Karst Region Streams Macroinvertebrate Ecology amp Bioassessments Natural History of Stream Invertebrates Making Sense of Biotic Indices Segment 2 Outline Roles and types of aquatic macroinvertebrates ID: 365935
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Slide1
Biology & Ecology of SE MN
Karst
Region Streams
Macroinvertebrate
Ecology &
BioassessmentsSlide2
Natural History of Stream Invertebrates: Making Sense of Biotic IndicesSlide3
Segment 2 Outline
Roles and types of aquatic
macroinvertebrates
Habitats, feeding, life histories, and tolerance
Biological integrity and its application in southern MNSlide4
Freshwater Ecology
Physical
Biological
Chemical
light
current
temperature
substrate
pH
DO
[nutrients]
alkalinity
photosynthesis
macroinvertebrates
macrophytes
fishSlide5
The Importance of Macroinvertebrates
Macroinvertebrates are an essential component of freshwater ecosystems
They serve as food for
other organisms (fish, amphibians and waterfowl)
Are essential to the breakdown and cycling of organic matter and nutrients
Macroinvertebrate diversity is vital to a properly functioning ecosystemSlide6
Why Study Macroinvertebrates?
Macroinvertebrates are used to assess the health of freshwater environments
Some macroinvertebrates are sensitive to stress produced by pollution, habitat modification, or severe natural events
Sampling and identifying macroinvertebrates can reveal whether a body of water is healthy or unhealthy and may reveal the cause of the problemSlide7
Why are macroinvertebrates biological indicators
of stream health?
Spend up to one
year (or more)
in the stream
Have little mobility
Generally abundant
Primary food source for many fish
Good indicators of local conditions
Diversity = healthy stream
Easy to sample
Adult CaddisflySlide8Slide9
Stream Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Standard Habitat Samples from Iowa Streams
Slide10
Common Macroinvertebrates
Mayflies (
Ephemeroptera)
Baetidae
Ephemerellidae
Heptageniidae
Isonychiidae
(Adult)Slide11
Common Macroinvertebrates
Stoneflies (
Plecoptera)
Perlidae
Pteronarcydiae
Perlodidae
(Adult)Slide12
Common Macroinvertebrates
Brachycentridae
Phryganeidae
Hydropsychidae
Philopotamidae
Caddisflies
(
Trichoptera
)
Case
(Adult)Slide13
Common Macroinvertebrates
Damselflies and Dragonflies
(
Odonata
)
True Bugs
(Hemiptera)
Dobsonflies, Alderflies and Fishflies
(Megaloptera)
Beetles
(Coleoptera)Slide14
Common
Macroinvertebrates
Midge (
Chironomidae
)
Cranefly
(
Tipulidae
)
M
idge
adult
True Flies (
Diptera
)
Blackfly
(
Simuliidae
)Slide15
Common
Macroinvertebrates
Crayfish and
Amphipods
(Crustacea
)
Snails/Mussels
(
Mollusca
)
Worms and
L
eeches
(Oligochaeta
)
Planarians
(
Platyhelminthes)Slide16
Macroinvertebrate Biology
Habitat
Movement
Feeding
Life History
Stress Tolerance
Use in BiomonitoringSlide17
Habitat
The place where an organism lives
Running waters
– lotic – seeps, springs, brooks, branches, creeks, streams, rivers
Mineral
bedrock, boulders, cobbles, pebble, gravel, sand, silt, clay
Standing waters
– lentic – bogs, marshes, swamps, ponds, lakes
erosional
(riffles, wave action) or
depositional areas
(point bars, pools)
Organic
live plants, detritusSlide18
Movement
Clingers
– maintain a relatively fixed position on firm substrates in current
Climbers
– dwell on live aquatic plants or plant debris
Crawlers
– have elongate bodies with thin legs, slowly move using legs
Sprawlers
– live on the bottom consisting of fine sediments
Burrowers
– dig down and reside in the soft, fine sediment
Swimmers
– adapted for moving through water
Skaters
– adapted to remain on the surface of water
Locomotion, habits, or mode of existenceSlide19
Feeding
Macroinvertebrates are described by
how
they eat, rather than
what they eat
Functional Feeding Groups
– categories of macroinvertebrates based on body structures and behavioral mechanisms that they use to acquire their food Slide20
Shredders
Material is usually >1 mm, referred to as Coarse Particulate Organic Matter (CPOM)
Chew on intact or large pieces of plant material
Shredder-herbivores
feed on living aquatic plants that grow submerged in the water (northern casemaker caddisflies)
