Author(s): V. S. Milner; G. Bunting; I. P. Maddock; J. I. Jones

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Keywords: Hyporheic zone; Fine sediment disturbance; Invertebrate refuge; Substrate composition; Stream mesocosms

Abstract: Instream refuges are important habitats that support the persistence of benthic invertebrate communities during adverse hydrological and fine sediment conditions. We examined whether substrate composition effects the use of the hyporheic zone as a refuge for invertebrates during a fine sediment disturbance using twelve stream mesocosms. Each mesocosm was filled with two bed sediment types: a coarse and a fine substrate mix. Three sediment treatments (0–30 kg) were established to mimic variation in fine sediment loading. We observed 1) increased hyporheic invertebrate abundance (at 18 cm) in both substrate types during and directly after fine sediment addition, and 2) higher hyporheic taxonomic richness in the fine substrate during increased sedimentation, but no variation in taxonomic richness occurred in the coarse substrate with greater sediment addition.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3850/978-981-11-2731-1_094-cd

Year: 2018