David M. Rosenberg

Freshwater biomonitoring and benthic macroinvertebrates

Introduction to freshwater biomonitoring and benthic macroinvertebrates-- D. M. Rosenberg and V. H. Resh A history of biological monitoring using benthic macroinvertebrates-- J. Cairns, Jr. and J. R. Pratt The literature of biomonitoring-- K. E. Marshall Freshwater biomonitoring using individual organisms, populations, and species assemblages of benthic macroinvertebrates-- R. K. Johnson, T. Weiderholm and D. M. Rosenberg Contemporary quantitative approaches to biomonitoring using benthic macroinvertebrates-- V. H. Resh and E. P. McElravy Rapid assessment approaches to biomonitoring using benthic macroinvertebrates-- V. H. Resh and J. K. Jackson Analysis and interpretation of benthic macroinvertebrate surveys-- R. H. Norris and A. Georges Monitoring freshwater benthic macroinvertebrates and benthic processes: measures for assessment of ecosystem health-- S. R. Reice and M. Wohlenberg Paleolimnological biomonitoring using freshwater benthic macroinvertebrates-- I. R. Walker toxicity studies using freshwater benthic macroinvertebrates-- A. L. Buikema, Jr. and J. Reice Voshell, Jr. Field experiments in biomonitoring-- S. D. Cooper and L. Barmuta Future directions in freshwater biomonitoring using benthic macroinvertebrates-- R. O. Brinkhurst.

The reference condition: a comparison of multimetric and multivariate approaches to assess water-quality impairment using benthic macroinvertebrates

Traditional methods of establishing control sites in field-oriented biomonitoring studies of water quality are limited. The reference-condition approach offers a powerful alternative because sites serve as replicates rather than the multiple collections within sites that are the replicates in traditional designs using inferential statistics. With the reference-condition approach, an array of reference sites characterises the biological condition of a region; a test site is then compared to an appropriate subset of the reference sites, or to all the reference sites with probability weightings. This paper compares the procedures for establishing reference conditions, and assesses the strengths and deficiencies of multimetric (as used in the USA) and multivariate methods (as used in the UK, Canada, and Australia) for establishing water-quality status. A data set of environmental measurements and macroinvertebrate collections from the Fraser River, British Columbia, was used in the comparison. Precision and accuracy of the 2 multivariate methods tested (AUStralian RIVer Assessment Scheme: AusRivAS, BEnthic Assessment of SedimenT: BEAST) were consistently higher than for the multimetric assessment. Classification by ecoregion, stream order, and biotic group yielded precisions of 100% for the AusRivAS, 80-100% for the BEAST, and 40-80% for multimetrics; and accuracies of 100%, 100%, and 38-88%, respectively. Multimetrics are attractive because they produce a single score that is comparable to a target value and they include ecological information. However, not all information collected is used, metrics are often redundant in a combination index, errors can be compounded, and it is difficult to acquire current procedures. Multivariate methods are attractive because they require no prior assumptions either in creating groups out of reference sites or in comparing test sites with reference groups. However, potential users may be discouraged by the complexity of initial model construction. The complementary emphases in the multivariate methods examined (presence / absence in AusRivAS cf. abundance in BEAST) lead us to recommend that they be used together, and in conjunction with, multimetric studies.

Global-Scale Environmental Effects of Hydrological Alterations: Introduction

Ubiquitous hydrological alterations—dam construction and associated water diversion, exploitation of groundwater aquifers, stream channelization, and intercatchment water transfer—are producing global-scale effects on the environment. The articles in this special issue of BioScience highlight the cumulative effects of hydrological alterations associated with dam and reservoir development. Such information is critical for deciding whether, when, and where the next major hydrological project will be built; it can also warn us about impending environmental impacts. The study of the cumulative effects of hydrological alterations is a recent endeavor, compared with the study of individual dam and reservoir developments (e.g., Hall 1971, Hecky et al. 1984). The issue of greenhouse gas emissions from reservoirs, for example, is less than a decade old (Rudd et al. 1993). The global significance of reservoirs as sources of greenhouse gases depends on the total surface area of reservoirs and the flux rates from the major types of reservoirs in different geographical locations (Rosenberg et al. 1997). Neither of these quantities is well known, but flux rates have now been measured in 21 locations, enabling the first reasonable estimate of global greenhouse gas emissions from reservoirs (St. Louis et al. 2000). Other recent examples include attempts to determine cumulative environmental effects at hemispheric or global scales. Chao (1991, 1995) reported that worldwide

