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Spatial structuring of benthic invertebrate communities within and among wooded headwater stream networks

Wright, Sara E.
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ysu1329070085

Abstract Details

2011, Master of Science in Biological Sciences, Youngstown State University, Department of Biological Sciences and Chemistry.
Biotic communities in low order streams are influenced by multiple factors that may reflect both environmental conditions within individual watersheds, and also bio-geographic considerations such as spatial proximity of streams and organism dispersal/recruitment abilities. Prior work in small streams of Western New York (Allegheny Plateau) revealed little or no spatial structuring of biota among separate steams, but instead convincing effects of stream and watershed environmental factors. In this study, we further explored the roles of spatial vs. environmental influences by now comparing 1st - 3rd-order streams longitudinally within a stream network in addition to comparing physically separated streams. Within-stream drift adds a new dispersal dimension that is not present between streams. Four stream networks, each with a consecutive series of a 1st, a 2nd, and a 3rd order segment, were selected in a contiguously wooded sector (2nd growth through moderately disturbed old growth northern hardwoods) of Allegheny State Park near the Pennsylvania border. Three replicate Surber samples and a qualitative sample were collected from each stream site in fall 2010 and spring 2011. Similarity/dissimilarity among streams was explored by Euclidean distance matrices for community composition, stream/watershed environmental characteristics (in-stream habitat, watershed land cover, etc.), and spatial distance. Non-metric multidimensional scaling ordination of community composition and Principal Components Analysis ordination of environmental variables of the twelve stream segments were employed. Community composition of in-stream biota was based on the identification of 117 taxa representing fifty-three families. Spearman rank correlation indicated ten out of twelve of most abundant taxa were associated with the larger streams, trending away from the first orders. A One-Factor ANOVA of site-to-site biotic distances revealed no significant differences among longitudinal within stream pairings, like order pairings, and all possible remaining pairs. The streams in this study were quite readily grouped by ordination of the environmental variables, but this did not generally translate to biotic structuring. A significant partial correlation was, however, found between distances based on environmental “channel only “variables (i.e. not including watershed geography) and based on the biota within stream orders, when controlling for spatial distances. There was no evidence of spatial structuring of benthic communities. The macroinvertebrate community composition appeared to comply somewhat with the niche-based sorting theory and decidedly not with neutral theory/spatial autocorrelation. Continuing to decipher the dynamics of macroinvertebrate community composition can prove valuable to conservation and restoration approaches.
Thomas Diggins, PhD (Advisor)
Ian Renne, PhD (Committee Member)
Felicia Armstrong, PhD (Committee Member)
127 p.
Aquatic Sciences; Biology; Ecology; Macroecology
stream ecology; benthic macroinvertebrates; community structuring; spatial autocorrelation

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Wright, S. E. (2011). Spatial structuring of benthic invertebrate communities within and among wooded headwater stream networks [Master's thesis, Youngstown State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ysu1329070085

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Wright, Sara. Spatial structuring of benthic invertebrate communities within and among wooded headwater stream networks. 2011. Youngstown State University, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ysu1329070085.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Wright, Sara. "Spatial structuring of benthic invertebrate communities within and among wooded headwater stream networks." Master's thesis, Youngstown State University, 2011. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ysu1329070085

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

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© 2011, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by Youngstown State University and OhioLINK.