Patterns of diversity in stream macroinvertebrate communities in the Sydenham River watershed (SW Ontario)
Author ORCID Identifier
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7466-0138: Roland Eveleens
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1471-1431: Alyssa Frazao
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3570-3588: Dr. Catherine Febria
Standing
Undergraduate
Type of Proposal
Oral Research Presentation
Faculty
Faculty of Science
Faculty Sponsor
Dr. Catherine FEbria
Proposal
Stream macroinvertebrates are commonly employed bioindicators for stream assessments, as their tolerances to pollution and other stressors are well studied. However, invertebrate diversity metrics might assess streams at different, often finer scales than that of human disturbance, especially in agriculture landscapes. Our research seeks to better understand how water quality, sediment and land-use impacts stream biodiversity in the Sydenham River watershed, Southwestern Ontario. More specifically, this study asks: does macroinvertebrate diversity vary predictably with environmental factors at the microhabitat or reach scales? Here we present biodiversity data from a watershed survey of the Sydenham River and its tributaries conducted in Fall of 2020. Invertebrates were sampled at randomly selected and existing monitoring sites following Ontario Benthic Biomonitoring Network protocols. Water quality, sediment and land-use data were collected using a modified Ontario Stream Assessment Protocol. Data were analysed using a suite of exploratory statistics, including ordination and other community analyses, to determine which factors best explained variance in invertebrate richness and biodiversity indices across microhabitat and reach scales. Watershed assessment and restoration face challenges in overcoming barriers of scale as while restoration actions take place locally, previous publications suggest that coordinated actions across a landscape may be required to ensure ecosystem recovery. The findings of this research have the potential to inform local understanding of ecosystem health and help accelerate more coordinated restoration and stewardship practices in the region.
Availability
Anytime except March 20th at 11am-noon
Patterns of diversity in stream macroinvertebrate communities in the Sydenham River watershed (SW Ontario)
Stream macroinvertebrates are commonly employed bioindicators for stream assessments, as their tolerances to pollution and other stressors are well studied. However, invertebrate diversity metrics might assess streams at different, often finer scales than that of human disturbance, especially in agriculture landscapes. Our research seeks to better understand how water quality, sediment and land-use impacts stream biodiversity in the Sydenham River watershed, Southwestern Ontario. More specifically, this study asks: does macroinvertebrate diversity vary predictably with environmental factors at the microhabitat or reach scales? Here we present biodiversity data from a watershed survey of the Sydenham River and its tributaries conducted in Fall of 2020. Invertebrates were sampled at randomly selected and existing monitoring sites following Ontario Benthic Biomonitoring Network protocols. Water quality, sediment and land-use data were collected using a modified Ontario Stream Assessment Protocol. Data were analysed using a suite of exploratory statistics, including ordination and other community analyses, to determine which factors best explained variance in invertebrate richness and biodiversity indices across microhabitat and reach scales. Watershed assessment and restoration face challenges in overcoming barriers of scale as while restoration actions take place locally, previous publications suggest that coordinated actions across a landscape may be required to ensure ecosystem recovery. The findings of this research have the potential to inform local understanding of ecosystem health and help accelerate more coordinated restoration and stewardship practices in the region.