A new stream sampler for estimating densities and biomass of macroinvertebrates and standing stocks of organic matter on boulders and bedrock in pools.
Abstract: Among
the wide variety of benthic sampling methods and devices, none to our
knowledge has been described for quantitatively sampling the benthos
associated with large boulders and bedrock in still-water pools.
Benthic samplers for stream pools, such as the stovepipe core, are
designed for fine substrates (Merritt et al. 1996). However,
still-water pools dominated by boulders/bedrock, with cobble, gravel,
leaves and sticks in the crevices between boulders, are often a major
habitat. In our studies of mountain streams in Puerto Rico, an average
of 47% (range: 15-77%) of pool substrate measurements are boulder or
bedrock (diameter ≥ 256 mm). Thus, we developed a benthic sampler
for use on boulder/bedrock habitats in still-water pools where use of
traditional samplers is not tractable due to the lack of flow and large
substrate sizes. The sampler, which we call the "benthic block net,"
can be used for sampling quantitatively (abundance/biomass per unit
area) or semiquantitatively (relative abundances/biomass). Because
still-water boulder/bedrock pools are important habitats in various
high-gradient streams throughout the world, our sampler may be useful
in a variety of benthological studies.
Greathouse, E. and C. M. Pringle. 2006. A new stream sampler for estimating densities and biomass of macroinvertebrates and standing stocks of organic matter on boulders and bedrock in pools. Verhandlungen Internationale Verein. Limnol. 29: 975-978.
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