Macroinvertebrate response to stream restoration by large wood addition

We examined the aquatic macroinvertebrate community response to habitat rehabilitation activities in an incised, sand-bed stream. Seventy-two large wood (LW) structures were placed along 2 km of Little Topashaw Creek (37 km 2 watershed) in north-central Mississippi, USA. Macroinvertebrate collections were made from bed sediments, LW, leaf packs and qualitative multi-habitat sampling during 2 years prior to and 2 years following LW addition. Addition of LW tripled the availability of wood substrate but had no measurable effect on macroinvertebrate abundance or family richness. Ordination analyses revealed subtle differences in community composition between treated and untreated conditions, but these were related to antecedent discharge (occurrence of high flows during the preceding 6 months) and bed sediment composition rather than the availability of LW. Restoration of incising, sand-bed streams must include measures that address perturbed hydrology and degraded water quality as well as instream treatments. Published 2010. This article is a US Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.