Stream Health and Biodiversity.

This topic submitted by Stephanie Bistritz, Jackson Kioko Ireri, Sam Kirschner, Bryan Sespico ( sespicbj@muohio.edu ) on 10/23/05. [Section: Cummins]

Natural Systems 1 Syllabus---Western Program---Miami University

Abstract:

The biodiversity of stream health has an important role in the aquatic ecosystem. The better the water quality the more biodiversity there will be in a stream or lake. Biodiversity plays a major role in the entire ecosystem. Looking at the diversity of an area indicates the overall health of the ecosystem in that area. The excess minerals that are found in less diverse rivers and lakes are due to a growing problem called eutrophication. Eutrophication is an abundance of usually nitrogen, carbon and phosphorus that has drained into the stream from urban areas. This problem leads to an abundance of algae, which creates an abundance of bacteria, which eventually leads to depletion of oxygen. The depletion of oxygen leads to less biodiversity in streams and rivers. In this experiment we look at the biodiversity in two nearby streams. The first stream we looked at was, HarkerÕs run, which flows through mostly wooded areas that do not have much run off. The other stream we looked at was CollinÕs run, which flows through mostly urban areas. We took random samples along riffle patches in each stream. We used a stable net and rod to stir up the stream to catch the macro invertebrates that we were looking for. Once we collected the data we used the biotic index value to determine the amount of biodiversity in each of the streams. We also dried out samples of algae from each stream and took the total dry weight from each stream. This indicated the amount of excess minerals in the water. We found greater biodiversity in HarkerÕs run and greater dry weight algae in CollinÕs run. This was due to the watershed run off in the more urban area of CollinÕs run.

Introduction:
Our experiment is designed to test the water quality and biodiversity between two creeks in the Oxford/Miami area. One stream, Collins Run, runs through a suburban watershed, while the patch of HarkerÕs Run which we will be testing is relatively pristine and rural. Which stream will have a greater biodiversity and abundance of life? Which will be healthier, and how much healthier?

Predictions:
We predict that a more diverse and abundant community of macro invertebrates will exist in HarkerÕs Run than in CollinÕs Run because there will be less chemical runoff into the stream from the surrounding town. We also predict that the overall biomass of algae will be greater from CollinÕs Run than HarkerÕs run because the excess minerals from the chemical runoff in the watershed will create an abundance of algae.

Hypothesis:
The overall biodiversity found in HarkerÕs run will be greater than that of the biodiversity found in CollinÕs run because CollinÕs run is in an area effected by human development while HarkerÕs run is in an area that is more secluded and less impacted by humans.
Relevance:
We believe that this experiment is relevant due to the trend of suburban sprawl that is and has been going on in the U.S. for years. Already, it is estimated that one third of U.S. species are threatened by human intervention in natureÕs processes. This experiment aims to understand just how much humans are affecting the areas surrounding their cities, homes, and communities.

Background Information:
The global significance of an all-round healthy ecosystem and a high level of diversity is of paramount importance and cannot be gainsaid. In nutshell, it is self-evident. Before we delve any further, we must ask ourselves, ÒWhat is aquatic biodiversity?Ó We ask this qurestion because the concept of aquatic ecosystems is an integral element of our experiment and research question. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), aquatic biodiversity is defined as Òthe variety of life and the ecosystems that make up the freshwater, tidal, and marine regions of the world and their interactions. It encompasses freshwater ecosystems, including lakes, ponds, reservoirs, rivers and streams, groundwater, and wetlandsÓ (www.epa.gov/bioindicators/aquatic/index.html).

Thus, one might ask what significance our experiment concerning stream health might carry in the practical world. While it may not be ground breaking work, in this investigation, we delve into an idea that both serious and imperative - and that humanity has a core role and duty to keep the world relatively intact.

It must first be made clear that humans, in their ever-increasing numbers and innumerable areas of inhabitancy, impact pretty much everything in the world. According to Pam Speed, scientists are far from categorizing all the species on earth, but that more than 50 percent of these species will likely become extinct in the next 80 to 100 (Speed, p58). According to "The Importance of Biodiversity," "Living organisms represent only one percent of all the species that have ever been on earth ( The Biologist, 2000). The present day species will lead to future species. A lack of biodiversity in the present can have unprecedented ramifications for future generations of organisms, especially those of the aquatic variety, as over two-thirds of the earth is covered by water.

The extinction of numerous organisms leads to more than just a loss of aesthetic beauty. The plant rosy periwinkle, which was found in Madagascar, helped cure childhood leukemia and Hodgkin's cancer. These plants contain alkaloids, which inhibit cancer-growing cells. There are many more species of periwinkle in the world but many are coming close to extinction, and with extinction come the loss of the possibility of many cures. (Campbell and Reece, 2005). The aquatic ecosystem has been vastly over-looked in regards to these cures. And if humans are destroying biodiversity, these items that can provide cures may be wiped out along the way.

