrate communities in regulated lakes?

Artificial water-level fluctuations (WLF) seriously threaten the biodiversity and functioning of littoral zones in lake ecosystems. The use artificial floating islands (AFI) to compensate for deleterious effects WLF on habitats has been increasing interest environmental managers. Yet, ecological efficiency this solution is still very poorly documented. AFI are usually designed as simple vegetated mats. In study, we an Floating Littoral Zone (FLOLIZ), which mimics a natural zone composed terrestrial section with helophytes several underwater levels containing soil hydrophytes. Next, aimed assess effectiveness FLOLIZ supporting macroinvertebrate communities. Three FLOLIZs were installed three bays French hydroelectric reservoir marked by high WLF. Taxonomic functional metrics communities compared control stations over four seasons one year. cumulated abundance, taxonomic richness diversity significantly higher than stations, particularly when water level rose abruptly (i.e., spring) during post-drawdown season summer). Functional profiles differed between stations. More specifically, dominated highly mobile resistant taxa (e.g., Beetles, Bugs, Chironomids), while less species longer life cycles Hydra sp., Oligochaeta). These findings show that more successfully colonized original, diversified, abundant respect preliminary results suggest could provide suitable, biogenic macroinvertebrates reservoirs exhibiting Longer term monitoring, including other compartments fish), additional evidence mitigate aquatic biodiversity.