Vertical Migration of Adult Stream Insects Above Forested Headwater Stream Environments
Start Date
26-10-2018 8:00 PM
End Date
26-10-2018 10:00 PM
Description
Aquatic insects have a life cycle that includes a larval aquatic stage and an adult terrestrial stage. Stream insects generally stay above the stream channel as adults, but dispersal through upland areas does connect populations in neighboring streams. Wings with high aspect ratio (i.e., long and thin wings) may be an adaptation for gliding that allows long distance dispersal. Similarly, little information exists about species- and sex-specific preferences for utilizing forest canopy habitats. We performed a study that examined the abundance of adult plecopteran that move into the forest canopy compared to individuals found close to the stream. During the summer (2017 and 2018) and autumn 2018, we set up malaise and canopy traps at four streams in the Mosquito Creek Watershed (Lycoming County, PA). We deployed traps for 2-week periods in Jun/Jul and Sep/Oct and identified all Trichoptera and Plectopera to family and Ephemeroptera to order. We also identified the sex of the plecopteran individuals. We found overall lower abundances in the canopy, and some differences in taxon composition between canopy and above-stream habitats.
Keywords
Mosquito Creek, adult stage, stream insect, Plecoptera, headwater stream
Type
Poster
Session
Poster session
Language
eng
Vertical Migration of Adult Stream Insects Above Forested Headwater Stream Environments
Elaine Langone Center, Terrace Room
Aquatic insects have a life cycle that includes a larval aquatic stage and an adult terrestrial stage. Stream insects generally stay above the stream channel as adults, but dispersal through upland areas does connect populations in neighboring streams. Wings with high aspect ratio (i.e., long and thin wings) may be an adaptation for gliding that allows long distance dispersal. Similarly, little information exists about species- and sex-specific preferences for utilizing forest canopy habitats. We performed a study that examined the abundance of adult plecopteran that move into the forest canopy compared to individuals found close to the stream. During the summer (2017 and 2018) and autumn 2018, we set up malaise and canopy traps at four streams in the Mosquito Creek Watershed (Lycoming County, PA). We deployed traps for 2-week periods in Jun/Jul and Sep/Oct and identified all Trichoptera and Plectopera to family and Ephemeroptera to order. We also identified the sex of the plecopteran individuals. We found overall lower abundances in the canopy, and some differences in taxon composition between canopy and above-stream habitats.