Shredder-detritivores
feed on detritus, or dead plant material in a state of decay (giant stoneflies)Slide21
Collectors
Collector-filterers
-
use special straining mechanisms to feed on fine detritus that is suspended in the water
Acquire and ingest very small particles (<1 mm) of detritus, often referred to as fine particulate organic matter (FPOM)
Collector-gatherers
–
eat
fine detritus that has fallen out of suspension that is lying on the bottom or mixed with bottom sediments Slide22
Piercers
Piercer-herbivores
– penetrate the tissues of vascular or aquatic plants or individual cells of filamentous algae and suck the liquid contents (crawling water beetles, microcaddisflies)
Piercer-predators
– subdue and kill other animals by removing their body fluids
mouthparts, or sometimes their entire head, protrude as modifications to puncture food and bring out the fluids contained insideSlide23
Scrapers/Grazers
Adapted to remove and consume the thin layer of algae and bacteria that grows tightly attached to solid substrates in shallow waters
Jaws of scrapers have sharp, angular edges (function like using a putty knife or paint scraper)
(flathead mayflies, water pennies, snails)Slide24
Engulfer-Predators
Feed upon living animals, either by swallowing the entire body of small prey or by tearing large prey into pieces that are small enough to consume
(common stoneflies and hellgrammites)Slide25
FFG
Examples
Diet
Characteristics
Predators
Dragonflies, damselflies, stoneflies
Other insects
Toothy jaws, larger in size
Shredders
Stoneflies, beetles, caddisflies
CPOM, leaves, woody debris
Streamlined, flat
Grazers / Scrapers
Mayflies, caddisflies, true flies, beetles
Periphyton, diatoms
Scraping mandibles
Gathering Collectors
Mayflies, worms, midges, crayfish
FPOM, settled particles, bacteria
Filtering hairs, hemoglobin
Filtering Collectors
Black flies, net-spinning caddisflies, mayflies
FPOM, phytoplankton, floating particles
Some build cases (caddisflies)Slide26
Autochthonous vs. Allochthonous Inputs
Autochthonous
– biomass produced within the system (in stream)
- algae, periphyton, macrophytes
Allochthonous
– biomass produced outside the system (riparian and upland)
- tree and shrub leaves and needles
Light is a primary determinant of whether the food base for a given community is live green plants growing within the aquatic environment or decaying plant material that originated in the terrestrial environmentSlide27
Functional Feeding Groups: The River Continuum
(Vannote et al., 1980)
CPOM
FPOM
FPOM
STREAM ORDER
Relative Channel Width
HEADWATERS:
Shredders abundant
Coarse POM
MID-REACHES:
Grazers abundant
Higher 1
°
production
LARGE RIVERS:
Collectors abundant
Fine-Ultra fine POM
Slide28
Life History
Reproduction, growth, and development of an organism
Hermaphroditic organisms
– contain both male and female reproductive organs (flatworms, aquatic earthworms, leeches, snails)
Oviparous
– females lay their eggs outside of their body
Ovoviviparous
– females retain their eggs and allow them to hatch within their body and release free-living offspring
Growth is relatively simple in flatworms, aquatic earthworms and leeches because they are not restricted by any type of external protective structures
Exoskeleton
of arthropods does not grow once it has been produced, so growth of the organism is restricted.
As a result, arthropods must shed their skin (molt) in order to increase in size (3-45 times).
Mollusks are enclosed in non-living protective shells produced by the organism; shells are made of protein and calcium carbonate; made larger by adding material, like a tree growth ringSlide29
Insect Life Cycles
Metamorphosis -
biological process involving a conspicuous and relatively abrupt change in the insect's body structure through cell growth and differentiation.
Complete metamorphosis is egg > larva (nymph) > pupa > adult
Incomplete metamorphosisSlide30
Insect Life Cycles
Many (but not all) of the aquatic
macroinvertebrates
are
in the
larval
or
nymphal
stage while in a stream,
and will eventually leave the water when they are adults that can fly.
Adult insects
often have very short life spans, maybe only 24 hours or a few days.
