Electrofishing is a commonly used method to capture fish, but not as frequently used for collecting invertebrates, so-called “electrobugging”. It is well known that electrofishing has a negative effect on some organismss, but not many studies have investigated how invertebrates, e.g. invertebrate larvae are affected. There is no knowledge of whether the larva is damaged or killed by electrofishing. Some larvae can be used assess water quality. A measurement of how polluted freshwater is, the three orders Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera and Trichoptera (EPT) are used, which are very sensitive to pollution and eutrophication in running water. When electrofishing you need to adapt the method due to the water, where an important parameter is the conductivity. In this study, an investigation on how EPT is affected by two different conductivities 15.7 and 25.0 mS/m. How EPT is affected by the catching methods kick sampling and electrobugging. As well as whether there is a difference in catch efficiency between electrobugging and kick sampling depending on the different orders being captured. In this study, the conductivity tests were conducted in a laboratory and the comparison of the two catch methods and catch efficiency were conducted in field. It was 12.5 % of EPT which died in control and 2.5 % died of electrobugging in the two different conductivities. In kick samples, the delayed mortality was higher in the order Trichoptera (31%) than in Ephemeroptera (21%). Water conductivity has no effect on the extent to which EPT is affected by electrobugging at 400V. Only Ephemeroptera is more adversely affected by electrobugging than by kick sampling as a collection method. There is a difference in catch efficiency between electrobugging and kick sampling regarding the order that is caught. / Elfiske är en vanlig metod för att samla in fiskar, men används inte lika ofta för att samla in evertebrater, så kallad ”electrobugging”. Att elfiske påverkar en del organismer negativt är känt men det är inte så många studier som undersökt hur evertebrater t.ex. sländor, påverkas. Det saknas kunskap om huruvida sländorna skadas eller dör till följd av elfisket. Några sländeordningar kan användas för att tala om hur vattnet mår. Ett mått på hur förorenat sötvatten är så används de tre ordningarna Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, och Trichoptera (EPT) vilka är väldigt känsliga för föroreningar och övergödning i rinnandevatten. När man elfiskar behöver man anpassa metoden efter vattnet, där en viktig parameter är konduktiviteten. I denna studie undersöktes hur EPT påverkas av två olika konduktiviteter 15,7 och 25,0 mS/m. Hur EPT påverkas av fångstmetoderna sparkprov och electrobugging. Samt om det finns en skillnad i fångsteffektivitet mellan electrobugging och sparkprover beroende på vilka olika ordningar som fångas. I denna studie gjordes test på konduktivitet i labb och jämförelsen av de två fångstmetoderna och fångsteffektiviteten i fält. Det var 12,5 % av EPT som dog i kontroll och 2,5 % dog av electrobugging i de två olika konduktiviteterna. I sparkprover var den fördröjda dödligheten högre hos Trichoptera (31%) än hos Ephemeroptera (21 %). Vattnets konduktivitet har inte någon betydelse i för i vilken utsträckning EPT påverkas av electrobugging vid 400V. Det är endast Ephemeroptera som påverkas mer negativt av electrobugging än av sparkprover som insamlingsmetod. Det finns en skillnad i fångsteffektivitet mellan electrobugging och sparkprover gällande vilka ordningar man fångar.

Large areas of northern Sweden have been ditched to promote forest growth by draining wet soils and peatlands. These ditches have greatly added to length of Sweden’s stream and river network, but the ecological properties of these man-made aquatic environments is poorly understood. The aim of this thesis was to evaluate the extent to which forest ditches support benthic macroinvertebrate communities, test the factors might influence variation in these communities across ditches, and evaluate how these communities differ from those observed in more natural headwater streams. To do this, I analysed macroinvertebrate family richness and community composition from 16 sampling sites distributed across two ditch networks in northern Boreal Sweden. At each site, I also compiled information related to channel structure, water depth, and the upstream distance from more typical headwater streams. I then tested whether variation in community metrics among ditch sites was related to differences in local habitat properties as well in the spatial position of sites within the ditch network.  Finally, I used existing data from four headwater streams within the same broader catchment to evaluate how these communities compare with those observed in forest drainage ditches. Results showed that macroinvertebrate family richness and community composition varied among ditch sampling sites, but that these systems supported a range of aquatic taxa that are typically found in headwater streams.  Overall, family richness tended to increase among ditch sampling locations that had greater water depth at the time of sampling and that were located further downstream in the ditch network. In addition, sampling locations with mineral substrate tended to support communities with a greater representation of more sensitive aquatic orders when compared to sites dominated by peat sediments. Finally, while family richness was not significantly different between ditches and headwater streams, benthic communities in streams were dominated by different set of taxa that reflect greater flow velocity and better overall water quality conditions.  Overall, my results suggest ditches in the boreal forest landscape can support benthic communities that closely resemble what is observed in headwater streams. However, ditch habitats were also highly variable, with several sites indicating poor local habitat conditions for many benthic organisms.  Hydrological patterns, including water depth, but also unmeasured variables like flow velocity and the potential for seasonal drying likely play a key role in influencing the ecological properties of ditches in these landscapes.

