Impacts of land use on the structure of river macroinvertebrate communities across Tasmania, Australia: spatial scales and thresholds
Regina H. Magierowski A D , Peter E. Davies A B , Steve M. Read C and Nelli Horrigan A
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
A School of Zoology, University of Tasmania, Private Bag 05, Hobart, Tas. 7000, Australia.
B Freshwater Systems, 82 Waimea Avenue, Sandy Bay, Tas. 7005, Australia.
C Forestry Tasmania, Box 207, Hobart, Tas. 7001, Australia.
D Corresponding author. Email: reginam@utas.edu.au
Marine and Freshwater Research 63(9) 762-776 https://doi.org/10.1071/MF11267
Submitted: 6 December 2011 Accepted: 19 July 2012 Published: 8 October 2012
Abstract
The formulation of scientifically justified guidelines for management of anthropogenic impacts on river health requires better understanding of the quantitative linkages among river-system parameters. The present study examines relationships between land use and biological metrics of river health in Tasmania, in the context of a variety of environmental drivers. An extensive dataset (103 sites) of macroinvertebrate assemblages was collected between 1999 and 2006. We hypothesised that grazing by domestic livestock would have the greatest impact on community structure of the land-use types investigated because grazing is a dominant land-use type in Tasmania (and can cover a large proportion of catchment area), because land clearance for grazing is rarely followed by regeneration and because historically riparian vegetation has not been protected. Multivariate and correlation analysis showed that community structure responded strongly to land use and confirmed that the strongest relationships were observed for grazing land use and environmental variables associated with grazing, such as e.g. water abstraction and/or regulation and riparian vegetation. Analyses accounting for hydrological region and location confirmed the generality of this relationship. We conclude that catchment-wide management actions would be required to mitigate these impacts of grazing because land use and riparian vegetation condition were generally stronger determinants of community structure at catchment rather than local scales.
Additional keywords: biological indicators, catchment management, data mining.
References
Allan, J. D. (2004). Landscapes and riverscapes: the influence of land use on stream ecosystems. Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics 35, 257–284.| Landscapes and riverscapes: the influence of land use on stream ecosystems.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Allan, J. D., Erickson, D. L., and Fay, J. (1997). The influence of catchment land-use on stream integrity across multiple spatial scales. Freshwater Biology 37, 149–161.
| The influence of catchment land-use on stream integrity across multiple spatial scales.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Anderson, M. J. (2001). A new method for non-parametric multivariate analysis of variance. Austral Ecology 26, 32–46.
Anderson, M. J. (2004). ‘DISTLM v.5: a FORTRAN Computer Program to Calculate a Distance-based Multivariate Analysis for a Linear Model.’ (Department of Statistics, University of Auckland: New Zealand.)
ANRDL (2008). ‘Australian Natural Resources Data Library.’ Available at http://adl.brs.gov.au [accessed July 2009].
Benjamini, Y., and Hochberg, Y. (2000). On the adaptive control of the false discovery rate in multiple testing with independent statistics. Journal of Educational and Behavioral Statistics 25, 60–83.
Bernot, M. J., Sobota, D. J., Hall, R. O., Mulholland, P. J., Dodds, W. K., Webster, J. R., Tank, J. L., Ashkenas, L. R., Cooper, L. W., Dahm, C. N., Gregory, S. V., Grimm, N. B., Hamilton, S. K., Johnson, S. L., McDowell, W. H., Meyer, J. L., Peterson, B., Poole, G. C., Valett, H. M., Arango, C., Beaulieu, J. J., Burgin, A. J., Crenshaw, C., Helton, A. M., Johnson, L., Merriam, J., Niederlehner, B. R., O’Brien, J. M., Potter, J. D., Sheibley, R. W., Thomas, S. M., and Wilson, K. (2010). Inter-regional comparison of land-use effects on stream metabolism. Freshwater Biology 55, 1874–1890.
| Inter-regional comparison of land-use effects on stream metabolism.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Braccia, A., and Voshell, J. R. (2006). Environmental factors accounting for benthic macroinvertebrate assemblage structure at the sample scale in streams subjected to a gradient of cattle grazing. Hydrobiologia 573, 55–73.
| Environmental factors accounting for benthic macroinvertebrate assemblage structure at the sample scale in streams subjected to a gradient of cattle grazing.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Breiman, L., Friedman, J. H., Olshen, R. A., and Stone, C. J. (1984). ‘Classification and Regression Trees.’ (Wadsworth & Brooks/Cole Advanced Books & Software: Monterey, CA.)
