6/08/2017  |   09:00 - 09:15   |  306C

COLONIZATION PATTERNS OF LARVAL SIMULIUM JENNINGSI (DIPTERA: SIMULIIDAE) WITHIN A RIVER SYSTEM: AQUATIC HABITAT CHARACTERISTICS AS PREDICTORS OF BLACK FLY NUISANCE SEVERITY Simulium jenningsi (Diptera: Simuliidae) is a nuisance-causing black fly in the Mid-Atlantic United States. In Maryland the adult females are found throughout several counties bordering the Potomac River, but only form severe nuisance problems in localized communities. Our objectives were to 1. compare the relative density of larvae within riffles along the Potomac River system, 2. assess the spatial relationship between larval density and adult swarm severity, and 3. determine the habitat characteristics significantly correlated with high larval abundance. Artificial substrates were deployed during the summers of 2015 and 2016 to measure relative larval colonization densities between riffle locations. Measurements of water quality, seston composition, and flow velocity were taken at each deployment. S. jenningsi density varied along the length of the river system, with higher proportions of congeneric larvae at the most downstream, and urbanized, locations. High larval density was spatially correlated to regions of adult nuisance severity. Flow velocity was the most significant correlate to larval density. As water quality improves and S. jenningsi is able to proliferate in new locations, predictive methods of determining communities at risk for nuisance swarms will become valuable tools for future management.

Rebecca Wilson (Primary Presenter/Author), University of Maryland, rcwilson@umd.edu;


William Lamp ( Co-Presenter/Co-Author), University of Maryland, lamp@umd.edu;


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6/08/2017  |   09:15 - 09:30   |  306C

THE ROLE OF WOOD AS MACROINVERTEBRATE HABITAT IN THE POMME DE TERRE RIVER, AN AGRICULTURAL STREAM IN WEST-CENTRAL MINNESOTA In order to investigate the role of wood as habitat in an agricultural stream we collected paired macroinvertebrate samples from wood and benthic habitats in the Pomme de Terre River (PTR) upstream and downstream from an impoundment (N=5 in each reach). We collected 37 taxa from wood and benthic environments, 26 of which were insects. Twelve taxa occurred only on wood while only 1 was unique to the benthic habitat. Taxon richness did not differ significantly between benthic and wood habitats. However, when upstream and downstream reaches were analyzed separately we noted that significantly more taxa occurred on upstream wood samples (paired t-test, p<0.05). The PTR in this reach is dominated by sand and silt, while cobble occurred more frequently downstream. The % abundance of scrapers, shredders and plant piercers was significantly greater on wood than in benthic habitats, while collector-gatherers were relatively more abundant in the benthic habitat (paired t-tests, p<0.05). Wood provides stable habitat and access to food resources for macroinvertebrates, particularly in stretches of the stream that lack other kinds of coarse substrate.

Jackob Lutchen (Primary Presenter/Author), University of Kansas, lutch006@ku.edu;


Bradley Ramin ( Co-Presenter/Co-Author), University of Minnesota, Morris, ramin009;


Lily Fulton ( Co-Presenter/Co-Author), University of Minnesota, Morris , fulto072@morris.umn.edu;


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6/08/2017  |   09:30 - 09:45   |  306C

SUCCESSION IN INVERTEBRATE COMMUNITIES IN SOUTHEASTERN BEAVER-CREATED WETLANDS Beaver-created wetlands in the Southeastern US are typically unstable transitory systems resulting from a history of extreme sedimentation which created unstable stream beds and regional weather patterns. Beaver dams are regularly breached, rebuilt, relocated, or abandoned which results in complexes of newly-created, mature, and abandoned beaver wetlands within a stream network. To compare invertebrate communities among the three basic habitat successional stages, invertebrates were sampled in newly formed (created within 2 years; n = 4), mature (established for >15 years; n = 4), and abandoned wetlands (breached dams; n = 3) and associated streams (n=3) in October 2013 and May 2014 in Oconee National Forest in Georgia, USA. Each wetland type had a relatively high number of taxa (>60 families) and there was strong seasonal variation in invertebrate communities. In October, invertebrate communities differed among all successional stages, while in May only the mature beaver wetland communities differed from newly formed or abandoned ponds. Seasonal differences in community structure suggest that seasonal change as well as longer-term succession strongly control invertebrate community structures in these beaver wetlands.

