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:
Total Pages: 166
Release: 2006
Genre: Geomorphology
ISBN:
GET BOOK

Download Relationships Among Land Use, Geomorphology, Local Habitat and Aquatic Macroinvertebrate Assemblages in Agricultural Headwater Stream Systems Book in PDF, Epub and Kindle

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.

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:
Total Pages: 234
Release: 2007
Genre: Benthos
ISBN:
GET BOOK

Download Factors Influencing Macroinvertebrate Assemblage Structure in an Agricultural Headwater Stream System of the Midwestern United States Book in PDF, Epub and Kindle

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.

Landscape and Local Influences on the Biotic Integrity of Fish Communities in Ohio Headwater Streams

Landscape and Local Influences on the Biotic Integrity of Fish Communities in Ohio Headwater Streams
Author: Donna S. McCollum
Publisher:
Total Pages: 162
Release: 2004
Genre: Biotic communities
ISBN:
GET BOOK

Download Landscape and Local Influences on the Biotic Integrity of Fish Communities in Ohio Headwater Streams Book in PDF, Epub and Kindle

Stream ecosystems are holistic systems that incorporate disturbances and abiotic influences at many spatial and temporal scales. This view supports a three-tiered model of variables that determine biotic integrity in streams, with causes and effects flowing from large-scale to fine-scale processes. Tier One characteristics include variables important at the scale of geomorphological processes and land use over entire watersheds. These variables largely determine Tier Two factors, abiotic conditions in a stream reach. Tier Two variables, in turn, largely structure the Tier Three variables, the stream's biotic communities. Through field studies and GIS analysis, relationships among these three tiers of variables were examined in this research to explore the question of how agriculture exerts its influence on stream fishes. This study investigated 27 streams, in two ecoregions and the transition area, or ecotone, between them, in south-central Ohio. The study design allowed questions to be asked concerning the relative influence of geomorphology and land use in varied landscapes, as well as relative impacts of watershed versus riparian land use. The region also contained relatively equal proportions of three types of agriculture (hay, row crops, and pasture) allowing the study to address the question of which land use might be most harmful to stream fish. This study supported the importance of row crop agriculture, finding it to be the most degrading type of agriculture for stream fish, but also found pasture to be an important causal factor in stream community degradation. This study also supported the importance of riparian buffers, finding riparian agriculture to be more degrading than agriculture over the entire watershed. A more interesting finding is the suggestion that a minor amount of nutrient enrichment from agricultural land use may benefit streams that are naturally oligotrophic. A possible mechanism could be increased primary production, which increases macroinvertebrate density, and provides a larger food base for fishes. This study also reports the possible existence of a biodiversity "hotspot" in the transitional region between the two ecoregions. Some evidence exists that greater habitat heterogeneity increases species richness, suggesting a possible cause for higher biodiversity in this ecotonal region. Since habitat heterogeneity over whole streams was not measured in this study, both the existence and mechanism of such a hotspot needs more study. A final conclusion is that geomorphology and agricultural land use may be equally important in structuring stream conditions, and thus, biological stream communities. This study illustrates the difficulties associated with overlapping causes and effects in complex systems such as streams and their catchments. Several variables in the study reported here required examination at multiple scales and with multiple statistical techniques in order to understand relationships that varied across different regions. The effects of a particular agricultural variable were not always equal in the diverse landscapes of southern Ohio. Lotic ecologists must examine a variety of ecoregions, and incorporate a variety of scales with a variety of analytic tools, if predictive stream ecology is to become a reality.

Influence of Stream Habitat and Land Use on Benthic Macroinvertebrate Indicators of Stream Quality of Selected Above-tidal Streams in the Houston-Galveston Area Council Service Area, Texas, 1997-98

Influence of Stream Habitat and Land Use on Benthic Macroinvertebrate Indicators of Stream Quality of Selected Above-tidal Streams in the Houston-Galveston Area Council Service Area, Texas, 1997-98
Author: James Bruce Moring
Publisher:
Total Pages: 34
Release: 2001
Genre: Government publications
ISBN:
GET BOOK

Download Influence of Stream Habitat and Land Use on Benthic Macroinvertebrate Indicators of Stream Quality of Selected Above-tidal Streams in the Houston-Galveston Area Council Service Area, Texas, 1997-98 Book in PDF, Epub and Kindle

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN LAND USE, HABITAT, AND AQUATIC BENTHIC INVERTEBRATE COMMUNITIES IN TROPICAL MONTANE FORESTS

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN LAND USE, HABITAT, AND AQUATIC BENTHIC INVERTEBRATE COMMUNITIES IN TROPICAL MONTANE FORESTS
Author: Savannah Justus
Publisher:
Total Pages: 55
Release: 2017
Genre:
ISBN:
GET BOOK

Download RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN LAND USE, HABITAT, AND AQUATIC BENTHIC INVERTEBRATE COMMUNITIES IN TROPICAL MONTANE FORESTS Book in PDF, Epub and Kindle

Research shows that changes in surrounding land use may have negative impacts on freshwater benthic systems through changes in surrounding physical habitat, increased nutrient inputs, or non-point pollution (Neumann & Dudgeon 2002). Riparian zone condition can alter erosion and sediment input, temperature, and food availability. Benthic macroinvertebrates play a key role in ecosystem processing in freshwater systems and are indicators of environmental stress. Although the effects of agricultural land use has been studied in temperate regions, little research has been done in Costa Rica, where high deforestation rates are threatening tropical montane forests (Foster 2001). This study compares invertebrate communities between protected forested streams and streams surrounded by agricultural land to understand how macrohabitat and microhabitat features affect richness, diversity, and community composition. Forested streams had significantly higher richness, diversity, habitat indicator scores, and QHEI scores. Channel morphology and riparian zone condition scores were significantly higher in forested streams. Riffles had more similar communities than pools based on Bray- Curtis dissimilarity. Overall, agricultural streams are a less suitable habitat for benthic macroinvertebrates but it is still unclear if microhabitat or macrohabitat differences have a stronger effect on community structure. This study reflects the importance of understanding how natural variation compares to large-scale land use. As agricultural expansion continues, we must understand how this will affect stream systems so we are able to mitigate any negative effects.