Brenden, T. O., Wang, L., and Su, Z. (2008). Quantitative identification of disturbance thresholds in support of aquatic resource management. Environmental Management 42, 821–832.
| Quantitative identification of disturbance thresholds in support of aquatic resource management.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Brion, G., Brye, K. R., Haggard, B. E., West, C., and Brahana, J. V. (2011). Land-use effects on water quality of a first-order stream in the Ozark Highlands, mid-southern United States. River Research and Applications 27, 772–790.
| Land-use effects on water quality of a first-order stream in the Ozark Highlands, mid-southern United States.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Brosse, S., Arbuckle, C. J., and Townsend, C. R. (2003). Habitat scale and biodiversity: influence of catchment, stream reach and bedform scales on local invertebrate diversity. Biodiversity and Conservation 12, 2057–2075.
| Habitat scale and biodiversity: influence of catchment, stream reach and bedform scales on local invertebrate diversity.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
BRS (2006). ‘Guidelines for Land-use Mapping in Australia: Principles, Procedures and Definitions. A Technical Handbook Supporting the Australian Collaborative Land-use Mapping Programme.’ Edn 3. (Commonwealth of Australia: Canberra.)
Bunn, S. E., Davies, P. M., and Mosisch, T. D. (1999). Ecosystem measures of catchment health and their response to riparian and catchment degradation. Freshwater Biology 41, 333–345.
| Ecosystem measures of catchment health and their response to riparian and catchment degradation.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Clapcott, J. E., Young, R. G., Goodwin, E. O., and Lethwick, J. R. (2010). Exploring the response of functional indicators of stream health to land-use gradients. Freshwater Biology 55, 2181–2199.
| Exploring the response of functional indicators of stream health to land-use gradients.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Davies, P. E. (2000). Development of a national river bioassessment system (AUSRIVAS) in Australia. In ‘Assessing the Biological Quality of Freshwaters RIVPACS and Other Techniques’. (Eds J. F. Wright, D. W. Sutclife and M. T. Furse.) pp. 113–124. (Freshwater Biological Association: Cumbria, UK.)
Davies, P. E., Cook, L. S. J., Sloane, T., Koehnken, L., and Barker, P. (2007). Conservation of freshwater ecosystem values (CFEV) validation report. National Water Initiative – Australian Government Water Fund. Report 1a/6. Report to the Conservation of Freshwater Ecosystem Values Project, Water Resources Division, Department of Primary Industries and Water, Hobart.
De’ath, G., and Fabricius, K. E. (2000). Classification and regression trees: a powerful yet simple technique for ecological data analysis. Ecology 81, 3178–3192.
| Classification and regression trees: a powerful yet simple technique for ecological data analysis.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Death, R. G., and Collier, K. J. (2010). Measuring stream macroinvertebrate responses to gradients of vegetation cover: when is enough enough? Freshwater Biology 55, 1447–1464.
| Measuring stream macroinvertebrate responses to gradients of vegetation cover: when is enough enough?Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Donohue, I., McGarrigle, M. L., and Mills, P. (2006). Linking catchment characteristics and water chemistry with the ecological status of Irish rivers. Water Research 40, 91–98.
| Linking catchment characteristics and water chemistry with the ecological status of Irish rivers.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | 1:CAS:528:DC%2BD2MXhtlGgs7zO&md5=c40cd33e04f09c8a7124bae8b83a9cd8CAS |
Downes, B.J. (2010). Back to the future: little-used tools and principles of scientific inference can help disentangle effects of multiple stressors on freshwater ecosystems. Freshwater Biology 55, 60–79.
DPIW (2005). CFEV database, v1.0. Conservation of Freshwater Ecosystem Values Project. Water Resources Division, Department of Primary Industries and Water, Hobart.
DPIW (2007). Auditing Tasmania’s freshwater ecosystem values. Technical report. Conservation of Freshwater Ecosystem Values Project (CFEV). Water Resources Division, Department of Primary Industries and Water, Hobart.
Forest Practices Board (2000). ‘Forest Practices Code.’ (Forest Practices Board: Hobart.)
