Abstract
Two methods were used to sample aquatic macroinvertebrates in three turloughs. Turloughs are systems that flood periodically from groundwater, in response to local rainfall patterns and contain rare aquatic species and assemblages. The first method used a standard pond net that was swept through the water column, while the second involved fixing a rectangular, open-bottomed box to the substrata and removing all organisms with a net. Similar overall sampling effort was applied to each method and individual box samples were found to take longer to gather than pond net samples. The box method, however, gave the maximum yield for a given sampling effort. Significantly more beetle species and individuals were recorded per unit area of bottom at all three turloughs using the box method. Multivariate analysis segregated samples, firstly according to site and secondly, with respect to method. The box method is a viable alternative to sampling with a pond net. It is more quantitative, objective, specific and reliable. This is particularly important in habitats distinguished by rare species and assemblages, and for which monitoring is driven by legislative needs.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Ali, T. H.,J. M. C. Holmes & J. N. R. Grainger, 1987. Diaptomus cyaneus Gurney, a freshwater copepod new to Britain and Ireland. Irish Naturalists' Journal 22: 240-241.
Bates, M., 1941. Field studies of the anopheline mosquitoes of Albania. Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington 43: 39-58.
Bilton, D. T., 1988. A survey of aquatic Coleoptera in central Ireland and the Burren. Bulletin of the Irish Biogeographical Society 11: 77-94.
Bilton, D. T. & D. A. Lott, 1991. Further records of aquatic Coleoptera from Ireland. Irish Naturalists' Journal 23: 389-397.
Bradish, S., A. O Connor & T. Reed, 2002. New records of the water beetles Berosus signaticollis (Charpentier) and Graptodytes bilineatus (Sturm) in turloughs. Irish Naturalists' Journal 27: 83-84.
Cao, Y., D. D. Williams & N. E. Williams, 1998. How important are rare species in aquatic community ecology and bioassessment? Limnology and Oceanography 43: 1403-1409.
Cheal, F.,J. A. Davis, J. E. Growns, J. S. Bradley & F. H. Whittles, 1992. The influence of sampling method on the classification of wetland macroinvertebrate communities. Hydrobiologia 257: 47-55.
Cox, R., J. F. Wright, M. T. Furse & D. Moss, 1995. RIVPACS III (River InVertebrate Prediction and Classification System) User Manual. Report to the National Rivers Authority.
Coxon, C., 1987a. The spatial distribution of turloughs. Irish Geography 20: 11-23.
Coxon, C., 1987b. An analysis of the characteristics of turloughs using multivariate statistical techniques. Irish Geography 20: 24-42.
Coxon, C., 1994. Carbonate Deposition in Turloughs (Seasonal Lakes) on the Western Limestone Lowlands of Ireland. I: Present day processes. Irish Geography 27: 14-27.
Croset, H., B. Papierot, J. A. Rioux, A. Gabinaud, J. Cousserans & D. Arnaud, 1976. Absolute estimates of larval populations of culicid mosquitoes: comparison of 'capturerecapture','removal' and 'dipping' methods. Ecological Entomology 1:251-256.
Crossman, J. S. & J. Cairns Jr., 1974. A comparative study between two different artificial substrate samplers and regular sampling techniques. Hydrobiologia 44: 517-522.
Cummins, K. W., 1962. An evaluation of some techniques for the collection and analysis of benthic samples with special emphasis on lotic waters. The American Midland Naturalist 67: 477-504.
de Eyto, E., 1999. The ecology of the family Chydoridae (Branchiopoda, Anomopoda) and its application to lake monitoring. Unpublished PhD Thesis, University of Dublin, Trinity College, Dublin.
Duigan, C., 1988. The Cladocera (Crustacea) of Lough Ree and neighbouring waterbodies in Ireland. Bulletin of the Irish Biogeographical Society 11: 100-113.
Duigan, C. A. & D. G. Frey, 1987a. Eurycercus glacialis, a chydorid cladoceran new to Ireland. Irish Naturalists' Journal 22: 180-183.
Duigan, C. A. & D. G. Frey, 1987b. Eurycercus glacialis in Ireland (Cladocera, Chydoridae). Internationale Revue der Gesampten Hydrobiologie 72: 235-249.
Elliott, J. M. & P. A. Tullet, 1978. A bibliography of samplers for benthic invertebrates. Freshwater Biological Association, Scientific Publication No. 4, Ambleside.
Elliott, J. M. & K. H. Mann, 1979. A key to the British freshwater leeches. Freshwater Biological Association, Scientific Publication No. 40, Ambleside.
