Abstract not available

Impending natural resources development and concern about the effects of climate change have spurred increased efforts to study and monitor aquatic habitats in the Mackenzie River system. As part of Environment Canada’s attempt to survey the system in advance of the construction of the Mackenzie Gas Pipeline, benthic macroinvertebrates were sampled at 50 streams spanning the geographical range of the Mackenzie system in the Northwest Territories, Canada, to assess spatial patterns in diversity and assemblage structure and the environmental factors driving them. Replicated, quantitative D-net samples were collected during the late summer of 2005 through 2008, mostly at crossings of the proposed pipeline route. 373 macroinvertebrate taxa were recorded, mainly aquatic insects, which were identified to the genus or species levels; other groups were identified to higher taxonomic levels. Ephemeroptera and Plecoptera diversity declined along a latitudinal gradient, while Trichoptera diversity declined in the middle of the latitudinal range and rose towards the far north. Chironomidae (Diptera) increased in diversity and abundance towards the far north, becoming dominant in the northern sub-arctic forest and lowland tundra of the Mackenzie Delta. Diversity, measured as the average generic richness per stream, correlated with a composite environmental variable representing stream size, but not much else; spatial trends in local generic richness were only apparent in the far north of the study area. Regional diversity was assessed using rarefaction curves and showed a clear decrease from south to north across the study area for most taxa; the major exception was the chironomid subfamilies Orthocladiinae and Chironomini, the former being diverse throughout the study area and the latter increasing in diversity on the tundra. Odonata, Hemiptera and Coleoptera were well-represented in the south of the study area, but decreased sharply in diversity and abundance in the north; another common order, Megaloptera, was entirely absent from the study area, as were crayfish. Community composition varied along a latitudinal gradient, with some species restricted to northern latitudes and many more species restricted to the southern areas. Composition varied by region, as did the environmental factors that control it. Streams in the north of the system are connected to hundreds of small lakes and tend to freeze in the winter, which increases habitat stability; assemblages in this region were characterized by relatively large chironomids that are usually associated with lentic habitats and by a lack of taxa that are intolerant to freezing. Substrate was the main factor explaining differences in assemblage composition in this region. Just to the south, alluvial streams are more common and permafrost is continuous with very shallow active layers, iv which likely results in intense discharge peaks and ice scour in the spring and flashy summer hydrographs. Invertebrates in this region were mainly short-lived, small sized orthoclads, baetids and chloroperlids; the annual disturbance regime seems likely to be an important factor shaping community composition in this region. Many streams in this region received input from saline springs, resulting in perennial flow, and these streams harboured several taxa that were absent or rare in other streams at similar latitudes, including several stoneflies (e.g. Pteronarcys, Sweltsa); the presence of flow during the winter was found to be a major factor affecting community composition in this region, which surrounded the town of Norman Wells, NT. Nutrient dynamics appeared to be important in structuring benthic assemblages in the southern portion of the study region, with highnutrient streams supporting a diverse fauna which included many taxa that were absent in the north, while communities in low-nutrient streams were more similar to the northern alluvial stream fauna. There was no spatial distinction between low- and high-nutrient streams in the southern region, and the difference may be due to the local conditions of permafrost, which is patchy and discontinuous in the region. Evidence that winter ice and permafrost conditions are important drivers of benthic invertebrate diversity and community composition in the Mackenzie system, along with the latitudinal gradients which are consistent with a temperature/climate gradient, raises the possibility that benthic assemblages may be useful as indicators of effects of global climate change on freshwater habitats in the Canadian north. More immediately, construction of the Mackenzie Gas Pipeline may affect stream habitat due to sedimentation, and plans for the operation of the pipeline have raised concerns about potential effects on permafrost conditions. Implications for development of a biomonitoring program utilizing benthic invertebrates and their potential as indicators of climate change are discussed.

