Data from: From disturbance to stability: Ten-year dynamics of riparian arthropod communities in the Three Gorges Reservoir
Data files
Jun 11, 2026 version files 43.40 KB
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Arthropod_community_composition.xlsx
40.95 KB
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README.md
2.46 KB
Abstract
River damming profoundly modifies natural riparian zones, yet the successional trajectories of biological communities in the novel riparian ecosystems created by dam operation remain poorly understood. From 2015 to 2024, we conducted six field surveys of arthropod communities along elevational gradients in the riparian zone of the Three Gorges Reservoir. We examined temporal dynamics in biodiversity, spatial distribution patterns, and the mechanisms governing community assembly under the influence of reservoir operations. In response to flooding stress, riparian arthropod community developed a distinct spatial zonation along the elevational gradient, characterized by a unimodal pattern with abundance and taxonomic richness peaking at 170 m. The relative abundance of predators and herbivores decreased with elevation, whereas that of detritivores and omnivores increased. Interannual dynamics revealed that both composition and structure of riparian arthropod communities stabilized after 2018, with no significant differences observed among subsequent years. This trajectory was further supported by β-diversity across elevations, which remained stable after 2021. Community stabilization is driven by a two-stage assembly mechanism. Initial inundation stress acted as a stringent environmental filter, eliminating submergence-intolerant species and restructuring community composition. Subsequently, dispersal processes, rather than niche differentiation, became the dominant force maintaining community dynamics. This was evidenced by significantly negative Dispersal-Niche Continuum Index, reflecting directed migration and rapid recolonization along the elevational gradient. Our study demonstrates the importance of migration and colonization processes in shaping successional trajectories of riparian arthropod communities in regulated rivers. This process relies fundamentally on connectivity with adjacent terrestrial areas, which serve as critical refugia and source populations during inundation. Conserving riparian biodiversity in dam-regulated rivers therefore requires extending management to these adjacent terrestrial habitats.
Dataset DOI: 10.5061/dryad.gtht76j2t
Description of the data and file structure
These data represent the percentage composition of arthropod families collected from riparian zones of the Three Gorges Reservoir, China, over a ten-year period (2015–2024). Sampling was conducted across three river sections (1, 2, 3) and four elevation gradients (150, 160, 170, 180 m a.s.l.) during six years: 2015, 2017, 2018, 2021, 2022, and 2024. Arthropods were identified to family level, and each family was assigned a trophic functional group (predator, herbivore, detritivore, or omnivore) based on published literature. The dataset supports analyses of long-term community dynamics, disturbance responses in riparian ecosystems.
Files and variables
File: Arthropod community composition.xlsx
Description: Percentage composition of arthropod families at each unique combination of sampling year, river section, and elevation. Each row sums to 100 %. Zeros indicate that the family was absent from that sample.
Variables
Row 1 : Higher taxonomic group (order) for each arthropod column.
Columns D onward: higher taxa (e.g., Heteroptera, Coleoptera, Araneae, Orthoptera). The same name may repeat because it contains multiple families.
Row 2 : Trophic functional group (Predator, Herbivore, Detritivore, Omnivore) for each arthropod column.
Columns D onward: functional group matching the higher taxon in row 1 and the family in row 3.
Row 3 : Actual column headers.
Column A: Sampling years – year of collection (2015, 2017, 2018, 2021, 2022, 2024)
Column B: Sampling sections – river section (1, 2, 3)
Column C: Elevations – elevation in meters (150, 160, 170, 180)
Columns D onward: arthropod family names (e.g., Hydrometridae, Carabidae, Formicidae, Cydnidae, etc.).
Data rows (from row 4 onward):
Values are the relative abundance (%) of each arthropod family (named in Row 3, Column D onward) within a given sampling unit. Each row sums to 100%.
Access information
Other publicly accessible locations of the data:
- None. The data have not yet been deposited elsewhere.
Data was derived from the following sources:
- All data were generated by the authors during field surveys in the Three Gorges Reservoir Area from 2015 to 2024. No external datasets were used.