Anthropogenic pressures resulting from changes in land use have great potential to impact the dynamics of aquatic insect metacommunities, once they alter the environmental quality of streams, and may impose barriers to dispersal. The objective of this study is to evaluate the structuring of aquatic insect assemblages (Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera and Trichoptera orders - EPT) in Amazonian streams under natural conditions (control streams) and under disturbance by human activities (altered streams) is influenced by characteristics of fluvial habitats and by the spatial structure. Our hypotheses is that in control streams, habitat characteristics are the main structuring factor of EPT assemblages, and that in altered streams, habitat characteristics related to human disturbances and spatial structure are the main assemblage structuring factors. A total of 74 streams were sampled in the Capim River basin, Pará, Brazil, wich 38 are control streams and 36 are altered streams. In each of them, environmental variables associated with water chemistry, channel hydromorphology, sediment types, riparian vegetation and insect shelter were measured, in addition to the proportion of land uses and EPT assemblages. Our results showed that several environmental characteristics of the streams were affected by human activities. Environmental factors had a greater influence on the structuring of EPT assemblages than the other factors evaluated, both in the control and altered streams. The influence of the spatial factor was weak. The assemblages of altered streams were structured both by environmental variables affected by disturbances and by variables subject to natural variation, demonstrating that the assemblages in these environments are not governed only by environmental changes. Our study demonstrates the importance of the species sorting process in metacommunities of Amazonian streams, and the role of disturbance in this process.
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