Program Type

Undergraduate

Faculty Advisor

Kyler Hecke

Document Type

Poster

Location

Face-to-face

Start Date

25-4-2023 11:30 AM

Abstract

Aquatic macroinvertebrates are key bioindicators of water/habitat quality and can be used to catch changes in the health of the aquatic systems that they live within. They can also be used to determine a fish community as many fish species require macroinvertebrates as a key part of their diet. These macroinvertebrate communities can change significantly due to varying land-use practices on surrounding riparian area. This is especially in places like Arkansas with lots of agriculture and an increasing population. We assessed 6 tributaries of Lake Dardanelle (Bakers Creek, Shoal Creek, Spadra Creek, Middle Fork Illinois Bayou, Hurricane Creek, and Mill Creek) to compare the spatial difference of aquatic macroinvertebrate communities within the local area. We captured all macroinvertebrates with d-frame kicknets and identified them down to family with a Swift SM-80 dissecting microscope. We then used a Bray-Curtis analysis to compare these communities for overall similarity or dissimilarity. Spadra Creek was the most diverse site with 24 unique species while Hurricane Creek was the least diverse with only 13 unique species. On average, Shoal Creek () and Bakers Creek () were more dissimilar with all sites. We believe this is likely due to the varying land-use practices within the riparian area of these waterways. Hurricane Creek appears to have the most agriculture use around it as it has a higher abundance of cattle farming and smaller riparian distance than the rest of the tributaries.

Download

Share

COinS
 
Apr 25th, 11:30 AM

Spatial Assessment of Aquatic Macroinvertebrate Communities in Tributaries of Lake Dardanelle

Face-to-face

Aquatic macroinvertebrates are key bioindicators of water/habitat quality and can be used to catch changes in the health of the aquatic systems that they live within. They can also be used to determine a fish community as many fish species require macroinvertebrates as a key part of their diet. These macroinvertebrate communities can change significantly due to varying land-use practices on surrounding riparian area. This is especially in places like Arkansas with lots of agriculture and an increasing population. We assessed 6 tributaries of Lake Dardanelle (Bakers Creek, Shoal Creek, Spadra Creek, Middle Fork Illinois Bayou, Hurricane Creek, and Mill Creek) to compare the spatial difference of aquatic macroinvertebrate communities within the local area. We captured all macroinvertebrates with d-frame kicknets and identified them down to family with a Swift SM-80 dissecting microscope. We then used a Bray-Curtis analysis to compare these communities for overall similarity or dissimilarity. Spadra Creek was the most diverse site with 24 unique species while Hurricane Creek was the least diverse with only 13 unique species. On average, Shoal Creek () and Bakers Creek () were more dissimilar with all sites. We believe this is likely due to the varying land-use practices within the riparian area of these waterways. Hurricane Creek appears to have the most agriculture use around it as it has a higher abundance of cattle farming and smaller riparian distance than the rest of the tributaries.