Characterization of the density and body size of a Gammarus pulex (Crustacea: Amphipoda) population in subsurface sediments reflects the sampling technique used

Stubbington, R ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8475-5109, Hogan, J-P and Wood, PJ, 2016. Characterization of the density and body size of a Gammarus pulex (Crustacea: Amphipoda) population in subsurface sediments reflects the sampling technique used. Hydrobiologia: the International Journal of Aquatic Sciences, 788 (1), pp. 293-303. ISSN 0018-8158

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Abstract

The hyporheic zone and its invertebrate fauna play vital roles in the functioning of lotic ecosystems. However, although sampling invertebrates from subsurface sediments is recognized as challenging, few studies have quantified the effectiveness of common sampling techniques. We conducted laboratory experiments to compare two common, semi-quantitative pump-sampling techniques – Bou-Rouch and vacuum-pump sampling. We determined the proportion of a Gammarus pulex (Crustacea: Amphipoda) population sampled by each method in five sediment treatments comprising coarse (16-32 mm), medium (8-16 mm), and fine (4-8 mm) gravel and combinations thereof. We compared the body size of individuals sampled and not sampled by each technique to the population mean. Density estimates obtained using both methods were low: 33 ± 5 and 5 ± 1% of the population present for Bou-Rouch and vacuum-pump samples, respectively. Density estimates were significantly higher for Bou-Rouch than for vacuum-pump samples in four sediment treatments, but were comparable in coarse gravel. The body size of organisms captured by the Bou-Rouch technique was comparable to the population mean, whereas those in vacuum-pump samples were smaller. With hyporheic invertebrates suggested as future biomonitors of ecosystem health, we recommend Bou-Rouch sampling as the more effective pump sampling method for community characterization.

Item Type:	Journal article
Publication Title:	Hydrobiologia: the International Journal of Aquatic Sciences
Creators:	Stubbington, R., Hogan, J.-P. and Wood, P.J.
Publisher:	Springer International Publishing
Date:	14 October 2016
Volume:	788
Number:	1
ISSN:	0018-8158
Identifiers:	Number Type 10.1007/s10750-016-3008-z DOI 3008 Publisher Item Identifier
Rights:	© The Author(s) 2016. This article is published with open access at Springerlink.com. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made.
Divisions:	Schools > School of Science and Technology
Record created by:	Jill Tomkinson
Date Added:	21 Oct 2016 10:44
Last Modified:	31 May 2021 15:08
URI:	https://irep.ntu.ac.uk/id/eprint/28908

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