Gellis, A. C., Pavich, M. J., Ellwein, A. L., Aby, S., Clark, I., Wieczorek, M. E., and Viger, R. (2012). Erosion, storage, and transport of sediment in two subbasins of the Rio Puerco, New Mexico. Geological Society of America Bulletin 124, 817–841.
| Erosion, storage, and transport of sediment in two subbasins of the Rio Puerco, New Mexico.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Gergel, S. E., Turner, M. G., Miller, J. R., Melack, J. M., and Stanley, E. H. (2002). Landscape indicators of human impacts to riverine systems. Aquatic Sciences 64, 118–128.
| Landscape indicators of human impacts to riverine systems.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | 1:CAS:528:DC%2BD38XlvVKntLs%3D&md5=51ce83a488d4de2d7dc04aad2fbe334dCAS |
Groffman, P. M., Baron, J. S., Blett, T., Gold, A., Goodman, I., Gunderson, L., Levinson, B., Palmer, M., Paerl, H., Peterson, G., LeRoy Poff, N., Rejeski, D., Reynolds, J., Turner, M., Weathers, K., and Wiens, J. (2006). Ecological thresholds: the key to successful environmental management or an important concept of no practical application? Ecosystems (New York, N.Y.) 9, 1–13.
| Ecological thresholds: the key to successful environmental management or an important concept of no practical application?Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Gruszowski, K. E., Foster, I. D. L., Lees, J. A., and Charlesworth, S. M. (2003). Sediment sources and transport pathways in a rural catchment, Herefordshire, UK. Hydrological Processes 17, 2665–2681.
| Sediment sources and transport pathways in a rural catchment, Herefordshire, UK.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Hagen, E. M., McTammany, M. E., Webster, J. R., and Benfield, E. F. (2010). Shifts in allochthonous input and autochthonous production in streams along an agricultural land-use gradient. Hydrobiologia 655, 61–77.
| Shifts in allochthonous input and autochthonous production in streams along an agricultural land-use gradient.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | 1:CAS:528:DC%2BC3cXhtF2lurnM&md5=a60d549013a96906068a2113f8308716CAS |
Hansen, E. S., and Budy, P. (2011). The potential of passive stream restoration to improve stream habitat and minimize the impact of fish disease: a short-term assessment. Journal of the North American Benthological Society 30, 573–588.
| The potential of passive stream restoration to improve stream habitat and minimize the impact of fish disease: a short-term assessment.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Hickey, J. E., and Wilkinson, G. R. (1999). The development and current implementation of silvicultural practices in native forests in Tasmania. Australian Forestry 62, 245–254.
Hochberg, Y., and Benjamini, Y. (1990). More powerful procedures for multiple significance testing. Statistics in Medicine 9, 811–818.
| More powerful procedures for multiple significance testing.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | 1:STN:280:DyaK3M%2FhvFSgsA%3D%3D&md5=9cc95b71cde3159d60c66e29b1a3c363CAS |
Hughes, J. M. R. (1987). Hydrological characteristics and classification of Tasmanian rivers. Australian Geographical Studies 25, 61–82.
| Hydrological characteristics and classification of Tasmanian rivers.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Hughes, J. M. R. (1989). A study of riverine plant communities in Tasmania, with special reference to central east coast rivers. Ph.D. Thesis, University of Tasmania, Hobart.
Hughes, J. M. R., and James, B. (1989). A hydrological regionalization of streams in Victoria, Australia, with implications for stream ecology. Australian Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research 40, 303–326.
| A hydrological regionalization of streams in Victoria, Australia, with implications for stream ecology.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Hughes, R. M., Wang, L., and Seelbach, P. W. (2006). ‘Landscape Influences on Stream Habitats and Biological Assemblages. Proceedings of the Symposium held in Madison, WI, USA, 25–26 August 2004.’ American Fisheries Society Symposium Series, 48, Bethesda, MD.
Johnson, L. B., and Host, G. E. (2010). Recent developments in landscape approaches for the study of aquatic ecosystems. Journal of the North American Benthological Society 29, 41–66.
