Abstract
The main aim of this study was to investigate the abundance of invertebrates in groundwater in relation to groundwater conditions (groundwater table, discharge, rainfall, and physio-chemical parameters), and to examine the suitable time for invertebrate sampling in springs. Thus, eight springs in two separate study areas, “Baumberge” and “Schöppinger Berg” (Münsterland area, North-Rhine Westphalia in Germany), were sampled five times (24 h for 2–5 consecutive sampling days) between November 2018 and October 2019. The results showed high spatial and temporal variance. In general, the existence of invertebrates and stygobites increased, whereas invertebrate types decreased with increasing hydraulic head and spring discharge. Therefore, investigating the abundance of invertebrates and invertebrate species is recommended to be done separately. Abundance of invertebrates was affected by different factors in both areas. Spearman correlation test (two-tailed) and factor analyses (n = 80, p ≤ 0.01) highlighted the importance of detritus as the main controlling factor for invertebrate existence and stygobite individuals in Baumberge, whereas dissolved oxygen is essential for their existence in Schöppinger Berg.
Highlights
Groundwater is the most important natural resource, in areas where surface water is scarce [1,2]
The average daily spring discharge showed a fluctuation between the highest value of 18.8 m3/d measured in April and the lowest value of 14.0 m3/d measured in July (Table 3)
The abiotic and biotic conditions of spring water in eight springs in Baumberge and Schöppinger Berg (Münsterland area, North-Rhine Westphalia in Germany) were investigated in this research, via sampling five times between November and October Some springs were found to be devoid of invertebrates (SB4), whereas others showed a high count of invertebrates and stygobites (BB2 and SB2)
Summary
Groundwater is the most important natural resource, in areas where surface water is scarce [1,2]. It is of vital importance for daily life, food production, and manufacturing [3,4]. Various kinds of aquifers are reservoirs of groundwater and host different groundwater invertebrate (stygofauna) communities [16,17,18,19,20] These stygofauna are considered a biomonitor of groundwater quality and can be used to track and monitor sources of pollution [21,22,23,24]. The invertebrate species can be considered descriptors of the aquifer type, habitat structure, water flow regime, and groundwater flow paths [25]
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