Arid aquatic environments are unique and ecologically distinct systems ranging from highly stable to highly fluctuating along expansive discharge, water temperature, and salinity gradients. These environments typically support a diverse macroinvertebrate assemblage with a number of endemic taxa. The objectives of this study were to quantify monthly occurrence and abundance, longitudinal distribution, and habitat associations of the macroinvertebrate community in the Rio Grande, located in the northern Chihuahua Desert. Leptophlebiidae (Order: Ephemeroptera) was the most abundant family (21% in relative abundance), followed by Cheumatopsyche (Order: Trichoptera) and Simulidae (Order: Diptera) composing 14% and 7%, respectively. To assess the effects of anthropogenic modifications on food web dynamics of the macroinvertebrate community, we studied feeding habits and life history information for a top invertebrate predator, Corydalus cornutus, in the Rio Grande and its tributaries to compare feeding and fecundity in an impacted river system (Rio Grande) and unimpacted river system (Devils River).