Abstract
The surface and hyporheic fauna of a riffle area in Salem Creek near Elmira, Ontario, was investigated with a Surber and a corer sampler. A stratified random sampling design estimated the number of invertebrates at 154 561 (109 805–224 155) m−2 in June and at 64 407 (40 905–97 996) m−2 in October with more than 70% of the animals occurring below 5 cm. There was a great spatial variation of the hyporheos density in the three dimensions of the riffle, which seemed to be related mostly to hydrogeological characteristics (superficial groundwater flow and grain size). Upward water movement in the centre of the stream occurred in the upper two transects, especially from the upper right bank, while the lower transect showed little water transmission. Hyporheos composition is discussed in regard to life history and the input of organic materials. Only two of nine pairs of Surber samples showed a high degree of similarity (0.68, 0.81). The surficial spatial density and diversity were examined in relation to the available surface and to substrate heterogeneity. It is concluded that the great variations between samples caused by many factors present severe problems in the collection of reliable quantitative samples.
Résumé
La faune de surface et celle de l'hyporhélique d'un radier de Salem Creek près d'Elmira, Ontario, ont été étudiées à l'aide de l'échantillonneur de Surber et d'un carottier. Un échantillonnage aléatoire stratifié a permis d'estimer le nombre d'invertébrés a 154 561 (109 805–224 155) m−2 en juin et à 64 407 (40 905–97 996) m−2 en octobre. Environ 70% de la faune benthique a été retrouvée entre 5 et 65 cm. La densité de l'hyporhéos présente de grandes variations spatiales, et celles-ci semblent etre reliées aux caractéristiques hydrogéologiques (mouvement des eaux souterraines superficielles et taille des particules). Un net mouvement ascendant dirigé vers le centre du radier a été détecté dans les deux transects situés en amont; aucun mouvement n'a été mesuré dans un troisième transect situé an aval. La composition de l'hyporhéos est mise en relation avec les cycles vitaux et avec l'apport des matières organiques. Des 9 paires d'échantillons recueillis au Surber, deux seulement présentent un certain degré de similarité (0.68, 0.81). Les variations spatiales de la densité et de la diversité de la faune de surface furent mises en corrélation avec la surface disponible et l'hétérogénéité du substrat. On en conclu que la grande variabilité entre les échantillons dans les deux habitats est due à plusieurs facteurs et qu'elle pose de sérieux problèms pour l'estimation de paramètres quantitatifs.
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Godbout, L., Hynes, H.B.N. The three dimensional distribution of the fauna in a single riffle in a stream in Ontario. Hydrobiologia 97, 87–96 (1982). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00014962
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00014962