Poster Details
THE INFLUENCE OF CLADOPHORA GLOMERATA AS A HABITAT MODIFIER IN BEDROCK DOMINATED RIFFLE HABITATS
Cladophora glomerata is a widely distributed freshwater macroalgal taxa and can provide an important habitat for macroinvertebrates. In some Ohio rivers, especially those with solid substrates, C. glomerata generates dense beds of streaming filaments. The objective of this investigation was to determine if the benthic communities found in C. glomerata beds were different and more diverse than the surrounding bedrock substrate in two different rivers (Kokosing River and Riley Creek, Ohio, USA). During the fall of 2015, C. glomerata beds and adjacent sandstone bedrock substrates were sampled in the Kokosing River for macroinvertebrates, periphyton and selected environmental parameters. During October 2016, similar samples were collected in additional C. glomerata beds and adjacent limestone bedrock substrates in Riley Creek. Preliminary results from the Kokosing River show that macroinvertebrate diversity (H’) was higher within C. glomerata beds, but periphyton diversity (H’) was not significantly different than communities on the sandstone bedrock. Shifts in community structure were more influenced by time than by substrate type, likely representing natural successional stages following a large scouring event prior to the initiation of this study.
Emily Henneman (Primary Presenter/Author), Ohio Northern University, e-henneman@onu.edu;
Leslie Riley ( Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Ohio Northern University, l-riley.1@onu.edu;
Robert Verb ( Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Ohio Northern University, r-verb@onu.edu;