Macroinvertebrate response to stream restoration by large wood addition

Abstract

We examined the aquatic macroinvertebrate community response to habitat rehabilitation activities in an incised, sand-bed stream. Seventy-two large wood (LW) structures were placed along 2 km of Little Topashaw Creek (37 km 2 watershed) in north-central Mississippi, USA. Macroinvertebrate collections were made from bed sediments, LW, leaf packs and qualitative multi-habitat sampling during 2 years prior to and 2 years following LW addition. Addition of LW tripled the availability of wood substrate but had no measurable effect on macroinvertebrate abundance or family richness. Ordination analyses revealed subtle differences in community composition between treated and untreated conditions, but these were related to antecedent discharge (occurrence of high flows during the preceding 6 months) and bed sediment composition rather than the availability of LW. Restoration of incising, sand-bed streams must include measures that address perturbed hydrology and degraded water quality as well as instream treatments. Published in 2010. This article is a US Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.

Reach-scale stream restoration in agricultural streams of southern Minnesota alters structural and functional responses of macroinvertebrates

“…However, a review of the available stream-restoration literature conducted in 2010 indicated that macroinvertebrate biodiversity was not typically enhanced by the restoration of in-stream habitat, at least over time scales of <10 or 20 y (Palmer et al 2010). Studies published since that review continued to indicate that stream restoration efforts, including the addition of wood, often have no measurable effect on macroinvertebrate richness (e.g., Louhi et al 2011, Testa et al 2011.…”

Effects of fine wood on macroinvertebrate drift in four boreal forest streams

“…A few studies on drifting invertebrate biomass showed no change due to addition or removal of stream wood (Siler et al, 2001, for FW;Gustafsson, 2011, for LW). On the other hand, taxonomic diversity of stream invertebrates is generally higher in habitats where large or fine wood is present (Gerhard & Reich, 2000;Hernandez et al, 2005;Lester et al, 2007; but see Liljaniemi et al, 2002;Testa et al, 2011), and this may be particularly pronounced if other stable substrates are lacking Pitt & Batzer, 2011;Pilotto et al, 2014). Studies of invertebrate drift in relation to wood are rare.…”

Does hydrological connectivity determine the benthic macroinvertebrate structure in oxbow lakes?

“…Robinson et al, 2004;Jurkiewicz-Karnowska, 2011;Obolewski and Glińska-Lewczuk, 2011;Gallardo et al, 2012a). Increasing anthropogenic pressure on aquatic environments, such as deforestation, input of nutrients from agriculture and hydrotechnical works (Testa et al, 2010), directly and indirectly influence the trophic state of floodplain water bodies (Cabezas et al, 2009;Danehy et al, 2012). Considerable inflow of nutrients to those ecosystems is usually followed by an intensive growth of phytoplankton, decrease in water transparency and the elimination of stenotopic organisms (Mandaville, 2002).…”