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:
Total Pages: 213
Release: 2017
Genre:
ISBN:
GET BOOK

Download The Influence of Network Structure, Habitat Fragmentation, and Faunal Sources on Aquatic Communities in Headwater Streams Book in PDF, Epub and Kindle

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.

Impacts of Land Use Disturbance on Fish and Aquatic Macroinvertebrate Assemblages in the Nolichucky River Watershed

Impacts of Land Use Disturbance on Fish and Aquatic Macroinvertebrate Assemblages in the Nolichucky River Watershed
Author: Hayley Sonia Gotwald
Publisher:
Total Pages: 171
Release: 2016
Genre: Agricultural ecology
ISBN:
GET BOOK

Download Impacts of Land Use Disturbance on Fish and Aquatic Macroinvertebrate Assemblages in the Nolichucky River Watershed Book in PDF, Epub and Kindle

Southern Appalachian watersheds of the United States are negatively affected by pesticides and fertilizers used in row crop agriculture. The objective was to determine if the amount of row crops is connected to changes in aquatic biotic assemblages draining the Nolichucky River watershed in east Tennessee. The hypothesis was the amount of row crops will negatively correlate with indices of biotic integrity (IBI) metrics for fish and benthic macroinvertebrates indicating healthy aquatic communities. For 18 sample sites in 2014 and 2015, IBI metrics were calculated. Water quality and elevation measurements were made before conducting IBIs. To assess changes in and amounts of land use/land cover (LULC), maps from 1999 to 2014 were produced with Landsat satellite imagery. Pollutant estimates (sediment, phosphorus, and nitrogen) were calculated using the Soil & Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model. The area of row crops increased since 1999 (39 km2 in 1999 to 71 km2 in 2014). A principal component analysis was performed on LULC measurements from different scales (local, reach and catchment), water quality data, and elevation to produce a reduced set of explanatory variables that were uncorrelated but could be associated with IBI metrics. A canonical correspondence analysis associated fish metrics with LULC types: Impervious surfaces, non-row crop fields, and forest (p = 0.04 for axis 1 eigenvalue, p = 0.05 for species-environment correlations). For the benthic macroinvertebrate metrics, nonmetric multidimensional scaling found metrics indicative of poor stream health (percentage of oligochaetes and chironomids, percentage of nutrient tolerant organisms) were strongly positively associated with increasing use of row crops, impervious surfaces (p ≤ 0.01), and pollutant estimates (p ≤ 0.004). A redundancy analysis found increasing pollutant estimates were associated with fish metrics indicative of poor stream health (percentages of hybrids, piscivores, diseased fish, and number of sunfish species) (p = 0.03). When watersheds of tributary streams are converted to impervious and non-row crop field LULC, they function biologically like the larger main stem river. Although fish and benthic macroinvertebrate metrics indicated the tributary and main stem Nolichucky sites were in relatively good condition, increases in land conversion can further degrade stream biotic integrity.

Impacts of Land Use on the Habitat and Macroinvertebrate Assemblage of the Tributaries of the Lower Brazos River

Impacts of Land Use on the Habitat and Macroinvertebrate Assemblage of the Tributaries of the Lower Brazos River
Author: Frances Patricia Lash
Publisher:
Total Pages: 136
Release: 2011
Genre: Aquatic invertebrates
ISBN:
GET BOOK

Download Impacts of Land Use on the Habitat and Macroinvertebrate Assemblage of the Tributaries of the Lower Brazos River Book in PDF, Epub and Kindle

Ecological research on stream and river ecosystems aims to gain an understanding of the dynamic and complex impacts of environmental factors on biotic communities within riverine landscape (riverscape). Human activities significantly impact both terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. Local environmental factors are known to influence the structure and function of stream ecosystems and biodiversity. The patterns of benthic macroinvertebrate distribution are related to the natural and human influenced variation of environmental factors. Ecologists assess stream physical and biological conditions in response to human land use activities using ecological indicators. This study is an assessment of the ecological condition of the Lower Brazos River Watershed. Macroinvertebrate assemblage structure was compared from 33 sites within the 6 subbasins differing in land use type and degree. Land use within the subbasins was measured using data from the National Land Use Database. Benthic macroinvertebrate samples were collected and a variety of physiochemical variables were measured. Multivariate analysis grouped the subbasins using habitat variables and macroinvertebrate assemblages. Decreasing habitat heterogeneity resulted in a decline of diversity and richness of organisms. Differences in the richness and diversity of the macroinvertebrate assemblages are attributed to habitat structure and land use. This study highlights the importance of considering both local habitat and landscape parameters of watersheds in stream biological assessments to understand the response of benthic communities to disturbances.