HR: 1330h
AN: NB33C-13    [Abstracts]
TI: Implementation of Biotic Integrity Metrics to Identify the Effects of Land Use on the Diversity of Wetlands
AU: * Mills, L D
EM: lmills14@apmail.apsu.edu
AF: Center for Field Biology, P.O. Box 4718 Austin Peay State University, Clarksville, TN 37044 United States
AU: Hamilton, S W
EM: hamiltonsw@apsu.edu
AF: Center for Field Biology, P.O. Box 4718 Austin Peay State University, Clarksville, TN 37044 United States
AU: Schiller, J R
EM: schillerj@apsu.edu
AF: Department of Biology, P.O. Box 4718 Austin Peay State University, Clarksville, TN 37044 United States
AB: To identify critical biological measures of wetland health, we studied twelve wetlands in north-central Tennessee and south-central Kentucky, six impacted by row crop agriculture and six unimpacted. Aquatic macroinvertebrate were collected using 10.2 cm clear PVC pipe funnel traps and wire minnow traps. Seven samples were collected from each site between May 19 and August 8, 2004. Qualitative samples (one person-hour) were collected with dip nets from each wetland to correspond with the early July trap samples. Water quality parameters measured included dissolved oxygen, pH, temperature, specific conductance, and turbidity with multiparameter aquatic probe and nephlometer. Macroinvertebrates from three sets of samples for each site were identified, when possible, to genus. The number of organism collected per trap-period per site ranged from 43 to 2224. Fifty-six taxa were identified. Generally, natural areas showed greater species richness, diversity and evenness than agricultural sites. Dipterans, primarily chironomids, were the most dominant assemblages. The three most abundant predatory orders, Coleoptera, Odonata and Hemiptera, showed alternating patterns of dominance. Habitat stability and greater vegetative complexity, which are impacted by surrounding agricultural practices, appear to be strongly related to higher species diversity.
DE: 1871 Surface water quality
DE: 1890 Wetlands
DE: 9902 NABS Student Award Applied Research
SC: North American Benthological Society [NB]
MN: 2005 Joint Assembly