Líffræðifélag Íslands - biologia.is
Líffræðiráðstefnan 2025
Erindi/veggspjald / Talk/poster V77
Höfundar / Authors: Viktor F. Aðalsteinsson, Árni Einarsson, Anthony R. Ives, Bjarni K. Kristjánsson, Sesselja G. Sigurðardóttir, and Þorkell L. Þórarinsson
Starfsvettvangur / Affiliations: 1. Náttúrustofa Norðausturlands 2. Háskólinn á Hólum
Kynnir / Presenter: Viktor Freyr Aðalsteinsson
Simultaneously studying population dynamics at multiple locations can provide insights into the ecological processes shaping changes in the abundances of species. Here, we examine 18-year time series of abundances of non-biting midges (Diptera: Chironomidae) at five lakes in northeastern Iceland using window trap samples: Miklavatn, Sílalækjarvatn, Skjálftavatn, Víkingavatn, and Mývatn. The largest lake, Mývatn, consists of two distinct basins which we treat as separate locations. Contrary to expectations, fluctuations of midges show little correlation among locations, with even neighboring locations exhibiting asynchronous patterns. These findings suggest that localized internal factors, such as consumer-resource dynamics or fluctuations in lake-specific conditions, play a larger part in midge dynamics than external, regional drivers like climate or movement of individuals among locations. Our comparison of the dynamics across locations challenges the expectation that spatial proximity or shared climatic conditions always result in synchrony. The results also have implications for conservation management of species such as insectivorous birds that can migrate between locations and take advantage of episodic, localized peaks in midge abundance.