Title
A High Water Summer: Preliminary Report on Benthic Macroinvertebrate Communities in the Upper Main Stem of the Susquehanna River During the Summer of 2015
Start Date
13-11-2015 8:00 PM
End Date
13-11-2015 9:59 PM
Description
The upper main stem of the Susquehanna River at Byers Island has been sampled during June and July since 2009, and this past summer was the wettest summer during that period. Furthermore, the monthly average discharge levels of the river during July exceeded those of any year during the 77 years of USGS records for the upper main stem. The upper main stem is formed from the confluence of the North and West branches, each of which forms a distinctive plume regarding its water chemistry and aquatic communities. We deployed passive samplers (rock baskets and Hester-Dendy multiplate samplers) at two West Branch sites and three North Branch sites in the Byers Island transect. Our study analyzed the communities at the family-level during the summer of 2015 in keeping with samples from previous years. Passive samplers were left in the river for seven weeks during the period of unusually high discharge and collected on July 27. Through a preliminary examination of the taxa recovered from these samplers, the mayfly families Isonychiidae and Heptageniidae appeared to be the most common taxa collected from all sites, along with the caddisfly family Hydropsychidae. Other families of Ephemeroptera, such as Ephemerellidae and Caenidae were present at each site, but much rarer in frequency. Of all the taxa collected, Ephemeroptera appeared to have the most diverse taxa. Plecoptera, Odonata and Diptera appeared to be uncommon across all sites. Comparisons with previous year’s collections will be made to establish the presence of any discernible trends. Hester-Dendy multiplate samplers are continuing to be processed, and further identifications will be made to create a more panoramic view of the health of the Susquehanna River, as well as the diversity of its macroinvertebrate communities.
Type
Poster
Language
eng
A High Water Summer: Preliminary Report on Benthic Macroinvertebrate Communities in the Upper Main Stem of the Susquehanna River During the Summer of 2015
Elaine Langone Center, Terrace Room
The upper main stem of the Susquehanna River at Byers Island has been sampled during June and July since 2009, and this past summer was the wettest summer during that period. Furthermore, the monthly average discharge levels of the river during July exceeded those of any year during the 77 years of USGS records for the upper main stem. The upper main stem is formed from the confluence of the North and West branches, each of which forms a distinctive plume regarding its water chemistry and aquatic communities. We deployed passive samplers (rock baskets and Hester-Dendy multiplate samplers) at two West Branch sites and three North Branch sites in the Byers Island transect. Our study analyzed the communities at the family-level during the summer of 2015 in keeping with samples from previous years. Passive samplers were left in the river for seven weeks during the period of unusually high discharge and collected on July 27. Through a preliminary examination of the taxa recovered from these samplers, the mayfly families Isonychiidae and Heptageniidae appeared to be the most common taxa collected from all sites, along with the caddisfly family Hydropsychidae. Other families of Ephemeroptera, such as Ephemerellidae and Caenidae were present at each site, but much rarer in frequency. Of all the taxa collected, Ephemeroptera appeared to have the most diverse taxa. Plecoptera, Odonata and Diptera appeared to be uncommon across all sites. Comparisons with previous year’s collections will be made to establish the presence of any discernible trends. Hester-Dendy multiplate samplers are continuing to be processed, and further identifications will be made to create a more panoramic view of the health of the Susquehanna River, as well as the diversity of its macroinvertebrate communities.