Importance of insects in environmental impact assessment

Insects are particularly suited for use in environmental impact assessment (e.i.a.) because of their high species diversity, ubiquitous occurrence, and importance in the functioning of natural ecosystems. Examples are given of the use of insects in the predictive phase of e.i.a., in the monitoring and assessment phase, and in the much rarer instance of an e.i.a. that includes both of these phases. The importance of working at the species level to understanding the results of e.i.a. is emphasized.

Effects of sediment addition on macrobenthic invertebrates in a Northern Canadian River

Two channels built into the Harris River, Northwest Territories were used to study responses of invertebrates to sediment addition. Sediment was added to one channel continuously for approximately 5 h. The other channel was used as a control. In August, 28.27 kg of sediment or 1.38 kg m−2 of channel bottom were added. Values for September were 35.88 kg or 1.53 kg m−2. As a result of sediment addition, numbers of macrobenthos drifting from the sediment addition channel (S) increased significantly over those drifting in the control (C) in August (= summer) and September (= fall). Total drift from S was > 3 times higher in August and > 2 times higher in September than from C. Significantly higher numbers of macrobenthos drifted in fall than summer. Numbers of macrobenthos drifting during sediment addition were significantly related to time in September but not in August, indicating a seasonal difference in temporal response to sediment addition. Two explanations are proposed for the response of the September community, as indicated by shape of a polynomial regression curve, to sediment addition. No significant difference existed in standing crops of macrobenthos in the substrate in C and S after sediment addition. Sediment addition caused (1) higher numbers of Oligochaeta and Simuliidae to drift in August and September; (2) higher numbers of Plecoptera and Ephemeroptera to drift in September but not in August; and (3) higher numbers of Hydracarina and Chironomidae to drift in August but not September. We suggest that future work try to relate amounts of settled rather than suspended sediments to quantitative responses of stream macrobenthos. We recommend that highway and pipeline construction undertaken in watersheds of Mackenzie Valley streams during the open-water period, resulting in sediment addition to these streams, should be done during summer rather than spring or fall, providing river discharge is adequate to transport the added sediment.

Recent trends in life-history research on benthic macroinvertebrates

Abstract Life-history research has a long tradition in benthic biology because of its value in explaining patterns observed in nature, quantifying trophic relationships and energetics, and interpreting experimental results. We examined articles published in the Journal of the North American Benthological Society (J-NABS) during a 23-y period (volumes 5–27) to determine trends in life-history research and to assess future needs in these types of studies. Of the 9 life-history elements we examined, growth and mortality of benthic macroinvertebrates were most commonly reported in the 412 J-NABS studies containing ≥1 of these elements. Recruitment and dormancy were the least-studied elements, and development, reproduction, dispersal, voltinism, and phenology were intermediate. Most of these studies were based on aquatic insects, especially Ephemeroptera and Trichoptera, and mollusks (particularly bivalves). Detailed life histories of single species published in J-NABS have averaged ∼1/volume, with most studies being on Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, Trichoptera, and Odonata. Both detailed life-history studies and studies containing life-history elements have declined over time, especially when considered as a percentage of articles published in J-NABS. In a timeline of important developments in life-history studies, 4 time periods or themes were evident: 1) an emphasis on descriptive natural history, which was the earliest type of ecological research conducted and which extended into the 1970s; 2) synthesis of life-history information in books and review articles, which was most prevalent in the 1970s and 1980s; 3) adoption of functional-feeding groups as a measure of trophic status of benthic organisms, which began in the 1970s and continues through today; and 4) the use of a species-trait approach to examine both basic and applied aspects of benthic biology, which began in the 1990s, is an expanding research area, and is a valuable application of life-history information. Life-history research has been published more often in specialized proceedings and regional journals than in J-NABS. Clearly more life-history research is needed, but time, logistical considerations, and funding constraints restrict professional benthologists from conducting this kind of research. Perhaps anglers and those participating in volunteer monitoring groups can be encouraged to conduct studies to provide this needed information.

