Effects of Abiotic Factors and Ecogeographic Patterns on the Ecology, Distribution, and Behavior of Aquatic Insects

Aquatic insects are inserted in a physical and chemical world with a wide range of challenges that selected a myriad of adaptations and strategies throughout their evolutionary history. Mayflies, stoneflies, dragonflies, and many other insects inhabit both still and running waters, freshwater, and brackish waters; hence, they must deal with temperature regimes, variations on habitat complexity, and water chemical composition on a daily basis. All these environmental features determine not only how aquatic insects behave and occupy microhabitats in a stream or pond, but also define species distribution at macroscale. Here, in this chapter we attempt to show how this fascinating water world influences the lives of aquatic insects and their distribution across space.