Impending natural resources development and concern about the effects of climate change have spurred increased efforts to study and monitor aquatic habitats in the Mackenzie River system. As part of Environment Canada’s attempt to survey the system in advance of the construction of the Mackenzie Gas Pipeline, benthic macroinvertebrates were sampled at 50 streams spanning the geographical range of the Mackenzie system in the Northwest Territories, Canada, to assess spatial patterns in diversity and assemblage structure and the environmental factors driving them. Replicated, quantitative D-net samples were collected during the late summer of 2005 through 2008, mostly at crossings of the proposed pipeline route. 373 macroinvertebrate taxa were recorded, mainly aquatic insects, which were identified to the genus or species levels; other groups were identified to higher taxonomic levels. Ephemeroptera and Plecoptera diversity declined along a latitudinal gradient, while Trichoptera diversity declined in the middle of the latitudinal range and rose towards the far north. Chironomidae (Diptera) increased in diversity and abundance towards the far north, becoming dominant in the northern sub-arctic forest and lowland tundra of the Mackenzie Delta. Diversity, measured as the average generic richness per stream, correlated with a composite environmental variable representing stream size, but not much else; spatial trends in local generic richness were only apparent in the far north of the study area. Regional diversity was assessed using rarefaction curves and showed a clear decrease from south to north across the study area for most taxa; the major exception was the chironomid subfamilies Orthocladiinae and Chironomini, the former being diverse throughout the study area and the latter increasing in diversity on the tundra. Odonata, Hemiptera and Coleoptera were well-represented in the south of the study area, but decreased sharply in diversity and abundance in the north; another common order, Megaloptera, was entirely absent from the study area, as were crayfish. Community composition varied along a latitudinal gradient, with some species restricted to northern latitudes and many more species restricted to the southern areas. Composition varied by region, as did the environmental factors that control it. Streams in the north of the system are connected to hundreds of small lakes and tend to freeze in the winter, which increases habitat stability; assemblages in this region were characterized by relatively large chironomids that are usually associated with lentic habitats and by a lack of taxa that are intolerant to freezing. Substrate was the main factor explaining differences in assemblage composition in this region. Just to the south, alluvial streams are more common and permafrost is continuous with very shallow active layers, iv which likely results in intense discharge peaks and ice scour in the spring and flashy summer hydrographs. Invertebrates in this region were mainly short-lived, small sized orthoclads, baetids and chloroperlids; the annual disturbance regime seems likely to be an important factor shaping community composition in this region. Many streams in this region received input from saline springs, resulting in perennial flow, and these streams harboured several taxa that were absent or rare in other streams at similar latitudes, including several stoneflies (e.g. Pteronarcys, Sweltsa); the presence of flow during the winter was found to be a major factor affecting community composition in this region, which surrounded the town of Norman Wells, NT. Nutrient dynamics appeared to be important in structuring benthic assemblages in the southern portion of the study region, with highnutrient streams supporting a diverse fauna which included many taxa that were absent in the north, while communities in low-nutrient streams were more similar to the northern alluvial stream fauna. There was no spatial distinction between low- and high-nutrient streams in the southern region, and the difference may be due to the local conditions of permafrost, which is patchy and discontinuous in the region. Evidence that winter ice and permafrost conditions are important drivers of benthic invertebrate diversity and community composition in the Mackenzie system, along with the latitudinal gradients which are consistent with a temperature/climate gradient, raises the possibility that benthic assemblages may be useful as indicators of effects of global climate change on freshwater habitats in the Canadian north. More immediately, construction of the Mackenzie Gas Pipeline may affect stream habitat due to sedimentation, and plans for the operation of the pipeline have raised concerns about potential effects on permafrost conditions. Implications for development of a biomonitoring program utilizing benthic invertebrates and their potential as indicators of climate change are discussed.

