Factors Influencing Macroinvertebrate Assemblage Structure in an Agricultural Headwater Stream System of the Midwestern United States
Factors Influencing Macroinvertebrate Assemblage Structure in an Agricultural Headwater Stream System of the Midwestern United States

Author: Hector R. Santiago

Publisher:

Published: 2007

Total Pages: 234

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Abstract: Although the notion that streams are influenced by the character of their landscape at multiple spatial scales is not new, the relative degree to which local versus regional factors affect ecological function in streams is not fully understood, and can be different between geographically proximate watersheds. Anthropogenic disturbances to the landscape such as agricultural practices can be detrimental to stream ecosystems. This study examined the influences of local habitat and riparian corridor condition compared to regional landscape influences on benthic macroinvertebrate assemblages in a Midwestern agroecosytem. Twenty-four reaches in the North Fork and Upper Fork sub-basins of the Sugar Creek watershed, Wayne County, Ohio were sampled to better understand how different habitat and landscape factors affect the structure of macroinvertebrate assemblages in these impacted headwater streams. A total of 72,529 macroinvertebrates representing 79 families in 22 orders were collected during Autumn of 2005 and Spring 2006 to compare assemblage structure between watersheds and across seasons. Family richness, evenness, and diversity showed no difference attributable to watershed, while evenness and diversity exhibited seasonal differences. Chironomid abundance seemed to account for the seasonal change. Percent Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, and Trichoptera (%EPT) was significantly influenced by watershed and season with the North Fork watershed exhibiting a higher abundance of these pollution tolerant and habitat sensitive taxa than the Upper Fork at all sample sites. A Geographic information system (GIS) was used to delineate sample watersheds and analyze landscape character. Proportion (%) of low Intensity residential, high intensity residential, industrial/commercial, deciduous forest, evergreen forest, mixed forest, row crop, pasture/hay, wooded wetland and herbaceous wetland were calculated per hydrologic unit. The dominant land uses in both study watersheds were crop, pasture, deciduous forest, and low intensity residential. The North Fork exhibited a significantly higher proportion of pasture and deciduous forest land types than the Upper Fork, which was dominated by row crops, then pasture and forest respectively. North Fork had almost twice the amount of deciduous forest as did the Upper Fork. Canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) was used to assess the macroinvertebrate family-environment relationship and variance partitioning determined the degree of influence of 8 local and 8 regional environmental factors on invertebrate assemblage structure in each study basin. Local habitat factors explained 25.8% of the total variance while regional landscape factors explained 23.6% of the total variance with 2.7% of the variability shared by both. Upper Fork sites were generally scattered along a silt/muck to cobble habitat gradient, while North Fork sites were arranged along a pasture-forest to rowcrop landscape gradient. The higher proportion of pasture and deciduous forest in the North Fork may explain the greater distribution of EPT taxa found in the watershed, while the greater proportion of crops and smaller proportion of forest in the Upper Fork may explain the greater influence of fine substrates in the watershed. Other environmental factors including glacial geology and groundwater influence may have also contributed to these differences by introducing coarser substrates and cooler, stream temperatures.

Relationships Among Land Use, Geomorphology, Local Habitat and Aquatic Macroinvertebrate Assemblages in Agricultural Headwater Stream Systems
Relationships Among Land Use, Geomorphology, Local Habitat and Aquatic Macroinvertebrate Assemblages in Agricultural Headwater Stream Systems

Author: Elizabeth Ellen Risley

Publisher:

Published: 2006

Total Pages: 166

ISBN-13:

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Abstract: In-stream habitat structure and water chemistry have significant influence on the structure and composition of stream macroinvertebrate assemblages. Habitat at this local scale can be significantly affected by the geomorphology of a stream or region. Both in-stream habitat and geomorphology are, in turn, influenced by other factors operating at the landscape scale (e.g., land use, connectivity of habitat patches, etc.). It is unclear which of these three scales of habitat has the greatest influence over lotic assemblage structure. Anthropogenic disturbance to a stream ecosystem can occur at all three scales of habitat, and is particularly common in predominantly agricultural systems. The Sugar Creek watershed in northeastern Ohio represents several different types of anthropogenic disturbance, including dairy farming, crop production, urbanization, and industrialization. The South and Middle Forks of the Sugar Creek watershed, dominated by agriculture and a mix of agriculture and industry, respectively, were sampled in early summer 2005 for habitat and macroinvertebrates. Richness, evenness, diversity, familylevel biotic index, percent Diptera Chironomidae, and the number of macroinvertebrates were all similar across the drainages. The percent Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, and Trichoptera was significantly larger in the Middle Fork than in the South Fork. There were no significant differences in habitat or macroinvertebrate assemblages between the two drainages overall. In-stream habitat structure and water chemistry explained 58.8% of the variation between sites among macroinvertebrate taxa. Geomorphology explained 10.4% and land use 9.4% of the variation. Shared variances between different scales of habitat did not explain substantial amounts of variation among macroinvertebrate taxa. These results have, however, identified several sites in the South Fork with good potential for Best Management Practice implementation and several sites in the Middle Fork for preservation.

Patterns and Determinants of Macroinvertebrate Diversity in Headwater Stream Networks
Patterns and Determinants of Macroinvertebrate Diversity in Headwater Stream Networks

Author: Amber Clarke

Publisher:

Published: 2010

Total Pages:

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Headwater streams dominate stream channel length in catchments. They are important sources of water, sediment and biota for downstream reaches and critical sites for organic matter and nutrient processing. Aquatic biodiversity in headwater streams has been overlooked in comparison to higher-order rivers, and few studies have considered spatial biodiversity patterns in headwater streams, or streams in general. I reviewed studies of macroinvertebrate diversity in headwater streams and found equivocal evidence to support the view that headwater streams harbour high biodiversity. Headwater streams might still make an important contribution to [gamma] (regional) diversity at the landscape (catchment) scale by virtue of high [beta] (among-assemblage) diversity. I studied eight headwater streams from three forested, upland catchments along the Great Dividing Range, Victoria, Australia to test my hypothesis of high [beta] diversity and to understand the spatial patterns and determinants of macroinvertebrate diversity in headwater stream networks.Diversity partitioning showed that reaches each had high [alpha] (within-assemblage) diversity, while [beta] diversity made only a small contribution to [gamma] diversity at both the reach and catchment scales. [beta] diversity may have been lower than hypothesized due to relatively small distances between sites and high levels of dispersal among reaches and catchments in the study area. Contrary to other studies that have found environmental factors to be important for explaining variation in macroinvertebrate assemblage structure in headwater streams, I found a limited role for environmental factors structuring macroinvertebrate assemblages in the study area.In one year (2008), spatial factors (independent of environmental factors) were the dominant factor structuring macroinvertebrate assemblages. Therefore, metacommunity structure in the study area aligns most closely with the neutral/patch dynamic metacommunity model. This pattern of spatial structuring, coupled with low [beta] diversity, suggests that high neighbourhood dispersal might be the main factor structuring macroinvertebrate assemblages in the study area. Flow permanence had only a seasonal effect on macroinvertebrate diversity and so there is a temporal component to the spatial diversity patterns in this system.The explicit recognition of stream ecosystems as spatially structured networks has increased our understanding of ecological patterns and processes, and provided the impetus for this research. Recent advances in the study of networks, particularly in the fields of physics and network theory, offer an opportunity to considerably extend the current application of the network concept in stream ecology.Determining the relative contributions of [alpha] and [beta] diversity to [gamma] diversity, and the scale dependence of [alpha] and [beta] components, provides vital information for conservation planning because optimal reserve designs will differ depending on the relative contributions of [alpha] and [beta] diversity. My finding of high [alpha] and low [beta] diversity indicates that each stream in the study area can be considered to have low irreplaceability and the capacity to contribute a large portion of species to regional conservation targets.Information on spatial patterns of diversity is urgently required for systematic conservation planning for freshwater reserves if we are to halt the rapid decline in global freshwater biodiversity.

