|
 |
|
Mayfly benefit
(John Obermeyer, Purdue University) |
|
|
Common Name: Mayfly - benefit
See also: adult | larva Scientific Name: Ephemeroptera: Several families and species Status: important component of the food chain Beneficial Stage: immature and adult Value: Mayfly nymphs are valuable in many ways. They feed on algae, which is beneficial to other inhabitants of lakes and streams but even more importantly, mayflies are a vital part of the aquatic food chain as food to many fish and other insects. Aquatic biologists use mayfly nymphs as a bio-indicator of water quality. Because they are very sensitive to changes in their aquatic environment, their presence or absence in a given body of water may be used to rate how polluted the water is. Fly fishermen know to look for mayfly emergences as times when fish will be attracted to specific ‘flies’ and will adjust their fishing techniques accordingly. |
 |
||||||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||||