A method for subsampling unsorted benthic macroinvertebrates by weight

A simple method for subsampling unsorted benthic macroinvertebrates by weight is described for different types of samples obtained from lentic and lotic environments. It is especially useful for samples containing large amounts of filamentous algae that preclude the use of conventional subsampling methods. The method provided random dispersions of individuals in the original samples. Overall variability of the subsamples was low for artificial substrate and catastrophic drift samples. Variability was higher for regular drift samples, which had the lowest numbers of individuals of the three sample types. The method produced considerable savings in time spent sorting. Subsampling approaches for community level studies are discussed.

Effects of Crude Oil Contamination on Ephemeroptera in the Trail River, Northwest Territories, Canada

Artificial substrates were soaked in crude oil and placed in the Trail River, N.W.T. for periods up to almost 1 year. Ephemeroptera nymphs usually occurred in lower numbers, fewer taxa and lower diversity on oiled substrates than on unoiled substrates. Communities of nymphs were significantly different except for the substrates left in the river for the longest period (335 days). Numbers of Heptagenia (flavescens Walsh?), Stenonema vicarium (Walker), Ameletus sp. 1, and Baetis spp. decreased in response to the oil while numbers of Pseucdocloeon sp. 1 and Ephemerella aurivillii Bengtsson increased. Numbers of E. (bicolor Clemens?) and E. simplex McDunnough were unaffected. H. (flavescens?) should be the best indicator (reduced numbers) of low level contamination of aquatic systems by oil and petroleum products although S. vicarium (reduced numbers) and E. aurivillii (increased numbers) may also be useful. Responses of these three species to oil contamination are related to the presence of food and to quality of the substrate.

Peatland Chironomidae (Diptera): effects of flooding on emergence from Lake 979, Experimental Lakes Area, Ontario*

The experimental flooding of Lake (L) 979, a small wetland lake at the Experimental Lakes Area (ELA) in northwestern Ontario, provided an opportunity to study effects on the chironomid fauna emerging from the surrounding peatland. Nearby L632 was used as a reference system. The nature of the peatland chironomid fauna in L979 changed dramatically. Most true peatland species were eliminated by the flooding. They were quickly replaced by lacustrine species whose numbers emerging from the flooded peatland increased substantially. In contrast, qualitative and quantitative changes in emergence were minimal from the open-water zone of the lake and from L632. Intensive study of L979 and L632 revealed 12 species of true peatland chironomids in common with other peatlands at the ELA, and added another 18 species to the 37 peatland species already identified from previous studies at the ELA. Most of the 55 species have wide zoogeographic distributions, and probably occur in peatlands all across the boreal zone of Canada, but confirmatory studies are needed.

Efficiency of modifications in the design and use of submerged funnel traps for sampling Chironomidae (Diptera)

The effects of three modifications in design and use of submerged funnel traps on capture efficiencies for emerging Chironomidae were examined in a recently-created reservoir in northern Manitoba, Canada. The experiments showed that: (1) Sample counts were higher in traps suspended just below the surface of the water than in traps suspended 1.5 m deeper, just above the lake bottom, probably owing to difficulties in handling the deep traps. (2) Sample counts were lower in traps with small cones inserted into the neck of the collecting bottle than in traps without these cones, although the differences were not significant. Bottles fitted with mini-cones usually retained higher numbers of other invertebrates which destroyed much of the chironomid catch. (3) Sample counts were proportionally higher in traps with a basal area of 0.283 m2 compared to traps of 0.1 m2 area.