Longitudinal distribution of macroinvertebrates in two glacier‐fed New Zealand rivers

Abstract

1. Environmental variables, benthic algal biomass and macroinvertebrate fauna were examined from September 1999 to January 2000 (austral summer) along two glacier‐fed rivers in South Island, New Zealand.2. The rivers were characterized by high flow variability, high turbidity and physically disturbed beds. Water temperature ranged from <1 °C near the glacier margin to 10 °C further downstream.3. Epilithic algal biomass was very low (<0.1 mg m–2) in months characterized by heavy rainfall, but ranged from 1.1 to 14.4 mg m–2 following an extended period with negligible precipitation.4. Abundance and diversity of invertebrates in both rivers was low. Dominant taxa were Chironomidae (Orthocladiinae, Podonominae, Diamesinae), although mayfly species (Deleatidium: Leptophlebiidae) also occurred at most sites. A species of Eukiefferiella (Orthocladiinae) was collected at all sites and was the most abundant invertebrate close to the glacier margins. No meiofauna were found in either river.5. Faunal diversity increased at the lowermost stations where species of Plecoptera, Trichoptera, Coleoptera and non‐chironomid Diptera also occurred.6. The faunas of the two New Zealand rivers conformed to the conceptual model of Milner & Petts (1994) in that taxon richness increased downstream with water temperature. However, invertebrate abundance increased downstream in only one of the two rivers. Also in contrast to the model predictions, Leptophlebiidae and Orthocladiinae, rather than Diamesinae, dominated the fauna at the coldest sites.