Online first articles
A natural history of the best studied animal groups from the Sierra Nevada watercourses
The last 50 years of research in streams and rivers from the Sierra Nevada have provided numerous contributions that, added to the previous studies carried out in the massif, have built a great body of knowledge on particular animal groups, among other organisms. From those, Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, Trichoptera and aquatic Coleoptera have focused the attention of the researchers in the last decades, while more recently also the brown trout has been intensely studied. The data generated from these studies have laid the groundwork for the development and implementation of biomonitoring techniques and protocols, now coordinated through the Sierra Nevada Global Change Observatory. In this article we summarize the main milestones of this period, the major findings on the biology and ecology (including recent studies on ecological stoichiometry) of these organisms and the current framework of biomonitoring, which should be maintained in the future to keep on providing data for proper management programmes. We conclude by identifying the main challenges that must be addressed to ensure the long-term conservation of stream and river fauna in Sierra Nevada.
