Type of Submission
Poster
Keywords
Massie's Creek, species
Campus Venue
Dixon Ministry Center, Alumni Hall
Location
Cedarville, OH
Start Date
4-10-2013 1:00 PM
End Date
4-10-2013 5:00 PM
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License.
Apr 10th, 1:00 PM
Apr 10th, 5:00 PM
Fish & Macroinvertebrate Species Diversity in Restored and Unrestored Forks of Massies' Creek, Ohio
Cedarville, OH
Comments
Abstract:
Background/Questions/Methods: In 2006 the Greene County, Ohio, Sanitary Engineering Department in conjunction with the Greene Soil and Water Conservation District, and Malcolm Pirnie, Inc, implemented a $1.7 million stream restoration project along a 2.2-mile section of the North Fork of Massie Creek and the Little Miami River. Prior to restoration the stream exhibited high water velocities, extreme channelization, and a high rate of bank erosion. The goal of this project was to restore the stream to a more natural condition and improve water quality for downstream cities with the specific intent of reducing phosphorus inputs from fertilizer applications. This study, initiated by Cedarville University in fall of 2011 by undergraduates, had two objectives: (1) to establish a baseline with which to monitor future changes in the biotic community and (2) to quantify the effect of the restoration on fish and macroinvertebrate populations by comparing the restored North Fork with the unrestored South Fork of Massie Creek. Results/Conclusions: Our data revealed a significantly (p < 0.05) greater abundance of fish in the unrestored South Fork than the restored North Fork. Shannon (S) and Simpson (D) indices revealed that fish diversity was poor in both Forks. These greater abundance and lower diversity levels were attributed to a large population of intolerant large-mouth bass in the unrestored South Fork. Macroinvertebrate diversity was found to be similar between the unrestored South Fork and restored North Fork. Taken together these data suggest that the stream restoration that was completed in early 2010 has yet to significantly improve the biodiversity of the stream. This work will therefore serve as a baseline with which to continue monitoring these streams for changes in the future.