Relationships between aquatic invertebrates, water quality and vegetation in an Andean peatland system

Peatlands (known as bofedales in the Peruvian Andes) provide important social and environmental services in the Peruvian Puna ecoregion, especially as sources of water and forage for domestic livestock. In biological terms, these peatlands are key habitats with their own community structure, dynamics and interactions; and they serve as biodiversity hotspots within the High Andes. In this article we assess the relationships between: (i) physical structure, (ii) water quality, (iii) plant communities and (iv) the assemblages of aquatic invertebrates (benthic macroinvertebrates) in three peatlands located in Cuzco Region, southern Peru. The results suggest that the benthic macroinvertebrate assemblage is a good indicator of the trophic status of the small pools that are typically present in bofedales. Trophic status is, in turn, primarily related to spatial and seasonal water availability and the types of plant communities present in each peatland.