These insects
may not live very long once removed from their stream habitat.
Slide31
Voltinism
Many invertebrates can pass through only a single generation each year (or less), while others are capable of 2 or more generations
Univoltine
– one brood or generation per year (most mayflies,
caddisflies
)
Bivoltine
- two broods or generations per year (
baetid
mayflies)
Multivoltine
- more than two broods or generations per year (some mayflies like
Tricorythodes
)
Semivoltine
- generation time is more than one year (many stoneflies, dragonflies)Slide32
Stress Tolerance
Anthropogenic
pollution, removal of water by irrigation, dams, deforestation, removal of riparian vegetation
Freshwater invertebrates vary in their ability to cope with environmental stress
Biomonitoring
takes advantage of this situation by identifying whether an aquatic environment is inhabited predominantly by stress tolerant or stress intolerant organisms
Natural
volcanoes, forest fires, floods, landslidesSlide33
Classification of
Macroinvertebrates
used in
Biomonitoring
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Annelida (Segmented Worms)
Mollusca (Mollusks) Slide34
Group 1 Taxa
Pollution Sensitive Organisms Found In
Good Quality Water
Stoneflies
Mayflies
Water Pennies
Dobsonflies
Riffle Beetles
MusselsSlide35
Stonefly Water Penny Beetle Mayfly Dobsonfly
Alderfly Mussel Snipe Fly Riffle Beetle
Macroinvertebrates as Indicators
Pollution
Sensitive
(“Clean Water”) BenthosSlide36
Caddisflies
Damselflies
Dragonflies
Blackflies
Craneflies Water Boatman Backswimmers Crayfish
Amphipods
Group 2 Taxa
Can Exist Under a Wide Range of Water Quality Conditions
Generally of Moderate Quality WaterSlide37
Macroinvertebrates as Indicators
Blackfly
Caddisfly
Isopod
Cranefly
Damselfly Dragonfly Crayfish Amphipod
Somewhat Pollution Tolerant BenthosSlide38
Midgeflies/Chironomids
Worms
Leeches
Pouch Snails
Group 3 Taxa
Can Exist Under a Wide Range of Water Quality Conditions, Generally are Highly Tolerant of Poor Quality WaterSlide39
Macroinvertebrates as Indicators
Pouch Snail Midgefly Worm Leech
Pollution
Tolerant
(“Polluted Water”) BenthosSlide40
The Tolerance Index
0 - 10
most pollution
sensitive
e.g. Stoneflies
0
10
most pollution
tolerant
e.g. Midges & Leeches
require high DO, clear water, rocky cobble substrate
contain hemoglobin, tolerate lower DO, prefer soft substrate, less sensitive to toxinsSlide41
HBI_MN Tolerance Values
from Joel Chirhart
Ophiogomphus
0
Lepidostoma
0.12
Ephemerella
0.26
Glossosoma
1.14
Acroneuria
2.40
Hesperophylax
2.67
Perlodidae
2.68
Baetidae
7.18
Hyalella
7.30
Hydropsychidae
7.55
Hexatoma
8.07
Stenelmis
8.30
Caenis
8.79
Orconectes
9.41
Physa
10Slide42
EPT Tolerance Values
Family (Species range)
Leptophlebiidae
2 (1-6)
Heptageniidae
4 (0-7)
Ephemerellidae
1 (0-2)
Baetiscidae
3
Caenidae
7 (3-7)
Isonychiidae
2 (2-2)
Capniidae
1 (1-3)
Leuctridae
0 (0-0)
Taeniopterygidae
2 (2-3)
Perlidae
1 (0-4)
Rhyacophilidae
Brachycentridae
Limnephilidae
Hydropsychidae
0 (0-1)
1 (0-2)
4 (0-4)
4 (0-6)Slide43
Gomphidae
1 (1-5)
Calopterygidae
5 (5-6)
Aeshnidae
3 (2-6)
Corydalidae
0 (4)
Elmidae
4 (2-6)
Psephenidae
4 (4-5)
Tipulidae
3 (2-7)
Chironomidae
Tanypodinae (4-10)
Podonominae (1-8)
Simulidae
6 (1-7)
From: Benthic Macroinvertebrates in Freshwaters-
Taxa Tolerance Values, Metric and Protocols (Mandaville 2002)
Other taxa tolerance values, Family (species)Slide44
Biological Integrity
“…the
capability of supporting and maintaining a balanced, integrated, adaptive community of organisms having a composition, diversity and functional organization comparable to that of
natural
habitats of the region”
(Karr and Dudley 1981)
Slide45
J.R. Karr
First developed biotic index for fish
Became multi-metric index
IBIs are now used world-wide for many different taxa
Must be regionally calibrated with reference sitesSlide46
The Index of Biotic Integrity (IBI) is useful because…
It is an ensemble of biological information
It objectively defines benchmark conditions
It can assess change due to human causes
It uses standardized methods
It scores sites numerically, describes in narrative form
It defines multiple condition classes
It has a strong theoretical basis
It does not require fine resolution of taxaSlide47
Great candidates for biological monitoring…
Benthic Macroinvertebrates
Heptageniidae sp.