Invasive organisms are one of the major threats to the ecological integrity of aquatic systems in the 21st century. Among the most notorious and important aquatic invasive organisms are the dreissenid mussels, Dreissena polymorpha and D. rostriformis bugensis, which having originated in the Ponto-Caspian region are now common in many parts of Europe and North America. Dreissenids have large impacts on many aspects of lentic ecosystem functioning, the sum of which is thought to lead to the translocation of biological production from the pelagic to the littoral zones of lakes. In this thesis I explore the effects of dreissenids on the nearshore zones of large lakes, investigate the mechanisms by which dreissenids couple the pelagic and nearshore zones of lakes and attempt to elucidate the factors affecting the strength of the dreissenid-mediated connection between the pelagic and littoral zones. The effects of invasive organisms on an aquatic ecosystem will depend, in part, on the distribution and biomass of the invasive organisms in the system. In chapter 2 I present the results of a lake-wide survey of the distribution of invasive dreissenid mussels in Lake Simcoe, Ontario and discuss some of the factors that shape their distribution pattern in the lake. Dreissenid biomass averaged 27.2 (±24.3 SD) g shell-free dry mass (SFDM)/m2 in the main basin of Lake Simcoe and 12.4 (±16.9 SD) g SFDM/m2 in macrophyte-dominated Cook’s Bay. I argue that water movement is an important determinant of dreissenid distribution, both through catastrophic disturbance in shallow water and through non-catastrophic effects on substrate distribution and possibly food supply rates. In areas of dense macrophyte growth, mussel abundance was shown to be associated with that of preferred macrophyte taxa, in particular with that of Ceratophyllum demersum. I used the results of my survey and the relationships between environmental variables and dreissenid biomass to estimate the total biomass of dreissenids in Lake Simcoe: 12,000 tonnes SFDM. Most of the dreissenid biomass in Lake Simcoe was concentrated in the nearshore zone, where dreissenids would have maximal impacts on littoral biological production. One of the effects of the dreissenid invasion into the Laurentian Great Lakes appears to be a resurgence in the abundance of the nuisance alga Cladophora glomerata which experienced a marked decline following phosphorus abatement in the late 1970s and early 1980s. A subsidy of bioavailable phosphorus excreted by dreissenid mussels could be an important mechanism facilitating the growth of C. glomerata. In chapter 3, I describe a survey of dreissenid distribution and abundance followed by in situ experiments designed to measure dreissenid phosphorus excretion rates. Average dreissenid mussel abundance in our study area was 3674 (±2233 SD) individuals/m2, with an average biomass of 52.2 (±29.0 SD) g of shell free dry mass/m2. The mussels excreted bioavailable soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP) at an average rate of 7.0 μg SRP/g shell free dry mass/hour, contributing about 11 tonnes of SRP to the study area over the C. glomerata growing season. Dreissenids appear to be an important source of recycled bioavailable phosphorus to the littoral zone, potentially supplying more soluble reactive phosphorus to the study area than local watercourses and waste water treatment plants, and more phosphorus than is required to sustain local C. glomerata growth. Dreissenid establishment in many systems coincides with increases in the abundance and diversity of littoral benthic invertebrates and with changes to community composition of the benthos. Currently, there is a lack of long-term studies of the impact of dreissenid mussels on hard-substrate inhabiting littoral benthos. In chapter 4 I compare the littoral benthos of Lake Simcoe, Ontario just prior, and 14 years following the establishment of dreissenids in the lake. Densities of non-dreissenid invertebrates on hard substrata increased by nearly 50 times, from an average of 367.9 (±460.8 SD) individuals/m2 in 1993 to an average of 16,706.4 (±10,204.5 SD) individuals/m2 in 2008. The taxonomic diversity of the benthos increased significantly. The distribution of benthic organisms also changed; the numerical abundance of benthos has become more even across depths and sites, as has community composition. I suggest that in addition to increasing resource availability to benthic organisms dreissenids have also caused a homogenization of the littoral habitat by increasing the evenness of the distribution of food and habitat resources. The changes in the littoral benthic community in Lake Simcoe likely have wide-ranging implications to