It should be pointed out that massive loss of species caused, as a result of human activities is tantamount to loss in biodiversity. Biodiversity, as referred in the article written by the Commission on Life Science; "Perspectives on Biodiversity: Valuing its Role in an Ever Changing World," includes more than merely species. It encompasses variations within species, populations of these variations, and the distribution of species across a habitat, ecosystem, or landscape (1999). According to Dr. James Case, a biologist and founder of casebio.com, biodiversity in ecosystems encourages stability and resilience among the population (2003). Biodiversity is obviously important in the animal community in general.

Many people feel ïbiophilia' which is human connection to nature. This feeling of connectedness should be taken into consideration; if the biodiversity is taken out then the human ïbiophilia' will be lost. (E.O.Wilson).
When the general public hears the mention of the word biodiversity, what clicks in their minds is a vision of some lush tropical rainforest in South America. Hence, biodiversity is both the variety and variability of biological organisms.

Effects of biodiversity are enormous but are often minimized or misunderstood. Brij Gopal's article; "Relevance and policy dimensions of research on biodiversity in freshwater ecosystems: a developing country perspective," explores the nature of scientific research.

What follows here is question. Which came first, the science or the public policy? Gopal wants it understood that first, people need to be made aware of the importance of biodiversity to humans before they can research or do anything about it in a meaningful way.

The fact is that people can intellectually accept the importance of biodiversity on a very superficial level and not change their life to reflect this way of thinking. It must be made apparent that our systematic destruction of the biodiversity is affecting not only the rest of the world (all those dumb animals), but also, us as well.

In "Biodiversity: Why is it so important?," a few reasons are given. According to author Ruth Patrick, biodiversity is "one of the most important bases of life for humans throughout our planet" (1997).

Rivers and lake run off cause many problems. Such as too much phosphorus and nitrogen in the water. Which will then provide an ideal habitat for algae, so the algae will over produce and survive. But when the algae dies it will fall to the bottom of the lake and the bacteria will start to eat it and take out all the oxygen in the water. This then causes a problem for the organisms in the lake. They are confined to a smaller habitat because of the loss of oxygen in the bottom layer of the lake. Not only does this cause a problem with the biodiversity in the lake but also the availability of water to humans has now decreased. Human drinking water should have a level 10 or below have phosphorous and nitrate and when all the chemicals are poured into the water the level goes up and the lake or river becomes contaminated and undrinkable.

Our lives are possible in the first place because of biodiversity. The very plants that we cut down, or the animals that we consider pests, are the foundations for our livelihoods. A varied plant population gives rise to a varied animal population, which sets up the entire food chain. Plants also form the basis for the habitats, or houses that humans build for themselves to keep out the natural elements.
Without wood, it would be much more difficult to create housing for ourselves (Patrick et al., 1997). Even gasoline is, at its root, natural in source - created from decomposed organic elements and natural processes. Without the varied plant life of the past, we would not be able to heat our homes in the winter or drive anywhere. Without present day biodiversity, what aspects of life will become unavailable to us in the future?

Back to our experiment. It looks into the state of things at the present in a relatively average setting in the Midwest. Specifically, we are studying and comparing the biodiversity in two streams in Oxford, Ohio. Namely; Harker's Run and Collin's Creek (Pfeffer Park). By studying these two ecosystems, we will be investigating the effects of a relatively small community on the surrounding habitat, which we believe to be an accurate representation of what is happening in suburban (average) America and perhaps elsewhere across the world.

Numerous other experiments have been done on subjects such as ours. For example, an experiment done in 2000-2001, on ÒThe Water Quality and Aquatic Community Structure in Village and Valley Creeks, City of Birmingham, Jefferson County, Alabama,Ó found that streams in more urban areas experienced more run off and had less biodiversity than streams that were tested in non-urban watersheds. The streams in these urban environs also contained chemicals that are found in insecticides, pesticides, and herbicides(Ann K. McPherson et al.). The correlation is nearly irrefutable: Human intervention has ramifications for aquatic health and biodiversity.

Thus, in our own words, "How are we doing?" Are we trying to do a good job of cleaning up after the messes that we as humans have caused in nature since the beginning of history?
Are we keeping it clean? The obvious answer is a big NO. But, we intend to see just how much we are negatively affecting our surroundings and what specifically could be attributing to the problem.

Research Design:
We will be measuring the biodiversity of two particular streams on Miami's Campus; Harker's Run and Collin's Run. We decided to measure the biodiversity of these streams by studying the quantity and diversity of the macro-invertebrates. To collect these macro-invertebrates, we will be taking random samples in both streams, focusing on the riffle zones. These samplings will include records of all conditions, including depth, length of sampling area, temperature of water, the abiotic makeup of the riverbed and surrounding area (i.e. riffle zones, cut bank zones, etc.), and how many and what kind of macro invertebrates we found in our sampling area. Each sampling area in one creek will match a sampling area of equal size in the other creek. We will sample multiple times within each sampling area at random intervals. Sampling entails collecting macro-invertebrates. To do this, we will set up a net at the downstream end of our sub-sampling area. Then, we will kick up dirt, overturn rocks, and generally disrupt and attempt to dislodge any macro-invertebrates in the area for a set amount of time. Donna McCollum has reported that this can take form three to five minutes to collect an adequate amount of data. We will then classify these specimen and quantify them back at the lab.

