Debris dams as habitat for aquatic invertebrates in forested headwater streams: a large-scale field experiment

Abstract

To evaluate the effects of debris dams on aquatic invertebrate communities, we sampled benthic invertebrates in debris dams and riffles in three forested headwater streams in New Zealand. As part of a large-scale field experiment, debris dams were subsequently removed from three treatment sections in each of the streams to assess effects on invertebrate communities. Prior to debris dam removal, total invertebrate densities in debris dams were not significantly different from those in riffles. However, densities of Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera and Trichoptera taxa were significantly higher in debris dams than in riffles. Debris dams contained a higher number of less common taxa (defined as <1% of total catch) and significantly higher densities of shredders. Densities for Coleoptera, Diptera and Trichoptera taxa were significantly higher in the autumn than in the spring. Non-metric multidimensional scaling axis scores indicated that both habitat and season had a significant effect on aquatic invertebrate community composition. At the reach scale, the effects of debris dam removal on the aquatic invertebrate communities were not statistically detectable because debris dams comprised only a small proportion of total habitat. However, these data highlight the importance of debris dams in contributing to the diversity of aquatic invertebrates in forested headwater streams.