Stream faunas  and ecoregions in South Island, New Zealand: do they correspond?

Harding, Jon S.; Winterbourn, Michael J.; McDiffett, Wayne F.

doi:10.1127/archiv-hydrobiol/140/1997/289

Cited by 59 publications

(38 citation statements)

References 23 publications

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“…Harding et al (1997) also found that invertebrate communities differed among South Island ecoregions in a more consistent way than indicated by water chemistry (e.g., pH). These authors stressed the importance of climate, geomorphology, catchment, and past biogeographical events as drivers of these observed patterns.…”

Section: Invertebrate Communitiesmentioning

confidence: 71%

Ecoregional differences in macrophyte and macroinvertebrate communities between Westland and Waikato: Are all New Zealand lowland streams the same?

Duggan

Collier

Champion

et al. 2002

New Zealand Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research

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We characterised water chemistry, aquatic habitat, macrophytes, and invertebrate assemblages in eight lowland streams-five in Westland, South Island, and three in the Waikato, North Island, New Zealand. Factors influencing invertebrate community structure over large (between ecoregions) and small (within an ecoregion) spatial scales were investigated. The Westland sites had generally lower nutrient concentrations, conductivity, and water clarity, and coarser substrates than the Waikato sites, reflecting differences in geological history, hydrology, and land-use intensity. The macrophyte communities in each region were very different in species composition and structure, but seasonal abundance patterns in both regions were fairly typical of New Zealand streams in general. Alien obligate submerged macrophyte species were absent from the Westland lowland stream sites, and may partly reflect the isolated nature of this region where colonisation by asexual macrophytes would be difficult. Waikato stream invertebrate faunas were *Author for correspondence. M02006; Published 14 November Received 23 January 2002; accepted 19 July 2002dominated by molluscs (mainly Potamopyrgus) and crustaceans (mainly amphipods), whereas Ephemeroptera, Trichoptera, and Coleoptera taxa dominated the Westland stream faunas. The overall structure of invertebrate assemblages appeared to be influenced by a combination of regional differences in substrate type, nutrient concentrations, water clarity, and macrophyte cover. Westland streams with more upstream pastoral development had higher proportions of molluscs than those with predominantly forested or scrub catchments. Our study suggests that large-scale ecoregional differences may override smaller-scale land-use effects on lowland stream invertebrate communities, and that management strategies should be developed on an ecoregional basis for lowland stream ecosystems.

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Section: Invertebrate Communitiesmentioning

confidence: 71%

Ecoregional differences in macrophyte and macroinvertebrate communities between Westland and Waikato: Are all New Zealand lowland streams the same?

Duggan

Collier

Champion

et al. 2002

New Zealand Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research

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“…Thus, it is probably not surprising that we found few differences in the physical and chemical conditions of these three Christchurch waterways. In general, pH was circum-neutral, and specific conductivity was higher than levels recorded in 100 similar sized streams in a variety of rural catchments throughout the South Island (Harding et al 1997). Although alkalinity differed between -m streams, we suspect the differences were so small as to have little ecological significance.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 90%

Longitudinal patterns in benthic communities in an urban stream under restoration

Blakely¹,

Harding

2005

New Zealand Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research

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Okeover Stream, on the University of Canterbury campus in Christchurch, New Zealand, has been the subject of restoration efforts since 1998. Our study focused on quantifying the response of this urban stream to current restoration efforts. Initially, physico-chemical conditions and biological communities at three sites along the Okeover Stream were compared with three physically similar sites on each of nearby Waimairi Stream and Avon River. General physical and chemical parameters were similar in all streams with circum-neutral pH, specific conductivity ranging from 167 to 173 µS/cm, dissolved oxygen ranging from 9.0 to 9.2 mg/litre, low turbidity, and similar hydrological conditions. However, analysis of heavy metals in the sediment showed mean lead (Pb) communities. Taxonomic richness and caddisfly diversity increased downstream, with twice as many taxa at the most downstream site than the uppermost sampling site. In upper reaches, copper (Cu), Pb, and zinc (Zn) concentrations in sediments all exceeded ANZECC ISQG-low trigger values. Despite ongoing restoration efforts in Okeover Stream, sedimentation, the presence of high heavy metal concentrations, intermittent flows in headwaters, and possible barriers to adult recolonisation seem to be having a continuing negative impact on benthic communities, especially in the headwaters.

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“…Furthermore, the density and diversity of invertebrates in the ultramafic streams were also lower than has been found in other New Zealand rivers and streams with similar elevations (e.g. Quinn and Hickey 1990b;Harding et al 1997). This suggests other features of the stream environment were a primary reason for the low diversity and density of macroinvertebrate communities in the ultramafic streams.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 88%

Influences of geology and land use on macroinvertebrate communities across the Motueka River catchment, New Zealand

Shearer

Young

2011

New Zealand Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research

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The influences of geology and land use on macroinvertebrate communities were investigated in the Motueka River catchment, New Zealand. Comparisons of functional feeding groups, multivariate community composition and biotic indices (MCI, QMCI, %EPT) were made between native forest stream reaches that differed in subcatchment geology (ultramafic, hard sedimentary, granite, gravel, karst) and between stream reaches surrounded by different land uses (native forest, exotic forest and pasture) within two of these geologies (granite, gravel). Differences in invertebrate community density and taxon richness were greater across the three land uses in the same geology than among the five geologies. Macroinvertebrate communities in streams flowing through native forest had greater numbers of shredders, and higher MCI scores than pastoral streams. Exotic forest macroinvertebrate communities were similar to the native forest communities in granite geology, but distinct from both native and pastoral communities in sites with underlying gravel geology. The results demonstrate that there is potential for underlying geology to influence the magnitude of land use impacts on invertebrate communities. The geologies within a catchment should be accounted for when considering the consequences of land development on river and stream communities.

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Stream faunas and ecoregions in South Island, New Zealand: do they correspond?

Cited by 59 publications

References 23 publications

Ecoregional differences in macrophyte and macroinvertebrate communities between Westland and Waikato: Are all New Zealand lowland streams the same?

Ecoregional differences in macrophyte and macroinvertebrate communities between Westland and Waikato: Are all New Zealand lowland streams the same?

Longitudinal patterns in benthic communities in an urban stream under restoration

Influences of geology and land use on macroinvertebrate communities across the Motueka River catchment, New Zealand

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