The Benthic invertebrates of the Buffalo National River
Geltz NR and Kenny SJ. 1982. The Benthic invertebrates of the Buffalo National River
Macroinvertebrates were collected with a circular depletion sampler at eleven sites along the Buffalo National River during March, June and September of 1982. The organisms were isolated in the lab and identified to the generic level, with the exception of the Diptera, and enumerated. A Shannon-Weaver diversity index was calculated for each site for the three sampling seasons. The genera of invertebrates were placed into general trophic habits and the trophic community structure was described along the river. Ephemeroptera and Diptera were the most dominant orders collected and collectors and collector/scrapers were the largest functional feeding groups in the river. The calculation of the H' index at the generic level did not substantially contribute to the understanding of the community structure and water quality of the Buffalo National River. Although areas of the river may be receiving noticable perturbations, the river, in general, does not appear to be depauperate in the numbers or the diversity of organisms.