Kasangaki, A., Chapman, L. J., and Balirwa, J. (2008). Land-use and the ecology of benthic macroinvertebrate assemblages of high-altitude rainforest streams in Uganda. Freshwater Biology 53, 681–697.
| Land-use and the ecology of benthic macroinvertebrate assemblages of high-altitude rainforest streams in Uganda.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Klemm, D. J., Blocksom, K. A., Thoeny, W. T., Fulk, F. A., Herlihy, A. T., Kaufmann, P. R., and Cormier, S. M. (2002). Methods development and use of macroinvertebrates as indicators of ecological conditions for streams in the Mid-Atlantic Highlands region. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment 78, 169–212.
| Methods development and use of macroinvertebrates as indicators of ecological conditions for streams in the Mid-Atlantic Highlands region.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Krasnicki, T., Pinto, R., and Read, M. (2001). Australia wide assessment of river health; Tasmania program final report. Technical report no. WRA 01/2001. Department of Primary Industries, Water and Environment, Hobart.
Lammert, M., and Allan, J. D. (1999). Assessing biotic integrity of streams: effects of scale in measuring the influence of land use/cover and habitat structure on fish and macroinvertebrates. Environmental Management 23, 257–270.
| Assessing biotic integrity of streams: effects of scale in measuring the influence of land use/cover and habitat structure on fish and macroinvertebrates.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
LeCraw, R., and Mackereth, R. (2010). Sources of small-scale variation in the invertebrate communities of headwater streams. Freshwater Biology 55, 1219–1233.
| Sources of small-scale variation in the invertebrate communities of headwater streams.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Lenat, D. R., and Crawford, J. K. (1994). Effects of land-use on water quality and aquatic biota of three North Carolina Piedmont streams. Hydrobiologia 294, 185–199.
| Effects of land-use on water quality and aquatic biota of three North Carolina Piedmont streams.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
McArdle, B. H., and Anderson, M. J. (2001). Fitting multivariate models to community data: a comment on distance-based redundancy analysis. Ecology 82, 290–297.
| Fitting multivariate models to community data: a comment on distance-based redundancy analysis.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
McIver, J. D., and McInnis, M. L. (2007). Cattle grazing effects on macroinvertebrates in an Oregon mountain stream. Rangeland Ecology and Management 60, 293–303.
| Cattle grazing effects on macroinvertebrates in an Oregon mountain stream.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Moran, M. D. (2003). Arguments for rejecting the sequential Bonferroni in ecological studies. Oikos 100, 403–405.
| Arguments for rejecting the sequential Bonferroni in ecological studies.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Mosisch, T. D., Bunn, S. E., and Davies, P. M. (2001). The relative importance of shading and nutrients on algal production in subtropical streams. Freshwater Biology 46, 1269–1278.
| The relative importance of shading and nutrients on algal production in subtropical streams.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Poff, N. L. (1997). Landscape filters and species traits: towards mechanistic understanding and prediction in stream ecology. Journal of the North American Benthological Society 16, 391–409.
| Landscape filters and species traits: towards mechanistic understanding and prediction in stream ecology.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Quinn, J. M., Cooper, A. B., Davies-Colley, R. J., Rutherford, J. C., and Williamson, R. B. (1997). Land use effects on habitat, water quality, periphyton, and benthic invertebrates in Waikato, New Zealand, hill-country streams. New Zealand Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research 31, 579–597.
| Land use effects on habitat, water quality, periphyton, and benthic invertebrates in Waikato, New Zealand, hill-country streams.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | 1:CAS:528:DyaK1cXhsVGktb4%3D&md5=3b340f43824d98b512e10a7f2836f071CAS |
Quinn, J. M., Croker, G. F., Smith, B. J., and Bellingham, M. A. (2009). Integrated catchment management effects on flow, habitat, instream vegetation and macroinvertebrates in Waikato, New Zealand, hill-country streams. New Zealand Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research 43, 775–802.
| Integrated catchment management effects on flow, habitat, instream vegetation and macroinvertebrates in Waikato, New Zealand, hill-country streams.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Resource Planning and Development Commission (2003). ‘State of the Environment Tasmania 2003.’ Available at www.rpdc.tas.gov.au/soer [accessed 12 July 2012].
