Poster Details
IMPACT OF SUBSTRATE TYPE ON PERIPHYTON AND MACROINVERTEBRATE COMMUNITY STRUCTURE IN SECOND AND THIRD ORDER STREAM REACHES
Substrate, whether artificial or natural, within stream systems provides viable habitat for a variety of benthic organisms, including macroinvertebrates and algae. There have been limited investigations into benthic community structure variation between natural and anthropogenic substrate types and how these factors may change with shifts in stream geomorphology associated with stream order. Benthic algae and macroinvertebrates were sampled from 2nd (Hog Creek, OH) and 3rd order (Ottawa River, OH) stream segments in October 2016. At each location periphyton and macroinvertebrates were collected from all visible and viable substrates within a 200-m stream segment. These sampling endeavours yielded a total of 22 substrate types from Hog Creek (20 natural, 2 anthropogenic) while the Ottawa River had 17 substrate types identified (12 natural, 5 anthropogenic). Additional multivariate analyses will be conducted to determine if the periphyton and macroinvertebrate community diversity and structure varies between substrate types and stream order.
Robert Verb (Primary Presenter/Author), Ohio Northern University, r-verb@onu.edu;
Paige Kleindl ( Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Annis Water Resources Institute-Grand Valley State University, kleindlp@mail.gvsu.edu;
Stephanie Estell ( Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Ohio Northern University , s-estell@onu.edu;
Leslie Riley ( Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Ohio Northern University, l-riley.1@onu.edu;