(Mayfly larva)
Hydropsyche sp.
(Caddisfly larva)
Perlodidae sp.
(Stonefly larva)Slide48
Macroinvertebrates as Indicators
Limited migration patterns – good indicators of localized conditions and site-specific impacts
Integrate effects of human impacts**
Easy to sample and identify
Broad range of habitat requirements
and sensitivities to pollution Slide49
Integrate effects of human impactsSlide50
EPA Recommendations
Build a comprehensive bioassessment data base
Test and validate metrics, or indices, to ensure they are reliable indicators of human disturbance and are able to discern between changes due to natural variability and human activity
Adopt numeric biocriteria for specific waterbody types sequentially into water quality standards as EPA publishes technical guidance for those watersSlide51
For each community characteristic (metric)
1) Does metric respond to stream impairment?
Significant difference in metric between reference and impaired sites?
2) How many metrics “work”?3) Determine scoring for each metric (continuous or categorical, 0-10?)
4) Combine scores for each metric: total score5) Determine impairment threshold (standard)Slide52
Benthic Index of Biotic Integrity
(B-IBI)
Index based on macroinvertebrate samples that integrates several
metrics
to produce an overall
“health score”
for a given water body
Result:
dose-response curves to human impact
Human
Impact
IBI Score
e.g.
Taxa
richness, relative abundance of certain
taxa
, feeding groups
e.g. Pollution, habitat degradation, flow alteration
Generalized Plot of B-IBI Scores vs. Human ImpactSlide53
SE MN River/Stream
Macroinvertebrate
Assessments
Invertebrate Class 2 – Prairie Forest Rivers
Watershed > 500 mi
2
(Cannon, Root,
Zumbro
)
Invertebrate Class 5 – Southern Streams (Riffle/Run Habitats)
Watershed < 500 mi
2
(Root,
Zumbro
)
Invertebrate Class 6 – Southern Forest Streams (Glide/Pool Habitats)
Watershed < 500 mi
2 (Money, Root, Rush)
Invertebrate Class 9 – Southern Coldwater Streams
Size? (Beaver, Pine, Trout, Whitewater, S.Br/S.F. Root)Slide54
Macroinvertebrate IBI Metric Categories
Composition (3 metrics)
Habitat (2 metrics)
Trophic
(1 metric)
Tolerance (6 metrics)
Richness (8 metrics)Slide55
Class 5 – Southern Streams (Run/Riffle Habitats)
Biocriteria Threshold 35.9 (23.3 – 48.5)
Metric
Category
Response
Description
ClimberCh
Habitat
Decrease
Taxa
richness of climbers
ClingerChTxPct
Habitat
Decrease
Relative % of
taxa adapted to cling to substrate in swift flowing water
DomFiveChPctCompositionIncrease
Realtive abundance (%) of dominant 5 taxa in subsample (Chir
genera separate)HBI_MNTolerance
IncreaseAverage tolerance value of individuals in sample (Chirhart)
InsectTxPctCompositionDecrease
Relative % of insect taxaOdonata
RichnessDecreaseTaxa richness of
OdonataPlecopteraRichness
DecreaseTaxa richness of Plecoptera
PredatorChRichnessDecreaseTaxa
richness of predatorsTolerant2ChTxPctTolerance
IncreaseRelative % of taxa with tolerance values = or > 6, using MN TVs
Trichoptera
Richness
Decrease
Taxa
richness of
Trichoptera