A Survey of Aquatic Macroinvertebrates at Kings Mountain National Military Park
Brown BL, Pike J, Clemson University. 2011. A Survey of Aquatic Macroinvertebrates at Kings Mountain National Military Park. Clemson, South Carolina
The identification of land use impacts on stream habitats and biotic assemblages constitutes as an essential component of resource management (Richards et al. 1996). Stream hydrology, chemistry, geomorphology, and biotic assemblage structure are tightly linked with a suite of regional terrestrial factors including climate, vegetation, slope, elevation, geology, and land cover/land use (Johnson and Gage 1997). Because stream ecosystems are so tightly linked with their terrestrial watersheds, disturbances of land surfaces often lead to disturbances within their corresponding aquatic ecosystems (Wang et al. 2001, Wang 2003). The work proposed here characterizes the aquatic macroinvertebrate community and the biotic condition of watersheds on KMNMP and may be used to better manage the aquatic resources found within the Park. This work develops a structure and the initial dataset that may be used for measuring progress towards maintain biological integrity within the Park. Objective 1: to determine the aquatic macroinvertebrate assemblage at representative sample sites from the waters within the Park, sample site being located by collaboration with Park staff. Objective 2: the development of a sampling scheme which yields taxonomic composition and relative abundance, as well as establish a methodology for future monitoring of aquatic macroinvertebrates by Park staff or citizen scientists. Objective 3: the utilization of standard sampling equipment and data descriptions which produce exchangeable results with South Carolina and North Carolina state agencies. Objective 4: point sampling of water quality parameters (pH, temperature, conductivity, dissolved oxygen) at time of aquatic macroinvertebrate sampling.
- Type
- Unpublished Report
- Authors
- Brown, Bryan; Pike, Jeremy; Clemson University
- Date of Issue
- 2011
- Units
- KIMO
- Keywords
- aquatic macroinvertebrates, biotic conditions, Cumberland Piedmont Network, CUPN, KIMO, Kings Mountain National Military Park, KMNMP, Water Quality, Watersheds
- Subjects
- Ecological Framework: Water | Water Quality | Aquatic Macroinvertebrates and Algae , Ecological Framework: Biological Integrity | Focal Species or Communities | Freshwater Communities , Ecological Framework: Biological Integrity | Focal Species or Communities | Freshwater Invertebrates