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STREAM BOTTOM CHARACTERISTICS AS A FUNCTION OF HYDROGEOMORPHIC REGION, FOREST FRAGMENTATION, AND WATERSHED VARIABLES
Citation:
Taylor, D L., V. J. Brady, J. C. Brazner, AND N E. Detenbeck. STREAM BOTTOM CHARACTERISTICS AS A FUNCTION OF HYDROGEOMORPHIC REGION, FOREST FRAGMENTATION, AND WATERSHED VARIABLES. Presented at 1999 Midwest Fish and Wildlife Conference, Chicago, IL, December 5-8, 1999.
Description:
Stream bottom characvteristics were compared for 24 secod-order watersheds in the western Lake Superior basin to estimate types and quantities of sediment available for export and to determine substrate habitat properties. Watersheds were classified by hydrogeomorphic region (north or south shore), percent storage (lake plus wetland area), and degree of forest fragmentation. For bottom material finer than 33 mm, samples were taken from both riffle and pool locations in steams exhibiting material finer than 33 mm, in streams exhibiting pool/riffle sequences, and from runs in streams without defined pools and riffles. Data indicate that north shore streams have a greater dominance of boulder, cobble and gravel; south shore streams have more substrate <500 um; deeper fine material, and greater embeddeness of coarse gravels and cobbles. Streams not exhibiting pool/riffle sequences had fewer substrate particles >2000 um than steams having such sequences. Data suggest that the effects of hydrogeomorphic region may be influenced by forest fragmentation, underlying geology, and soil types. While north and south shore high fragmentation sites were not significantly different in proportion of overall fine materials, cobble, boulder and in depth of fine material, north shore low fragmentation sites had shallower fines, less overall fine material, and more boulders and cobbles than south shore low fragmentation sites.