Biological and ecological traits of Trichoptera: the influence of phylogeny on life history and behavioral traits

Biological and ecological traits of fauna have the potential to indicate changes in community structure that relate to function as an alternative to using traditional taxonomic descriptors. However, traits may be inherited, and consequently, not all species traits are independent of phylogeny. When used in analyses of community structure, results based on traits may be difficult to interpret; suites of traits may respond together even if only one trait is responding to changes in the habitat. To determine the relationship between traits and phylogeny, we examined life history and behavioral traits for the extant 45 families of Trichoptera. Traits such as larval size, respiratory strategies, case or net materials, locomotion, food and functional feeding group, voltanism, diapause, habitat, and reproduction were collected from published life histories. Traits were then coded and mapped onto the phylogeny of Trichoptera to determine the correlations between traits, as well as correlations directly influenced by the phylogeny. Traits such as functional feeding group, reproductive strategies, and building materials were correlated with phylogeny, while traits such as locomotion and habitat type were less influenced by phylogeny. Consideration of macroinvertebrate phylogenies when selecting biological and ecological traits may be essential for accurate interpretation of community function.