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Does Supplementing Dipnet Samples with Activity Traps Improve the Ability to Assess the Biological Integrity of Macroinvertebrate Communities in Depressional Wetlands?

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Abstract

Dipnet (DN) sampling is routinely employed for macroinvertebrate bioassessments in wetlands, but it has been demonstrated that some taxa are more effectively collected with activity traps (AT). The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) used both DN and AT methods to evaluate the biological condition of depressional wetlands in the Mixed Wood Plains (MWP) and Temperate Prairies (TP) ecoregions. Two indices of biotic integrity (IBIs) were developed for each ecoregion using: 1) DN data alone and 2) composite samples consisting of both DN and AT data. ATs collected more active taxa such as diving beetles and swimming Hemiptera. DNs collected more taxa and collected more skating taxa and those associated with sediment or vegetation. A comparison of the effectiveness of the IBIs to evaluate biological condition indicated that the composite data had a slightly better relationship with anthropogenic disturbance and was marginally more precise. A comparison of sampling and processing costs revealed that sampling using composite samples was 130 % greater and processing was 50 % greater compared to DN-only samples. Based on the cost and limited benefit of adding AT samples, a DN-only sampling protocol is recommended to assess biological condition in depressional wetlands.

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Acknowledgments

Field assistance was provided by Judy Helgen, Harold Wiegner, and many student interns. Mark Gernes, Michael Bourdaghs, Dan Helwig, Len Ferrington, Claire Serieyssol, Adam Sealock, and Moriya Rufer provided valuable input during the development of this project. We would like to thank our anonymous reviewers for their helpful comments. Funding for the development of macroinvertebrate IBIs was provided by Clean Water Act Section 104 (b) (3) Wetland Program Development Grants (#CD-995,525-01 & #CD-975,768-01).

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  1. Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, 520 Lafayette Road N, Saint Paul, MN, 55155, USA

    R. W. Bouchard Jr., J. A. Genet & J. W. Chirhart

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  1. R. W. Bouchard Jr.
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  2. J. A. Genet
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  3. J. W. Chirhart
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Correspondence to R. W. Bouchard Jr..

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Bouchard, R.W., Genet, J.A. & Chirhart, J.W. Does Supplementing Dipnet Samples with Activity Traps Improve the Ability to Assess the Biological Integrity of Macroinvertebrate Communities in Depressional Wetlands?. Wetlands 34, 699–711 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13157-014-0535-0

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