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Influences of agricultural landuse and seasonal changes in abiotic conditions on invertebrate colonisation of riparian leaf detritus in intermittent streams

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Abstract

The structure and function of agricultural stream reaches with sparse riparian and floodplain vegetation differ from those of forested reaches, but may be ‘reset’ as these streams flow through reaches with forested riparian zones. We investigated whether invertebrate colonisation of River Red Gum (Eucalyptus camaldulensis) leaf packs in lowland intermittent streams was influenced by the adjacent reach-scale landuse (cleared farmland or forested reserve) within an agricultural catchment in Victoria, Australia. Further, we examined the influence of seasonal changes in hydrology and associated changes in abiotic conditions on the colonisation of leaves by repeating experiments over two summers and one spring. Across these experiments, there were no consistent differences in the structure of communities that colonised leaves in farmland and reserve reaches. In both seasons, most leaf colonists were collectors and few were shredders in both farmland and reserve reaches. Relative abundances of gastropod grazers were much higher in summer than in spring. The structure of invertebrate communities colonising leaves in the different reaches converged over time when streams flowed in spring, but diverged over time as the streams dried and abiotic conditions within disconnected pools became increasingly harsh in summer. Thus, patterns of leaf pack colonisation were influenced by the regional climate causing large seasonal changes in hydrology, but not by reach-scale landuse. The large-scale disturbances of agricultural landuse across the catchment and a supra-seasonal drought probably contributed to low diversities of invertebrate communities in the streams.

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Acknowledgments

This research was funded by the School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, and the Co-operative Research Centre for Freshwater Ecology, whilst DJR held a Monash Postgraduate Scholarship. Thanks to the landholders whom allowed access to their properties, Alena Glaister for much assistance with identifying invertebrates, Karen Cooper for all of her help in the field, and two anonymous reviewers and the editor for comments which helped to improve this paper.

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  1. David J. Reid

    Present address: 560 Riverside Drive, Apt 2A, New York, NY, USA

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  1. School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, 3800, Australia

    David J. Reid & P. S. Lake

  2. School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Warrnambool, VIC, 3280, Australia

    Gerry P. Quinn

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Reid, D.J., Lake, P.S. & Quinn, G.P. Influences of agricultural landuse and seasonal changes in abiotic conditions on invertebrate colonisation of riparian leaf detritus in intermittent streams. Aquat Sci 75, 285–297 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00027-012-0273-4

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