Elliott, J. M., U. H. Humpesch & T. T. Macan, 1988. Larvae of the British Ephemeroptera. Freshwater Biological Association, Scientific Publication No. 49, Ambleside.
Fitter, R. & R. Manuel, 1994. Lakes, rivers, streams & ponds of Britain and north-west Europe. Collins Photo Guide, Harper Collins, Hong Kong.
Flanagan, P. J. & P. F. Toner, 1972. The National Survey of Irish Rivers. A Report on Water Quality. An Foras Forbartha, WR/R1, Dublin.
Foster, G. N., B. H. Nelson, D. T. Bilton, D. A. Lott, R. Merrit, R. S. Weyl & M. D. Eyre, 1992. A classification and evaluation of Irish water beetle assemblages. Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems 2: 185-208.
Friday, L. E., 1988. A key to the adults of British water beetles. Field Studies Council Publication 189.
Furse, M. T., J. F. Wright, P. D. Armitage & D. Moss, 1981. An appraisal of pond-net samples for biological monitoring of lotic macro-invertebrates. Water Research 15: 679-689.
Gledhill, T., D. W. Sutcliffe & W. D. Willaims, 1993. British Freshwater Crustacea Malacostraca: a key with ecological notes. Freshwater Biological Association, Scientific Publication No. 52, Ambleside.
Good, J. A. & F. T. Butler, 2001. Turlough pastures as a habitat for Staphylinidae and Carabidae (Coleoptera) in south-east Galway and north Clare, Ireland. Bulletin of the Irish Biogeographical Society 25: 74-94.
Goodwillie, R., S. Heery & S. Keane, 1997. Wetland vegetation in the Gort lowlands. In Jennings, O'Donovan & Partners (eds), An Investigation of the Flooding Problems in the Gort-Ardrahan Area of South Galway, Ecology Baseline Study. OPW, Dublku 1-131.
Goodwin, M. H. Jr. & D. E. Eyles, 1942. Measurements of larval populations of Anopheles quadrimaculatus, Say. Ecology 23: 376.
Grainger, J. N. R. & J. M. C. Holmes, 1989. Further records of Diaptomus cyaneus Gurney, (Crustacea: Copepoda) from temporary waterbodies in Ireland. Irish Naturalists' Journal 23: 160-161.
Hilsenhoff, W. L., 1969. An artificial substrate device for sampling benthic stream invertebrates. Limnology & Oceanography 14: 465-471.
Humphries, P., J. E. Growns, L. G. Serafini, J. H. Hawking, A.J. Chick & P. S. Lake, 1998. Macroinvertebrate sampling methods for lowland Australian rivers. Hydrobiologia 364: 209-218.
I.S.O., 1985. Methods of biological sampling-Guidance on hand-net sampling of aquatic benthic macro-invertebrates. International Standard 7828, International Organisation for Standardization, Geneva.
James, H. G. & C. F. Nicholls, 1961. A sampling cage for aquatic insects. The Canadian Entomologist 939: 1053-1055.
Lott, D. A. & D. T. Bilton, 1991. Records of Coleoptera from Irish wetland sites in 1989. Bulletin of the Irish Biogeographical Society 14: 60-72.
Macan, T. T., 1958. Methods for sampling the bottom fauna in stony streams. Mitteilungen der Internationalen Vereiningung für Theoretische und Angewandte Limnologie 8: 1-21.
Macan, T. T., 1977. The fauna in the vegetation of a moorland fishpond as revealed by different methods of collecting. Hydrobiologia 55: 3-15.
Macan, T. T. & R. D. Cooper, 1977. A key to the British freshand brackish-water gastropods. Freshwater Biological Association, Scientific Publication No. 13, Ambleside.
Mackey, A. P., D. A. Cooling & A. D. Berrie, 1984. An evaluation of sampling strategies for qualitative surveys of macro-invertebrates in rivers, using pond nets. Journal of Applied Ecology 21: 515-534.
MacGowran, B., 1979. Rorippa islandica (Oeder ex Murray) Borbas in turloughs of south east Galway (H 15). Irish Naturalists' Journal 19: 326-327.
Maitland, P. S., 1969. A simple corer for sampling sand and finer sediments in shallow water. Limnology and Oceanography: 151-156.
Marchant, R., A. Hirst, R. Norris, R. Butcher, L. Metzeling & D. Tiller, 1997. Classification and prediction of macroinvertebrate assemblages from running waters in Victoria, Australia. Journal of the North American Benthological Society 16: 664-681.
Metzeling, L. & J. Miller, 2001. Evaluations of the sample size used for the rapid bioassessment of rivers using macroinvertebrates. Hydrobiologia 444: 159-170.
