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SFS Annual Meeting

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RESPONSE OF BENTHIC COMMUNITY STRUCTURE TO RESTORATION EFFORTS IN MAD RIVER WATERSHED

Cold water habitats are rare in the state of Ohio, but important, because they contain unique flora and fauna adapted to colder water temperatures. One of these cold water systems, Macochee Creek (Mad River Watershed, Ohio), was channelized in the 1800s for agricultural purposes, but a small section (0.8 km) underwent an extensive restoration during 2007 to restore sinuosity and improve riparian and in-stream habitat. The objectives of this study were to assess the biological and environmental response ten years post-restoration within the Machchee tributary. In the fall of 2017, nine sites were selected: three upstream of the restoration, three downstream of the restoration and three sites within the restored stream reach. During the fall of 2018, the restoration segment was sampled again as were three unrestored neighboring tributaries in the Mad River watershed. At each site, a suite of environmental parameters was recorded and macroinvertebrates and periphyton were collected from riffle habitats. Data suggests that a number of environmental and habitat variables in the restored section of Macochee Creek differed significantly from unrestored sections of Macochee Creek, but the biological response was mixed.

Alex Fields (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Ohio Northern University, a-fields.1@onu.edu;


Crystal Scales (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Ohio Northern University, c-scales@onu.edu;


Leslie Riley (Primary Presenter/Author), Ohio Northern University, l-riley.1@onu.edu;


Robert Verb (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Ohio Northern University, r-verb@onu.edu;