The impacts of cattle access to headwater streams on hyporheic zones

Abstract

The hyporheic zone is an important ecotone occupying the interface between surface and ground water bodies, providing a range of important ecosystem services such as biochemical cycling, temperature regulation and downstream flood attenuation. Despite its importance in freshwater ecosystems in terms of services provided, the hyporheic zone has often been overlooked as a research topic. This study assessed the impact of cattle access to headwater streams on hyporheic zone parameters. The results indicate increases in levels of interstitial, hyporheic fine sediment downstream of cattle access points and the potential for this to negatively affect hyporheic invertebrate communities. Invertebrate community composition changes were observed at some sites with changes representing a shift to less diverse communities of smaller bodied invertebrates. The results presented here should help inform water resources managers and encourage them to consider the hyporheic zone as a part of an integrated freshwater ecosystem.