higher trophic levels and the cycling of energy in the lake. In addition to impacting nutrient cycling and the benthic invertebrate communities of littoral zones, dreissenid mussels can have large effects on food webs and energy cycling. In chapter 5 I used stable isotope analysis of pre- and post-dreissenid components of the nearshore food web of Lake Simcoe, Ontario to determine how dreissenids affected food sources and energy flow in the littoral zone of Lake Simcoe. Results suggest that the post-dreissenid food web relies about equally on two energy sources: dreissenid biodeposits (redirected pelagic primary production) and littoral benthic primary producers. Although the relative importance of pelagic and benthic primary production to benthic organisms has not changed much following dreissenid establishment, the absolute importance of both increased considerably in the post-dreissenid littoral zone: the large increase in invertebrate biomass that followed dreissenid establishment means that the amount of both pelagic and benthic primary production needed to sustain post-dreissenid organisms had to increase considerably. The results of this chapter suggest that dreissenids increase the availability to food to littoral organisms by redirecting pelagic primary production to the benthos and by stimulating littoral benthic primary production. The impacts of dreissenids on littoral benthic organisms probably have large effects on littoral and pelagic fish communities of lakes. Dreissenid mussels translocate biological production to the benthos by stimulating benthic primary production through nutrient excretion and increases in water clarity, by increasing habitat availability for benthic organisms and by biodepositing pelagic material that becomes available to benthic organisms and the fish that feed on them. I argue that hydrodynamic factors are important in controlling the strength of the dreissenid-mediated pelagic-littoral connection in lakes. Because hydrodynamics relate to lake size, a relationship between lake size and the ability of dreissenids to translocate production the littoral zone can be postulated, where dreissenid effects are maximal in intermediate-sized lakes.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--York University, 2000. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references. Also available on the Internet. MODE OF ACCESS via web browser by entering the following URL: http://wwwlib.umi.com/cr/yorku/fullcit?pNQ56267.

Invasive organisms are one of the major threats to the ecological integrity of aquatic systems in the 21st century. Among the most notorious and important aquatic invasive organisms are the dreissenid mussels, Dreissena polymorpha and D. rostriformis bugensis, which having originated in the Ponto-Caspian region are now common in many parts of Europe and North America. Dreissenids have large impacts on many aspects of lentic ecosystem functioning, the sum of which is thought to lead to the translocation of biological production from the pelagic to the littoral zones of lakes. In this thesis I explore the effects of dreissenids on the nearshore zones of large lakes, investigate the mechanisms by which dreissenids couple the pelagic and nearshore zones of lakes and attempt to elucidate the factors affecting the strength of the dreissenid-mediated connection between the pelagic and littoral zones. The effects of invasive organisms on an aquatic ecosystem will depend, in part, on the distribution and biomass of the invasive organisms in the system. In chapter 2 I present the results of a lake-wide survey of the distribution of invasive dreissenid mussels in Lake Simcoe, Ontario and discuss some of the factors that shape their distribution pattern in the lake. Dreissenid biomass averaged 27.2 (±24.3 SD) g shell-free dry mass (SFDM)/m2 in the main basin of Lake Simcoe and 12.4 (±16.9 SD) g SFDM/m2 in macrophyte-dominated Cook’s Bay. I argue that water movement is an important determinant of dreissenid distribution, both through catastrophic disturbance in shallow water and through non-catastrophic effects on substrate distribution and possibly food supply rates. In areas of dense macrophyte growth, mussel abundance was shown to be associated with that of preferred macrophyte taxa, in particular with that of Ceratophyllum demersum. I used the results of my survey and the relationships between environmental variables and dreissenid biomass to estimate the total biomass of dreissenids in Lake Simcoe: 12,000 tonnes SFDM. Most of the dreissenid biomass in Lake Simcoe was concentrated in the nearshore zone, where dreissenids would have maximal impacts on littoral biological production. One of the effects of the dreissenid