![]() Leaf litter decomposition in tropical lotic systems has received less attention than in streams in the temperate region. Shredders, such as Leptoceridae and Calamoceratidae were rare. ![]() In terms of species numbers, representing the differ-ent trophic guilds, the fauna is mostly made up of collector-gatherers (53%), followed by predators (16.5%) and filter-feeders (14.5%). The macrozoobenthos of pools was dominated by Diptera (36%) and Ephemeroptera (31.9%), including the family of Caenidae (11%) which were not found at riffle sites. These two fami-lies were not present at pool sites. Collector-filterers were mainly represented by Philopotamidae and Hydropsychidae (Trichoptera). At riffle sites, Ephemeroptera was the dominant insect order (37%), followed by Coleoptera and Diptera. The taxonomic composition of stream benthic fauna and its trophic structure (functional feeding group -FFG) within rif-fle and pool sites were distinguished. The Quebrada Negra, a first order tropical lowland stream within the Piedras Blancas National Park, Costa Rica, is a heterogeneous environment with a high diversity of habitats where environmental characteristics vary drastically over small dis-tances. ![]()
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