Another indicator we will use besides macro-invertebrates is algae growth in the streams. Algae can be an important indicator for assessing creek health because the amount of algae present can determine how many minerals are in the creek. Chemical runoff from the creekÕs watershed into the creek can provide an overabundance of minerals for the algae and begin a process called eutrophication in which the algae grows in access and stifles the diversity of other species. We will be randomly collecting 5 rocks with algae on them at each sample site and placing them in our sampling jars. We will then cut off an inch by inch section of algae and place it in a plastic bag to dry out. Once the algae drys out we will measure the dry weight of the five samples. We will compare the samples from HarkerÕs Run and CollinÕs Run to see which has more biomass. This will help us determine if there is a correlation between the abundance of algae and the biodiversity of macro invertebrates.

Methods and Materials:
Materials used:
sampling jars,
2 sieves,
shovel,
surber sampler
metal stick (to stir bottom of lake),
duck tape (for labeling),
thermometer,
stop watch,
plastic sandwich bags (for algae),
permanent marker (for labeling duck tape),
50-meter measuring tape,
pocket knife (to scrape off algae from rocks)

When we arrive at the river we will measure off 15 meters with our mearsuring tape. We will then randomly take our samples. We will then use the surber sampler, which catches the macro invertebrates in the river. The shovel will be used to stir up the river after putting down the surber sampler. We will also have a metal rod to stir up the sediments. We will dig into the ground 6 inches deep. The stopwatch will be used to time our stirring for 2:00 minutes. During the time we are at the river we will take the temperature of the water also. We will them label the sampling jars with duck tape and a sharpie, and put our macro invertebrates in our sampling jars. Then we will take our algae samples. We will randomly select five different samples of algae and scrape an inch square from the rock and place it into the bags for dry weight.

Student involvement:
To get the class involved in our research, we are planning a little excursion to the experimental sites. First, of course, they will need to read our lab packets in order to have some sort of background on what they will be doing and how it is important. Then, when we get to class, weÕll be splitting the class into two groups, who will be accompanied by two members of our team. They will be well-advised to bring hip waders, warm clothes, and good walking shoes. From there, we will try to have everyone in the groups participate in our methods of sampling.

Data Sheet:
Sampling Data Sheets

Date:____________________________________
Sample Site:_______________________________
Sample location:____________________________
Number of Previous Visits to this site:____________

Air Temperature:_____C

Water Conditions:
Water odor:________________
Water color:________________
Water temperature:__________C
Oxygen levels:__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Bedgrowth:___________________________________________
Water surface conditions:_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Water depth:_______________________
Bed Composition:___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Number of Macro Invertebrates

Name of Invertebrate Number Name of Invertebrate Number
Mayfly Nymph Beetle Larvae
Stonefly Nymph Crayfish
Caddisfly Larvae Blackfly Larvae
Stonefly Larvae Aquatic Worm
Damselfly Nymph Riffle Beetle Adult
Dragonfly Nymph

Other notable observations or comments:____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Algae Sampling

Sample Number_________
Weight of Dry Algae___________________

Sample Number____________
Weight of Dry Algae_____________________

Sample Number__________
Weight of Dry Algae_____________________

Sample Number___________
Weight of Dry Algae__________________

Sample Number__________
Weight of Dry Algae____________________

Literature cited:
Campbell and Reece.(2005)Biology seventh edition.Pearson publishing,pp1231.
-This section of the text discusses the medicinal uses of the rosy periwinkle and the importance of plant diversity.
Case, James. http://www.casebio.com/aboutbiodiversity.htm(2003).
-This article discuss biodiversity and its importance to the animial kingdom as far as stability of ecosystems.
Commission on Life Science.. Perspectives on biodiversity: Valuing its role in an everyday world.(1999).
-This article gives a broader definition of the word biodiversity.

The Environmental Protection Agency

Gopal, Brij.Relevance Policy dimensions of research on biodiversity in freshwater ecosystems: a developing country perspective.(2005).p 542:19-21.
-Discusses policy-making and research on biodiversity in developing countries.

The Importance of Biodiversity.. http://isis.csuhayward.edu/alss/geography/mlee/envt2000/biodivf99.htm
-Discusses the importance of biodiversity, hence the title.

McPherson, Ann K., Investigation of Water Quality and Aquatic-Comminity Structure in Village and Valley Creeks, City of Birmingham, Jefferson County, Alabama, 2000-2001, August 2002.

Patrick, Ruth et al, Biodiversity2: understanding of protecting our biological resources.(1997).
-Discusses the importance of biodiversity from a human perspective.

Sheath, Robert G. and Wehr, John D. Freshwater Algae of North America. Academic Press, New York, New York.2003.
- This book contains a plethora of information on the classification of algae and their uses for biological indicators.

Speed, Pam. ÒWest Midlands BranchÓ(2005).Vol. 52,p58.
-This article gives interesting facts about how little we know about our planet and the species on it.

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