Physicochemical Characteristics and Benthic Macroinvertebrate Communities in Temporary Surface Waters of Northern Stark County, Ohio

Abstract

Natural habitats located in urbanized regions are increasingly being impacted by residential, commercial and agricultural development, but little is known about their biotic and abiotic characteristics. Temporary aquatic habitats are less protected by environmental regulations than permanently flooded habitats, and they have been historically understudied. We sampled temporary aquatic habitats including vernal pools, other emergent wetlands and intermittent streams in northeastern Ohio over a two-year period to characterize the macroinvertebrate communities and abiotic characteristics of each habitat type. Duration of inundation of the habitat was the single largest contributing factor to benthic macroinvertebrate community structure. Macroinvertebrate community variability was greater among habitat types than within types suggesting that different habitats type do play a role in selecting for different invertebrate species. Macroinvertebrate abundance and diversity, and functional feeding group patterns differed among seasons. Dissolved oxygen, oxidation-reduction potential and conductivity explained a significant portion of the variability in macroinvertebrate community structure, and these differed among habitat types. Our results suggest that abiotic characteristics have a greater role in determining macroinvertebrate community structure than habitat type.