Daule-Peripa reservoir

Habitat suitability of the invasive water hyacinth and its relation to water quality and macroinvertebrate diversity in a tropical reservoir
May 2015
The relationship between the occurrence of the invasive water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) and water quality properties as well as macroinvertebrate diversity in a tropical reservoir, situated in western Ecuador, was assessed. The results suggesed that water hyacinth cover was an important variable affecting the diversity of macroinvertebrates in the Daule-Peripa reservoir, with intermediate levels of water hyacinth cover having a positive effect on the diversity of macroinvertebrates. Information on the habitat suitability of water hyacinth and its effect on the physico-chemical water quality and the macroinvertebrate community are essential to develop conservation and management programs for large tropical reservoirs such as the Daule-Peripa reservoir and the Guayas river basin, where water resources are being at high risk due to expansion of agricultural and industrial development activities.