Patterns of macroinvertebrate richness in 62 lakes in China

To document the patterns of macroinvertebrate species richness and their possible causes in Chinese lakes at a regional scale, we collected data on macroinvertebrates in 62 Chinese lakes. A correlation analysis was used to explore the patterns of macroinvertebrate species richness across seven variables: lake area, lake volume, catchment area, lake mean depth, lake mineralization, mean annual temperature, and mean annual precipitation. Results showed that the factors influencing macroinvertebrate species richness were catchment area (r = 0.616, p < 0.0001), lake area (r = 0.506, p < 0.0001), volume (r = 0.363, p < 0.01) at the national scale, catchment area (r = 0.567, p < 0.001), lake area (r = 0.420, p < 0.01), volume (r = 0.386, p < 0.01) in the east region, catchment area (r = 0.859, p < 0.0001), lake area (r = 0.730, p < 0.01), and mean depth (r = 0.582, p < 0.05) in the west region. Catchment area was the most important factor explaining the variation of macroinvertebrate species richness across Chi...