Effects of Agricultural Conservation Practices on Fish and Wildlife
Effects of Agricultural Conservation Practices on Fish and Wildlife

Author:

Publisher:

Published: 2008

Total Pages: 380

ISBN-13:

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"The bibliography is a guide to recent scientific literature covering effects of agricultural conservation practices on fish and wildlife. The citations listed here provide information on how conservation programs and practices designed to improve fish and wildlife habitat, as well as those intended for other purposes (e.g., water quality improvement), affect various aquatic and terrestrial fauna"--Abstract.

The Influence of Network Structure, Habitat Fragmentation, and Faunal Sources on Aquatic Communities in Headwater Streams
The Influence of Network Structure, Habitat Fragmentation, and Faunal Sources on Aquatic Communities in Headwater Streams

Author: Sean D. Sipple

Publisher:

Published: 2017

Total Pages: 213

ISBN-13:

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Headwater streams comprise the majority of the stream network, providing important ecological functions to the downstream network. Although we are beginning to understand how network structure may influence fish, our understanding of how it influences benthic macroinvertebrate dispersal and population connectivity is limited. We also know little about how these patterns and processes may be disrupted as a result of human-driven landscape change such as stream barriers to movement and creation of artificial habitats such as stormwater and farm ponds. In this study, I investigated the effect of stream network position, stream size, and local habitat on benthic macroinvertebrates, and determined to what degree road crossings and impoundments may be degrading benthic macroinvertebrate and fish communities in headwater streams. These mechanisms were explored using Maryland Department of Natural Resources, (MDNR) Maryland Biological Stream Survey (MBSS) benthic macroinvertebrate, fish, and environmental data from first-order streams in the Piedmont region of Maryland. Using an Information Theoretic Approach (ITA), models were developed based on the hypothesized relationships between benthic macroinvertebrate and fish community structure and several network and anthropogenic impact variables. Based on my results, aquatic community structure was dependent on local habitat conditions and stream network structure. Both assemblages responded negatively to roads, which may suggest an isolation effect. These results also suggest that impoundments are acting as sources for benthic macroinvertebrates and fish, including non-native species.

The Relationships Between Headwater Stream Macroinvertebrate Communities and Summer Low-flow Events in a Temperate Rain Forest
The Relationships Between Headwater Stream Macroinvertebrate Communities and Summer Low-flow Events in a Temperate Rain Forest

Author:

Publisher:

Published: 2007

Total Pages:

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Using a forested headwater stream system as a model, the effects of inter-annual variation in summer discharge regimes on aquatic insect communities were investigated. More specifically, the benthic invertebrate community response to the intensity, minimum discharges, frequency, duration and abruptness of summer low-flow events were examined. We hypothesized that intensification of summer low-flow events, both in duration and magnitude, have some negative impacts on benthic macroinvertebrate communities in riffles. Examples of negative impacts include reduction in their abundance and/or biodiversity. First, the abundance and functional trait data of the benthic macroinvertebrates in the three streams in the Malcolm Knapp Research Forest, British Columbia, Canada, were analyzed with respect to the low-flow events. Second, population models were built to simulate the potential responses of lotic aquatic insect communities to future climate change scenarios that differ in the rate of intensifications in extreme flow events: a low-flow event scenario within the current range versus 10% increase in intensity. The summer low-flow events were found to have a significant relationship with benthic macroinvertebrate communities through three-table ordinations of the empirical data. The community structure was correlated with a major ocean-atmosphere regime shift (Pacific Decadal Oscillation). The intensity and duration of low-flow events explained the observed shift in community structure favouring r-selected traits (e.g. short life cycle, high reproduction rate). The two low-flow severity scenarios showed the significant differential impacts on the aquatic insect community structures when individual populations were modeled according to their traits. Aquatic insects could be separated into three groups according to their sensitivities, measured by extinction rates, toward the two scenarios.