Threatened or Endangered Aquatic Insect Survey of Obed Wild and Scenic River
Cook SB and Hutton B. 2009. Threatened or Endangered Aquatic Insect Survey of Obed Wild and Scenic River
Survey of Macroivertebrates in OBRI with emphasis on finding rare and threatened species. The Obed Wild and Scenic River (OBRI) is part of the Emory River Watershed, located within the Cumberland Plateau and Cumberland Mountains of east Tennessee. This watershed totals over 2,065 km of streams, of which the OBRI includes over 72 km. Regional geologic formations are composed of Pennsylvanian-age conglomerate, sandstone, siltstone, and shale covered by mostly well-drained, acidic soils of low fertility (TDEC 2000). Land use distribution within the Emory River Watershed is as follows: 73% forest, 25% agriculture, 1% open water, and 1% urban (TDEC 2000). Sixty-eight rare species have been found within this watershed, including federally listed threatened and endangered fish and mussel species (TDEC 2000). Twenty-nine state and/or federally listed species have been identified in the OBRI, therefore, understanding the biodiversity associated with the OBRI is critical. Specific objectives of the study were to: Conduct aquatic insect surveys at a representative number of sample sites representing all suitable habitats to determine composition, relative abundance, and location of aquatic insect species, with special attention given to threatened and endangered species; Create a Global Information System (GIS) database with which to record locations and species of aquatic insects; and Prepare a final report (MS Word format) detailing survey findings, seasonal variation in aquatic insect communities, and photographs/illustrations of each species.
- Type
- Academic
- Authors
- Cook, S.; Hutton, Ben
- Date of Issue
- 2009-12
- Units
- OBRI
- Keywords
- Aquatic, Benthic, Freshwater, Insects, Inventory, Macroinvertebrate, Macroinvertebrate Inventory, Rare, sensitive, thesis, Threatened