Richards, C., and Host, G. E. (1994). Examining land-use influences on stream habitats and macroinvertebrates: a GIS approach. Water Resources Bulletin 30, 729–738.
| Examining land-use influences on stream habitats and macroinvertebrates: a GIS approach.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Richards, C., Johnson, L. B., and Host, G. E. (1996). Landscape-scale influences on stream habitats and biota. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 53, 295–311.
| Landscape-scale influences on stream habitats and biota.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Scarsbrook, M. R., and Halliday, J. (1999). Transition from pasture to native forest land-use along stream continua: effects on stream ecosystems and implications for restoration. New Zealand Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research 33, 293–310.
| Transition from pasture to native forest land-use along stream continua: effects on stream ecosystems and implications for restoration.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | 1:CAS:528:DyaK1MXmsVamu7s%3D&md5=7907e2de887864f27724753812e7c3deCAS |
Schreider, S. Y., Jakeman, A. J., Letcher, R. A., Nathan, R. J., Neal, B. P., and Beavis, S. G. (2002). Detecting changes in streamflow response to changes in nonclimatic catchment conditions: farm dam development in the Murray–Darling basin, Australia. Journal of Hydrology (Amsterdam) 262, 84–98.
| Detecting changes in streamflow response to changes in nonclimatic catchment conditions: farm dam development in the Murray–Darling basin, Australia.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Scrimgeour, G. J., and Kendall, S. (2003). Effects of livestock grazing on benthic invertebrates from a native grassland ecosystem. Freshwater Biology 48, 347–362.
| Effects of livestock grazing on benthic invertebrates from a native grassland ecosystem.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Simpson, J. C., and Norris, R. H. (2000). Biological assessment of river quality: development of AUSRIVAS models and outputs. In ‘Assessing the Biological Quality of Freshwaters: RIVPACS and Other Techniques’. (Eds J. F. Wright, D. W. Sutcliffe and M. T. Furse.) pp. 125–142. (Freshwater Biological Association: Cumbria, UK.)
NRM South (2009). ‘The Tasmanian River Condition Index Reference Manual.’ Available at http://www.nrmnorth.org.au/project-showcase/tasmanian-river-condition-index [accessed August 2012]
Sponseller, R. A., Benfield, E. F., and Valett, H. M. (2001). Relationships between land use, spatial scale and stream macroinvertebrate communities. Freshwater Biology 46, 1409–1424.
| Relationships between land use, spatial scale and stream macroinvertebrate communities.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Steel, E. A., Hughes, R. M., Fullerton, A. H., Schmutz, S., Young, J. A., Fukushima, M., Muhar, S., Poppe, M., Feist, B. E., and Trautwein, C. (2010). Are we meeting the challenges of landscape-scale riverine research? A review. In ‘Living Reviews in Landscape Research 4(1)’. (Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF): Müncheberg, Germany.) Available at http://www.livingreviews.org/lrlr-2010-1 [accessed 14 July 2012].
Storey, R. G., and Cowley, D. R. (1997). Recovery of three New Zealand rural streams as they pass through native forest residuals. Hydrobiologia 353, 63–76.
| Recovery of three New Zealand rural streams as they pass through native forest residuals.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | 1:CAS:528:DyaK1cXhs1yntw%3D%3D&md5=d7505211decc2d9119289a52ae60579aCAS |
Strahler, A. N. (1952). Dynamic basis of geomorphology. Geological Society of America Bulletin 63, 923–938.
| Dynamic basis of geomorphology.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Strayer, D. L., Beighley, R. E., Thompson, L. C., Brooks, S., Nilsson, C., Pinay, G., and Naiman, R. J. (2003). Effects of land cover on stream ecosystems: roles of empirical models and scaling issues. Ecosystems 6, 407–423.
| Effects of land cover on stream ecosystems: roles of empirical models and scaling issues.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Wright, J. F., Furse, M. T., and Moss, D. (1998). River classification using invertebrates: RIVPACS applications. Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems 8, 617–631.
| River classification using invertebrates: RIVPACS applications.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Young, R. G., and Collier, K. J. (2009). Contrasting responses to catchment modification among a range of functional and structural indicators of river ecosystem health. Freshwater Biology 54, 2155–2170.
| Contrasting responses to catchment modification among a range of functional and structural indicators of river ecosystem health.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | 1:CAS:528:DC%2BD1MXhtlKjtrrJ&md5=619a3eaa24c7463cb8de5fdca9d67f12CAS |
Zaimes, G. N., and Schultz, R. C. (2011). Stream bed substrate composition adjacent to different riparian land-uses in Iowa, USA. Ecological Engineering 37, 1692–1699.
| Stream bed substrate composition adjacent to different riparian land-uses in Iowa, USA.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
