Patterns of macroinvertebrate colonization in an intermittent Rocky Mountain stream in Utah

Authors

J Vaun McArthur, Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas
James R. Barnes, Brigham Young University

Abstract

Colonization of macroinvertebrates in a headwater mountain stream was monitored using basket and Surber samplers. Taxa showed differences in colonization ability based both on dispersal ability and feeding strategy. Collector-gatherer feeding groups that could actively enter the water, i.e., Baetis mayflies, were the first organisms to colonize bare or new substrate. The slowest colonizers were heptageniid mayflies that colonized primarily from upstream migration. All organisms examined increased drifting behavior in response to decreases in discharge.

Recommended Citation

McArthur, J Vaun and Barnes, James R. (1985) "Patterns of macroinvertebrate colonization in an intermittent Rocky Mountain stream in Utah," Great Basin Naturalist: Vol. 45: No. 1, Article 17.
Available at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/gbn/vol45/iss1/17