Bryana Bush (Primary Presenter/Author), University of Georgia, bmlibby@uga.edu;


Darold Batzer ( Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Department of Entomology, University of Georgia, dbatzer@uga.edu;


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6/08/2017  |   09:45 - 10:00   |  306C

PATTERNS OF AQUATIC INSECT FUNCTIONAL DIVERSITY ALONG AN ELEVATIONAL GRADIENT IN ROCKY MOUNTAIN STREAMS Functional diversity quantifies the value and range of organismal traits that influence species performance and contribution to ecosystem functioning. Functional diversity (rather than simply taxonomic diversity) provides a mechanistic framework to understand community productivity and resilience to perturbations or invasion. Aquatic insect functional diversity using multidimensional metrics has been examined in the past decade, but not in the context of strong environmental gradients. We applied a multifaceted framework to quantify three primary components of functional diversity of stream insects along an elevation gradient. We used Functional Richness (FRic), Functional Evenness (FEve) and Functional Divergence (FDiv) indices to test for significant differences in aquatic insect functional diversity in 24 small streams in three adjacent catchments, spanning an elevational range of ca. 2000–3500 m. Our results showed that only FRic differs significantly with elevation, and that the pattern of change remains constant across catchments. Our findings provide independent information concerning position and relative abundances of species in a multidimensional functional space, and they allow for inferences on elevational patterns of aquatic insect functional beta diversity in mountain streams.

Carolina Gutierrez (Primary Presenter/Author), Colorado State University, cgcol@rams.colostate.edu;


Rachel Harrington ( Co-Presenter/Co-Author), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 8, harrington.rachel@epa.gov;


Boris Kondratieff ( Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Colorado State University, Boris.Kondratieff@ColoState.edu;


LeRoy Poff ( Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Colorado State University, n.poff@rams.colostate.edu;


Colleen Webb ( Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Colorado State University, Colleen.Webb@colostate.edu;


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6/08/2017  |   10:00 - 10:15   |  306C

Effects of Fire on an Intermittent Stream: Monitoring the Response of the Aquatic Macroinvertebrate Community Wildfires are natural disturbances that shape terrestrial landscapes and can alter aquatic ecosystems. Wildfires followed by heavy rain cause debris flows and scouring, potentially compounding effects on aquatic systems. In 2011, the Horseshoe 2 Fire burned over 90,000 hectares in Arizona and was followed by heavy monsoonal rains and subsequent flooding and scouring. We monitored the aquatic macroinvertebrate community at one affected stream, East Turkey Creek, for several years pre- and post-fire. Taxonomic richness was significantly reduced post-fire, while overall abundance of macroinvertebrates remained the same. We observed post-fire increases in relative abundances of certain r-strategist taxa. The most common pre-fire taxa (baetid mayflies and blackflies) remained common post-fire, while other species were undetected for >2 years after the fire, including the largest shredder and top predator. Recovery to prefire levels of taxonomic richness took 2-3 years, and we are continuing to monitor community recovery. With hotter and drier conditions predicted in the Southwest, more frequent and higher severity fires will occur. It is important to understand how these new fire regimes will alter aquatic systems.

Nathan Dorff (Primary Presenter/Author), Missouri State University, natedorff@gmail.com;


Michael Bogan ( Co-Presenter/Co-Author), School of Natural Resources and the Environment, The University of Arizona, mbogan@email.arizona.edu;


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6/08/2017  |   10:15 - 10:30   |  306C

MIGRATION DYNAMICS OF OHIO SHRIMP, MACROBRACHIUM OHIONE, IN THE LOWER MISSISSIPPI RIVER The Ohio shrimp is amphidromous, serving as a trophic link between the Gulf of Mexico and inland reaches of coastal plain rivers. Ohio shrimp feed primarily on basal food resources, transferring energy to fish predators within river channels such as pallid and shovelnose sturgeons. Current distribution, abundance, and life history of Ohio shrimp are relatively unknown upriver of Louisiana. Historical range of Ohio shrimp included the Ohio River and Upper Mississippi River, but abundance upriver of Louisiana has reportedly declined. We collected shrimp monthly from March 2016 through November 2016 with wire-meshed traps deployed along the mainstem Mississippi River and Lower Arkansas, White, and St. Francis rivers. Total catch increased in May, peaked in June, and declined from July to November. We captured a male-skewed population in May, slightly male-skewed in June, and in July the population was female-skewed. Relatively fewer females in traps during spring was possibly a result of downriver movement, indicative of an amphidromous life history. Despite declines from historic densities, Ohio shrimp likely remain important components of food webs in the Arkansas reach of the lower Mississippi River and its tributaries.

Geoffry Spooner (Primary Presenter/Author), University of Central Arkansas, gspooner1@cub.uca.edu;


Lindsey Lewis ( Co-Presenter/Co-Author), US Fish and Wildlife Service, lindsey_lewis@fws.gov;


Reid Adams ( Co-Presenter/Co-Author), University of Central Arkansas, radams@uca.edu;


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