Do installed stream logjams change benthic community structure

Abstract Installed logjams constructed of wood are commonly used in stream restoration projects to provide habitat for lotic organisms. Macroinvertebrate densities are known to increase on logjam surfaces; however, less is known about the influence logjams have on benthic organisms inhabiting the surrounding streambed. To examine this, we conducted a before-after-control-impact (BACI) study in a stream in northern Minnesota, USA, to determine how an installed logjam affected the richness and abundance of three insect orders commonly used in biotic indices, the Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, and Trichoptera (i.e., EPT taxa). A spanning logjam composed of three logs bound together was installed perpendicular to stream flow at the impact site. Initial sampling of the impact site and an upstream control found no differences among the ETP taxa. A year after installation, the logjam accumulated woody debris and altered flow so that near-bed current at the impact site was faster and more heterogeneous than at the control site. Although the richness and abundance of the macroinvertebrate community as a whole did not differ between sites after one year, it did for the Ephemeroptera and Plecoptera at the impact site. By contrast, Trichoptera richness and abundance did not change. Our results lend support to the hypothesis that installed logjams may enhance stream habitat not only by providing colonization surfaces for macroinverbrates, but also by altering the benthic environment of the surrounding habitat.