invasion into the Laurentian Great Lakes appears to be a resurgence in the abundance of the nuisance alga Cladophora glomerata which experienced a marked decline following phosphorus abatement in the late 1970s and early 1980s. A subsidy of bioavailable phosphorus excreted by dreissenid mussels could be an important mechanism facilitating the growth of C. glomerata. In chapter 3, I describe a survey of dreissenid distribution and abundance followed by in situ experiments designed to measure dreissenid phosphorus excretion rates. Average dreissenid mussel abundance in our study area was 3674 (±2233 SD) individuals/m2, with an average biomass of 52.2 (±29.0 SD) g of shell free dry mass/m2. The mussels excreted bioavailable soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP) at an average rate of 7.0 μg SRP/g shell free dry mass/hour, contributing about 11 tonnes of SRP to the study area over the C. glomerata growing season. Dreissenids appear to be an important source of recycled bioavailable phosphorus to the littoral zone, potentially supplying more soluble reactive phosphorus to the study area than local watercourses and waste water treatment plants, and more phosphorus than is required to sustain local C. glomerata growth. Dreissenid establishment in many systems coincides with increases in the abundance and diversity of littoral benthic invertebrates and with changes to community composition of the benthos. Currently, there is a lack of long-term studies of the impact of dreissenid mussels on hard-substrate inhabiting littoral benthos. In chapter 4 I compare the littoral benthos of Lake Simcoe, Ontario just prior, and 14 years following the establishment of dreissenids in the lake. Densities of non-dreissenid invertebrates on hard substrata increased by nearly 50 times, from an average of 367.9 (±460.8 SD) individuals/m2 in 1993 to an average of 16,706.4 (±10,204.5 SD) individuals/m2 in 2008. The taxonomic diversity of the benthos increased significantly. The distribution of benthic organisms also changed; the numerical abundance of benthos has become more even across depths and sites, as has community composition. I suggest that in addition to increasing resource availability to benthic organisms dreissenids have also caused a homogenization of the littoral habitat by increasing the evenness of the distribution of food and habitat resources. The changes in the littoral benthic community in Lake Simcoe likely have wide-ranging implications to higher trophic levels and the cycling of energy in the lake. In addition to impacting nutrient cycling and the benthic invertebrate communities of littoral zones, dreissenid mussels can have large effects on food webs and energy cycling. In chapter 5 I used stable isotope analysis of pre- and post-dreissenid components of the nearshore food web of Lake Simcoe, Ontario to determine how dreissenids affected food sources and energy flow in the littoral zone of Lake Simcoe. Results suggest that the post-dreissenid food web relies about equally on two energy sources: dreissenid biodeposits (redirected pelagic primary production) and littoral benthic primary producers. Although the relative importance of pelagic and benthic primary production to benthic organisms has not changed much following dreissenid establishment, the absolute importance of both increased considerably in the post-dreissenid littoral zone: the large increase in invertebrate biomass that followed dreissenid establishment means that the amount of both pelagic and benthic primary production needed to sustain post-dreissenid organisms had to increase considerably. The results of this chapter suggest that dreissenids increase the availability to food to littoral organisms by redirecting pelagic primary production to the benthos and by stimulating littoral benthic primary production. The impacts of dreissenids on littoral benthic organisms probably have large effects on littoral and pelagic fish communities of lakes. Dreissenid mussels translocate biological production to the benthos by stimulating benthic primary production through nutrient excretion and increases in water clarity, by increasing habitat availability for benthic organisms and by biodepositing pelagic material that becomes available to benthic organisms and the fish that feed on them. I argue that hydrodynamic factors are important in controlling the strength of the dreissenid-mediated pelagic-littoral connection in lakes. Because hydrodynamics relate to lake size, a relationship between lake size and the ability of dreissenids to translocate production the littoral zone can be postulated, where dreissenid effects are maximal in intermediate-sized lakes.

No description available.

