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ASSESSMENT OF LARGE RIVER BENTHIC MACROINVERTEBRATE ASSEMBLAGES
Citation:
Flotemersch, J E., J J. Hutchens, K A. Blocksom, B C. Autrey, AND D J. Klemm. ASSESSMENT OF LARGE RIVER BENTHIC MACROINVERTEBRATE ASSEMBLAGES. Presented at Mid-Atlantic Water Pollution Biology Workshop, Berkeley Springs, WV, March 28-29, 2002.
Impact/Purpose:
The goal of this research is to develop methods and indicators that are useful for evaluating the condition of aquatic communities, for assessing the restoration of aquatic communities in response to mitigation and best management practices, and for determining the exposure of aquatic communities to different classes of stressors (i.e., pesticides, sedimentation, habitat alteration).
Description:
During the summer of 2001, twelve sites were sampled for macroinvertebrates, six each on the Great Miami and Kentucky Rivers. Sites were chosen in each river from those sampled in the 1999 methods comparison study to reflect a disturbance gradient. At each site, a total distance equal to 40 times the mean wetted width was sampled at specific intervals. Timed kick net and dip/pick samples were combined into a single sample for each transect and bank. The relationship of distance sampled with metrics and species composition, as well as variability among transects and between banks, will be analyzed to determine the most efficient sampling design for these rivers.