Macroinvertebrate Community Structure as an Indicator of Watershed Health in the Upper Trinity River Basin, North Central Texas

This study describes macroinvertebrate community structure and assesses its potential in detecting point and non-point sources of disturbance associated with rural and urban areas in the Upper Trinity River Basin. Geospatial techniques were used to quantify landuse within the watershed in a GIS. At rural sites near the headwaters of the Trinity River, collector-gathering burrowers that are adapted to minimal flow comprised the majority of taxa. Destinies of taxa compositions at downstream sites increased and shifted toward psammophilic and rheophilic invertebrates, including primarily collector-filtering clingers, that are characteristic of shifting sand habitats in large prairie rivers. Benthic community structure generally benefited from point source impacts including wastewater treatment plant effluents that maintained higher flow. Community indices were negatively associated with forest landuse and positively associated with urban landuse. Partial CCA determined that flow and landuse contributed equally to species dispersions. Comparisons with historical biomonitoring studies in upper Trinity River Basin indicate improved watershed health.

Grantor dc:publisher

University of North Texas

Year dc:date

2000

Author dc:creator

• Stephenson, Jaynie M.

Contributors dc:contributor

• Kennedy, James H.
• Ji, Minhe
• Waller, William T.

• Water quality -- Texas -- Trinity River Watershed
• Water -- Pollution -- Texas -- Trinity River Watershed
• Sewage disposal plants -- Environmental aspects -- Texas -- Trinity River Watershed
• Aquatic invertebrates -- Texas -- Trinity River Watershed
• Trinity River Watershed (Tex.)
• Geospatial techniques
• GIS
• watershed
• wastewater treatment
• biomonitoring

Statement dc:rights

• Use restricted to UNT Community
• Copyright
• Stephenson, Jaynie M.
• Copyright is held by the author, unless otherwise noted. All rights reserved.

Language dc:language

English

Identifier

oclc: 49930717
untcat: b2374747
https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc2445/
ark: ark:/67531/metadc2445

OAI identifier oai:identifier

info:ark/67531/metadc2445