Spatial and temporal organization of macroinvertebrate assemblages in a lowland floodplain ecosystem.
An important goal in ecology is to understand controls on community structure in spatially and temporally heterogeneous landscapes, a challenge for which riverine floodplains provide ideal laboratories. We evaluated how spatial position, local habitat features, and seasonal flooding interact to shape aquatic invertebrate community composition in an unregulated riverine floodplain in western Alabama. Our results illustrate how geomorphic structure and seasonal flooding interact to shape floodplain aquatic assemblages. The flood pulse of lowland rivers influences biodiversity through effects of connectivity on hydrologic flushing in different floodplain habitats, which may prevent the development of harsh environmental conditions that exclude certain taxa. Such interactions highlight the ongoing consequences of river regulation for taxonomically diverse floodplain ecosystems.
Starr, S.M., J.P. Benstead, and R.A. Sponseller, 2014. Spatial and temporal organization of macroinvertebrate assemblages in a lowland floodplain ecosystem. Landscape Ecology. 29:1017-1031. DOI 10.1007/s10980-014-0037-8 (PDF)
LIDAR image of study region with sampling sites denoted.
Top: Hydrograph and sampling dates. Bottom: Interactions of flood pulses and water temperature.