Abstract
An ecological study of the Leeston drain, a small stony stream enriched by septic tank and dairy shed effluents was conducted over a one-year period in 1972–'73. Physical and chemical factors, sediment composition and benthic fauna were sampled at four stations along the drain. Dissolved oxygen concentration was always high but BOD5 was high variable. Nitrate-N concentration declined from source to mouth but phosphate-P levels were elevated in the vicinity of Leeston township where heavy growths of aquatic macrophytes occurred. The benthic fauna was dominated by Oligochaeta (15 species) and a gastropod, Potamopyrgus antipodarum. Differences in size and species composition of the fauna along the drain reflected differences in flow rate, organic enrichment and the nature of the substrate.
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Marshall, J.W., Winterbourn, M.J. An ecological study of a small New Zealand stream with particular reference to the Oligochaeta. Hydrobiologia 65, 199–208 (1979). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00038860
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00038860