Effects of Inundation on Water Chemistry and Invertebrates in Floodplain Wetlands

Abstract

Floodplain wetlands play a significant role in the storage of sediment and water and support high levels of nutrient cycling that lead to substantial primary production and high biodiversity. This storage, cycling and production system is driven by intermittent inundation. In regulated rivers the link between channel flows and floodplain inundation is often impacted with reduction in the frequency and duration of inundation. Managed floodplain inundation is us being used as a tool to help restore floodplain wetland processes and rehabilitate river systems. However, the use of managed water for the environment remains contentious and it is important to quantify the outcomes of re-introducing water to floodplain wetland systems. We examined the effects of environmental floodplain watering on water chemistry and three groups of invertebrates, including benthic and pelagic invertebrates and macroinvertebrates, in wetlands on the Gwydir River system in the north of the Murray-Darling Basin. We hypothesised that wetlands that were inundated for longer periods of time would have altered water chemistry and support a greater richness and abundance of invertebrates, thus altering their assemblage structures. Water chemistry and the assemblage structure of all three invertebrate groups in the wetlands was significantly influenced by the time since connection (TSC) to their respective rivers and therefore inundation period. The microinvertebrate abundance of was positively associated with TSC, but not macroinvertebrates. This suggests that the duration of connection between the channel and floodplain is important in maintaining the ecology and food webs in the wetlands.