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A suction pump sampler for invertebrate drift detects exceptionally high concentrations of small invertebrates that drift nets miss

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Abstract

Invertebrate drift is a key process in riverine ecosystems controlling aquatic invertebrate distribution and availability to fish as prey. However, accurately quantifying drifting invertebrates of all sizes is difficult because the fine-mesh nets required to capture the smallest specimens clog easily, which reduces filtration efficiency and measurement accuracy. To address this problem, we developed a gas-powered pump system that delivers 20 m3/hour of river water through nested 80- and 750-μm-mesh nets suspended in the air. We compared 17 pumped samples with those obtained by adjacent, conventional deployment of a 250-μm drift net in a clear-water Alaskan river during both low and high flows. Our drift pump system sampled a geometric mean drift concentration of 467 invertebrates m−3 (maximum 5637 m−3) – eleven times the mean concentration of \(42\) m−3 estimated using the drift net. Invertebrates ≤ 3 mm long, primarily chironomids, comprised the entire difference between methods. Investigators for whom the drift of 0.5–3 mm invertebrates might be relevant (e.g., those applying foraging models for juvenile drift-feeding fishes) should consider using a pump or similar aerial filtration method to quantify small invertebrate drift, lest they underestimate it by an order of magnitude.

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Acknowledgements

This study was made possible by the hard work of lead 2019 field technician Zachary Maguire and field assistants Olivia Edwards, Clint Wyatt, David Fish, Michael McNulty, Jon Dixon, Cole Michaelis, Ben Meyer, Joe Spencer, Jake Danner, and Matt Stoller, as well as Bob Wisseman and staff at Aquatic Biology Associates, and net fabrication by Sandy Neuswanger. We thank Jeffrey Muehlbauer for helpful comments on the manuscript. This study was funded by award # NA18NMF4380261 from the Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the U.S. Department of Commerce, administered by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game’s Alaska Sustainable Salmon Fund as project # 52002. The statements, findings, and conclusions are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S. Department of Commerce, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. Any use of trade, firm, or product names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.

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Author notes

  1. Erik R. Schoen

    Present address: International Arctic Research Center, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Post Office Box 757340, Fairbanks, AK, 99775-7340, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. South Fork Research, Inc., 44842 SE 145th St, North Bend, WA, 98045, USA

    Jason R. Neuswanger

  2. Institute of Arctic Biology, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Post Office Box 757000, Fairbanks, AK, 99775, USA

    Erik R. Schoen

  3. Alaska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Institute of Arctic Biology, U.S. Geological Survey, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, USA

    Mark S. Wipfli

  4. South Fork Research, Inc, 44842 SE 145th St, North Bend, WA, 98045, USA

    Carol J. Volk

  5. Division of Sport Fish, Department of Fish and Game, 1300 College Road, Fairbanks, AK, 99701, USA

    James W. Savereide

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  1. Jason R. Neuswanger
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Correspondence to Jason R. Neuswanger.

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Mark Wipfli–Retired

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Neuswanger, J.R., Schoen, E.R., Wipfli, M.S. et al. A suction pump sampler for invertebrate drift detects exceptionally high concentrations of small invertebrates that drift nets miss. Hydrobiologia 849, 2077–2089 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-022-04849-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-022-04849-1

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