Muzaffar, S. B. & M. H. Colbo, 2002. The effects of sampling technique on the ecological characterization of shallow benthic macroinvertebrate communities in two Newfoundland ponds. Hydrobiologia 477: 31-39.
Ní; Bhrí;aí;n, B., M. Sheehy Skeffington & M. Gormally, 2002. Conservation implications of land use practices on the plant and carabid communities of two turloughs in Co. Galway, Ireland. Biological Conservation 105: 81-92.
O'Connell, M., J. B. Ryan & B. A. MacGowran, 1984. Wetland communities in Ireland: a phytosociological review, In Moore, P. D. (ed.), European Mires. Academic Press, London: 303-364.
O Connor, A., 2000. The development of aquatic macroinvertebrate communities in two artificial wetlands on Irish cutaway bog, with particular reference to Corixidae (Hemiptera Heteroptera). Unpublished PhD Thesis, University of Dublin,Trinity College, Dublin.
Owen, J. A., 1997. Beetles (Coleoptera) recorded from variousjrish sites in 1993, 1994 and 1996. Bulletin of the Irish Biogeographical Society 20: 136-154.
Praeger, R. L., 1932. The flora of the turloughs: a preliminary note. Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy, Section B XLI: 32-45.
Reynolds, J. D., 1982. Ecology of turloughs (Vanishing Lakes) in the Burren, Western Ireland. Transactions 14th International Congress of Game Biologists 14: 183-188.
Reynolds, J. D., 1985. Cladocera from Burren turloughs at Mullagh More, Co. Clare. Bulletin of the Irish Biogeographical Society 9: 51-54.
Reynolds, J. D., 1996. Turloughs, their significance and possibilities for conservation. In Reynolds, J. D. (ed.), The Conservation of Aquatic Systems. Royal Irish Academy, Dublin: 38-46.
Reynolds, J. D., 2000. Invertebrate communities of turloughs (temporary lakes) in south-east Galway, Ireland. Verhandlungen Internationale Vereinigung fü r Thoretische und und Angewandte Limnologie 27: 1679-1684.
Reynolds, J. D., C. Duignan, F. Marnell & A. O'Connor, 1998. Extreme and ephemeral water bodies in Ireland. In Giller, P. S. (ed), Studies in Irish Limnology. Marine Institute, Dublin: 67-99.
Reynolds, J. D. & F. Marnell, 1999. New records of Eurycercus glacialis (Cladocera: Chydoridae) in turloughs in south-east Galway. Irish Naturalists' Journal 26: 177-180.
Ryder, C., R. J. Me Donnell, M. J. Gormally & L. Knutson, 2003. Colobaea distincta (Meigen): a sciomyzid (Diptera) new to Ireland with a key to the Irish species of the genus. Irish Naturalists' Journal 27: 184-186.
Ryder, C., J. Moran, R. J. Mc Donnell & M. J. Gormally, in press. Nature conservation implications of grazing practices on the plant and dipteran communities of a turlough in Co. Mayo, Ireland. Biodiversity and Conservation.
SAC, 1978. Methods for biological sampling-Hand-net sampling of aquatic benthic macroinvertebrates.Methods for the Examination of Waters and Associated Materials, Standing Committee of Analysts, HMSO, London.
Savage, A. A., 1989. Adults of the British aquatic Hemiptera Heteroptera: a key with ecological notes. Freshwater Biological Association, Scientific Publication No. 50, Ambleside.
Turak, E. & N. Waddell, 2002. Australia-Wide Assessment of River Health: New South Wales AusRivAs Sampling and Processing Manual. Monitoring River Health Initiative Technical Report no. 13, Commonwealth of Australia and NSW Environmental Protection Authority, Canberra and Sydney.
Wallace, I. D., B. Wallace & G. N. Philipson, 1990. A key to the case-bearing caddis larvae of Britain and Ireland. Freshwater Biological Association, Scientific Publication No. 51, Ambleside.
Wright, J. F., D. Moss, P. D. Armitage & M. T. Furse, 1984. A preliminary classifications of running-water sites in Great Britain based on macro-invertebrate species and the prediction of community type using environmental data. Freshwater Biology 14: 221-256.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
O Connor, Á., Bradish, S., Reed, T. et al. A Comparison of the Efficacy of Pond-Net and Box Sampling Methods in Turloughs - Irish Ephemeral Aquatic Systems. Hydrobiologia 524, 133–144 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1023/B:HYDR.0000036128.83998.44
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/B:HYDR.0000036128.83998.44