Invasions from coho salmon were first reported in the Cape Horn Biosphere Reserve (CHBR) in 2019 which is the most southern distribution registered to date. The CHBR is known for its high number of endemic species and unique biodiversity, such as the native fishes Galaxias maculatus and Aplochiton taeniatus. There are now three invasive salmonid species in the rivers of CHBR and are a potential threat to the native fish taxa. Stable isotope and gut content analysis were used to understand resource utilization by both native galaxiid and invasive salmonid taxa, as well as aquatic macroinvertebrates and riparian spiders. The natural laboratory study approach applied to this research, allowed for comparisons of differences within streams that contain conditions in which fish do not occur naturally, to sites in which high densities of invasive salmonid exist. Analysis of the trophic niche and diet in this study showed the importance of marine resource use by the native galaxiid and coho salmon juveniles supported with elevated δ15N and δ34S ratios. Diet analysis also confirmed there was the highest similarity between the coho salmon juveniles and the native fish. Altered behavior and habitat use was shown through the isotope and diet analysis for the galaxiid in snow melt streams which could be due to the high density of invasive salmonids in these streams. The invasive salmonids were found to impact aquatic macroinvertebrate populations, specifically larger bodied Trichoptera abundance. Aquatic insect emergence was negatively correlated to salmonid densities. The aquatic insect emergence revealed alterations with significantly higher biomass of aquatic insect emergence in upstream sites without invasive fish. Lastly, aquatic insect predator (Hydrobiosidae: Rheochorema sp.) exhibited a suppressed trophic position in rivers with invasive salmonids. An unexpected finding from the study was the refugium stream habitat conditions that has been shown to be important for conserving the native fish in the CHBR. We conclude that the impacts from invasive species are significant enough to disrupt lower trophic levels especially aquatic insects. The altered aquatic emergence and insect behavior have the potential to disrupt food webs and ecosystem functioning in the southernmost protected ecoregion in the world.

The Dallas-Fort Worth International (DFW) Airport is located in a densely urbanized area with one of the fastest-growing populations in the U.S.A. The airport property includes a large tract of "protected" riparian forest that is unique to the urban surroundings. This dissertation explores variables that influence the benthic macroinvertebrate community structure found in urbanized prairie streams that were initially assessed by the University of North Texas (UNT) Benthic Ecology Lab during four, non-consecutive biomonitoring studies (2004, 2005, 2008, and 2014) funded by the DFW Airport. Additionally, land use analysis was performed using 5-meter resolution satellite imagery and eCognition to characterize the imperviousness of the study area watersheds at multiple scales. Overall, flow conditions and imperviousness at the watershed scale explained the most variability in the benthic stream community. Chironomidae taxa made up 20-50% of stream communities and outperformed all other taxa groups in discriminating between sites of similar flows and urban impairments. This finding highlights the need for genus level identifications of the chironomid family, especially as the dominant taxa in urban prairie streams. Over the course of these biomonitoring survey events, normal flow conditions and flows associated with supra-seasonal drought were experienced. Prevailing drought conditions of 2014 did not negatively influence stream communities, allowing this study to capture the long-term natural (temporal) variability of urban prairie stream communities. Such long-term studies are imperative for discerning between stream impairment versus natural variation, especially as droughts become more frequent and severe.

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