An Evaluation of Benthic Macroinvertebrate Community Diversity Following Construction at RiverScape Metropark

An Evaluation of Benthic Macroinvertebrate Community Diversity Following Construction at RiverScape Metropark

Presenter(s)

Madison Spooner Johnson, Meaghan Lees Lightfoot, Gretchen M Lozowski, Amanda R. Ratliff

Comments

This project reflects research conducted as part of a course project designed to give students experience in the research process. Course: BIO 421 P1

Description

The goal of this project is to analyze how the macroinvertebrate community has changed over a period of two years following the construction of a kayak chute at RiverScape MetroPark. Dr. Kavanaugh’s river research laboratory took kick net, sweep net, and Hester-Dendy samples in the Great Miami River in the fall of 2017. These samples were collected both on and directly downstream from the kayak chute that was constructed a few months prior in the spring of 2017. The 2017 samples indicated that the macroinvertebrate community rated “poor” according to the composite Macroinvertebrate Aggregated Index for Streams (MAIS) diversity index. In order to determine if the macroinvertebrate community has improved since the kayak chute was constructed, a team of river researchers collected kick net, sweep net, and Hester-Dendy samples in the fall of 2019 in the same locations. The organisms from these samples were sorted and identified, then characterized based on total number of taxa, abundance of individuals in each taxon. We predicted that the community would exhibit significantly improved biodiversity according to the composite of metrics used in the MAIS and other biodiversity indices due to the length of time that has passed allowing macroinvertebrate populations to recolonize the areas following the initial disturbance. The outcome of this project will be significant because it will provide insight into how benthic macroinvertebrates were affected by the construction of a major in-stream structure, and their ability to recover from the disturbance.

Publication Date

4-22-2020

Project Designation

Course Project

Primary Advisor

Jeffrey L. Kavanaugh

Primary Advisor's Department

Biology

Keywords

Stander Symposium project, College of Arts and Sciences

United Nations Sustainable Development Goals

Life Below Water; Sustainable Cities and Communities

An Evaluation of Benthic Macroinvertebrate Community Diversity Following Construction at RiverScape Metropark

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