The Biotic Environment: Multiple Interactions in an Aquatic World

The distribution and diversity of aquatic insects is a result of their interactions with the environment and other organisms. Right from the egg to larval and adult stages, insects must deal with a great biodiversity of natural enemies and mutualists. Such relationships evolved for millions of years in such a way that aquatic insects developed behavioral, ecological, and evolutionary strategies to cope with predation, parasitism, and competition. In the same way, they have joined forces with other organisms to solve problems, such as the interaction with gut bacteria to digest cellulose. These strategies and selective forces not only predict behavior and occurrence of aquatic insects, but also shape their diversity, community structures, and population dynamics. In this chapter, we sought to bring to the reader a useful source of information and a background for future studies. Although our current knowledge on species interactions in freshwater habitats allows us to discuss several topics, there is an open field of possibilities and gaps to be addressed in future research.