"Exotic willows (Salix spp.) are widespread riparian tree species of streams in temperate Australian and New Zealand. In Australian willow speicies are declared weeds of national significance, yet little is known about the novel habitats they create not the impact on aquatic biota of vegetation change following willow management programs ..." [leaf i] / Doctor of Philosophy

"Exotic willows (Salix spp.) are widespread riparian tree species of streams in temperate Australian and New Zealand. In Australian willow speicies are declared weeds of national significance, yet little is known about the novel habitats they create not the impact on aquatic biota of vegetation change following willow management programs ..." [leaf i] / Doctor of Philosophy

This body of work examines the influence of land use on nearshore water quality, and how this can drive changes to algal and invertebrate communities along Australia's southern coastline. The overall aim of the thesis was to investigate links between increasing coastal water-column nitrogen concentrations (derived from terrestrial inputs) and the expansion of turf-forming habitats that can alter the structure and function of subtidal ecosystems. I initially tested whether human activities in coastal catchments can increase subsidies of nitrogen to open rocky coasts. I identified landscape-scale variation in the supply of Dissolved Inorganic Nitrogen (DIN) to coastal waters adjacent to natural, agricultural and urban catchments. Compared to natural catchments, subsidies of DIN were 8 - 407 times greater in urban catchments, and 1 - 63 times greater in agricultural catchments. Subsidies of nitrogen from urban catchments were attributed to the release of sewage effluent, as delineated by δ¹ ⁵N isotopic values of transplanted algae. Having made this link, I then assessed whether catchment-scale variation in nitrogen subsidies may predict patterns of subtidal habitat structure, particularly as related to theories of regime shifts from forested landscapes to structurally depauperate turf-forming habitats. I validated this hypothesis, demonstrating that both relative covers and patch-sizes of turfed habitat were greater where the ratio of terrestrial nitrogen inputs to ambient coastal resources was large. An important realisation was that loss of forests may be more strongly related to the size of subsidy (i.e. the relative increases in water column nitrogen concentrations along urban coasts) rather than the size of coastal populations. Together, these data link coastal development with modified land-to-sea subsidies, and indirectly support the model that ecological effects may be proportional to the disparity between donor and recipient resources. Having demonstrated a link between nitrogen subsidies and subtidal habitat change, I then investigated factors likely to initiate and maintain such shifts. My results demonstrate that nutrient elevation can alter the natural phenology of turfs, sustaining dense covers throughout periods of natural senescence (winter). Perennial turf covers are able to accumulate large volumes of sediment; a synergy can impede the winter recruitment of canopy-forming species (kelps and fucoid algae). My observations of reduced forest recovery along urban coasts serve to highlight the complex interaction between elevated nutrients, persistent turf covers and increased sediment accumulation, which can reduce the resilience of coastal ecosystems to disturbance. In recognition that regime shifts are likely to have consequences for higher trophic levels, I compared the diet of invertebrate herbivores from healthy and degraded coastlines using stable isotope analysis (δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N). Dietary modelling showed that turfs contributed more to the diet of consumers along degraded coastlines where turfed landscapes have replaced extensive covers of macroalgal forest. Additionally, there were strong correlations between covers of turfed habitat, herbivore diet and relative densities. Changes to ambient food quality associated with regime shift may be an important aspect of nutrient-driven change along human-dominated coastlines. The final component of my thesis redressed some of the uncertainty about restoration initiatives for urban coasts by demonstrating that regime shifts are not necessarily permanent. I showed that turf removal can facilitate the recovery of degraded forests. Future restoration, therefore, is a possible outcome of polices that aim to decouple the link between nutrient inputs and recalcitrant turfed habitats that prevent forest recovery. Initiatives that reduce nutrient discharge to coastal waters (e.g., wastewater recycling) are likely to restore the resilience of nearshore marine ecosystems and promote their rehabilitation. / http://proxy.library.adelaide.edu.au/login?url= http://library.adelaide.edu.au/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?BBID=1473469 / Thesis (Ph.D.) -- University of Adelaide, School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, 2009