Behavioral correction to prevent overhydration and increase survival by larvae of the net-spinning caddisflies in relation to water flow

Abstract

We report behavioral regulation of body water content in caddisfly larvae, Hydropsyche morosa and Cheumatopsyche pettiti, by selecting microhabitats with different water flow rates. The purpose of our study was to examine features necessary for survival in the same apparent habitat, because the two species co-exist in riffle areas of freshwater streams. Both species are highly sensitive to water loss as a result of high water loss rates and depend on immersion in fresh water (hypo-osmotic) to maintain water stores. In contrast to C. pettiti, H. morosa is larger, retains water more effectively, and features reduced water loss rates with suppressed activation energies. When H. morosa was confined to areas of low or no water flow, overhydration led to rapid mortality, whereas the same conditions favored water balance maintenance and survival in C. pettiti. In attraction bioassays, H. morosa moved and remained within areas of high water flow and C. pettiti preferred areas with low water flow. Because water flow rates are unlikely to directly impact water gain, the mechanism responsible for increased survival and water balance maintenance is likely related to the impact of water flow on oxygen availability, differences in feeding ecology, or other underlying factors.