Characterization of macroinvertebrate communities in the hyporheic zone of river ecosystems reflects the pump-sampling technique used

Stubbington, R. ORCID: 0000-0001-8475-5109, Dole-Olivier, M.-J., Galassi, D.M.P., Hogan, J.-P. and Wood, P.J., 2016. Characterization of macroinvertebrate communities in the hyporheic zone of river ecosystems reflects the pump-sampling technique used. PLOS ONE, 11 (10), e0164372. ISSN 1932-6203

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Abstract

The hyporheic zone of river ecosystems provides a habitat for a diverse macroinvertebrate community that makes a vital contribution to ecosystem functioning and biodiversity. However, effective methods for sampling this community have proved difficult to establish, due to the inaccessibility of subsurface sediments. The aim of this study was to compare the two most common semi-quantitative macroinvertebrate pump-sampling techniques: BouRouch and vacuum-pump sampling. We used both techniques to collect replicate samples in three contrasting temperate-zone streams, in each of two biogeographical regions (Atlantic region, central England, UK; Continental region, southeast France). Results were typically consistent across streams in both regions: Bou-Rouch samples provided significantly higher estimates of taxa richness, macroinvertebrate abundance, and the abundance of all UK and eight of 10 French common taxa. Seven and nine taxa which were rare in Bou-Rouch samples were absent from vacuum-pump samples in the UK and France, respectively; no taxon was repeatedly sampled exclusively by the vacuum pump. Rarefaction curves (rescaled to the number of incidences) and non-parametric richness estimators indicated no significant difference in richness between techniques, highlighting the capture of more individuals as crucial to Bou-Rouch sampling performance. Compared to assemblages in replicate vacuum-pump samples, multivariate analyses indicated greater distinction among Bou-Rouch assemblages from different streams, as well as significantly greater consistency in assemblage composition among replicate Bou-Rouch samples collected in one stream. We recommend Bou-Rouch sampling for most study types, including rapid biomonitoring surveys and studies requiring acquisition of comprehensive tax on lists that include rare taxa. Despite collecting fewer macroinvertebrates, vacuum-pump sampling remains an important option for inexpensive and rapid sample collection.

Item Type:	Journal article
Publication Title:	PLOS ONE
Creators:	Stubbington, R., Dole-Olivier, M.-J., Galassi, D.M.P., Hogan, J.-P. and Wood, P.J.
Publisher:	PLOS (Public Library of Science)
Date:	10 October 2016
Volume:	11
Number:	10
ISSN:	1932-6203
Identifiers:	Number Type 10.1371/journal.pone.0164372 DOI
Rights:	Copyright: © 2016 Stubbington et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Divisions:	Schools > School of Science and Technology
Record created by:	Jill Tomkinson
Date Added:	11 Oct 2016 12:46
Last Modified:	12 Oct 2017 13:24
URI:	https://irep.ntu.ac.uk/id/eprint/28815

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