2022 Early Hearing Detection & Intervention Virtual Conference
March 13 - 15, 2022
6/08/2017 | 10:00 AM - 10:15 AM | Effects of Fire on an Intermittent Stream: Monitoring the Response of the Aquatic Macroinvertebrate Community | 306C
Effects of Fire on an Intermittent Stream: Monitoring the Response of the Aquatic Macroinvertebrate Community
Wildfires are natural disturbances that shape terrestrial landscapes and can alter aquatic ecosystems. Wildfires followed by heavy rain cause debris flows and scouring, potentially compounding effects on aquatic systems. In 2011, the Horseshoe 2 Fire burned over 90,000 hectares in Arizona and was followed by heavy monsoonal rains and subsequent flooding and scouring. We monitored the aquatic macroinvertebrate community at one affected stream, East Turkey Creek, for several years pre- and post-fire. Taxonomic richness was significantly reduced post-fire, while overall abundance of macroinvertebrates remained the same. We observed post-fire increases in relative abundances of certain r-strategist taxa. The most common pre-fire taxa (baetid mayflies and blackflies) remained common post-fire, while other species were undetected for >2 years after the fire, including the largest shredder and top predator. Recovery to prefire levels of taxonomic richness took 2-3 years, and we are continuing to monitor community recovery. With hotter and drier conditions predicted in the Southwest, more frequent and higher severity fires will occur. It is important to understand how these new fire regimes will alter aquatic systems.
- C22 Disturbance
- C11 Community Ecology
- C03 Invertebrates
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Presenters/Authors
Nathan Dorff
(), Missouri State University, natedorff@gmail.com;
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Michael Bogan
(), School of Natural Resources and the Environment, The University of Arizona, mbogan@email.arizona.edu;
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