Benthic Macroinvertebrates of Boomer Lake, Payne County, Oklahoma

Abstract

A study of benthic macroinvertebrates in a 102 ha lake was con- ducted from March, 1966 through February, 1967. Of the thirty taxa collected, seven (Chaoborus punctipennis (Say), Caenis, Sialis, Hexagenia, Hyalella azteca (Saussure), Branchiura sowerbyi Beddard, and Tendipedidae) comprised 82.74 to 99.51% of the total organisms collected monthly. Seven taxa of oligochaetes were collected, the most abundant being B. sowerbyi. Abundance of C. punctipennis increased as depth of water increased. Depth dis- tribution of Tendipedidae was unclear since the family was treated as a single taxon. Other taxa, except Hexagenia which is treated in another presentation were not abundant enough in collections to elicit a distinct depth distribution. Variation and abundance of fauna may have been limited by silt depositions dur- ing run-off. The amount of silt was apparent by the abundance of Hexagenia. Studies of benthic macroinvertebrates in Oklahoma have generally been restricted to streams (Hornuff, 1957; Wilhm, 1964; Harrel, 1966;) or large impoundments (Sublette, 1957). In order to better establish the ecological requirements and the taxa present in Okla- homa, data from all impoundments offering different abiotic and biotic factors. should be collected and analyzed. The objective of this presentation is to list the benthic macroinverte- brates, and related ecological observations, collected during a study of Boomer Lake from March, 1966 through February, 1967. DESCRIPTION OF LAKE. Boomer Lake, completed in 1925, is lo- cated three km north of the intersection of state highways 51 and 177. The reservoir initially was used for a municipal water supply, but in 1951, the city discontinued use of the lake for this purpose. Presently, the water is used for irrigation of the park around the lake and as a source of coolant water for the Boomer Lake power station. Morpho- metric data are presented in Table 1.