Correlates of habitat favourability for benthic macroinvertebrates at five stream sites in an Appalachian Mountain drainage basin, U.S.A.

Abstract

SUMMARY. Based on monthly samples taken over a 1‐year period, average density (individuals m‐2). average standing biomass and annual production of benthic macroinvertebrates were estimated at five sites within an Appalachian Mountain drainage basin. Two sites were on first order streams and differed from the three second order sites: they were smaller and more shallow and they were depressed in pH and chemical richness. Patterns of abundance of individual taxa, of higher taxonomic groups and of functional (feeding) groups differed according to whether abundance was measured as density, as standing biomass or as annual production. Standing biomass was chosen as the measure of macroinvertebrate abundance because available evidence indicates that only standing biomass is consistently, positively correlated with survivorship, and thus with habitat favourability. Two non‐insect taxa (the crayfish Cambarus and the snail Leptoxis carinata) dominated standing biomass at each site. Consequently, differences among sites in total macroinvertebrate standing biomass and differences within and among sites in standing biomass of functional groups were determined by differences in estimated standing biomass of these two taxa. Differences in estimates of crayfish standing biomass were consistent with an explanation based on the availability of refuges created by large substrate particles. The abundance of L. carinata appeared to be controlled primarily by water chemistry and possibly secondarily by predators. A number of insect taxa exhibited patterns of standing biomass consistent with hypotheses based on effects of annual depth‐flow regimes. Hypotheses based on differences in food resource and on competition appeared, in general, to be inconsistent with observed patterns of macroinvertebrate abundance. Contrary to predictions of the River Continuum Concept, the shredder functional group in the Guys Run drainage and in other temperate woodland streams was found to be a minor part of total macroinvertebrate standing biomass. Further, in a majority of small forested stream sites studied to date, standing biomass of grazers has been determined to be greater than that of shredders.