Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Commons^™

The Response Of First And Second Order Streams To Urban Land-Use In Maine, U.S.A., Chandler Morse

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Physical, chemical, and biological characteristics of streams draining 20 catchments in Maine, U.S.A were compared to determine the influence of increasing urban intensity on stream ecosystem structure. The catchments had varying levels of urban land-use (percentage of the total impervious area within the catchment) ranging from 1-31%. Stream habitat quality, stability, and water quality consistently decreased as the proportion of impervious surface area increased within the catchment. .Indices based on stream benthic macroinvertebrate communities showed even stronger declines as a function of increasing impervious area in the study catchments. Streams draining catchments with levels of impervious surfaces <6% had higher levels of both total and Ephemeroptera + Plecoptera + Trichoptera (EPT) taxonomic richness. With increased levels of urban intensity, benthic macroinvertebrate communities in streams were characterized by decreased numbers of sensitive taxa. Taxa considered to be moderately sensitive to anthropogenic stress (e.g. Acerpenna (Ephemeroptera), Paracapnia …