2023 Early Hearing Detection & Intervention Conference

March 5-7, 2023 • Cincinnati, OH

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5/24/2021 | 2:00 PM - 3:30 PM | PRECIPITATION REGIME MEDIATES BENTHIC MACROINVERTEBRATE COMMUNITY RESPONSE TO FLOOD DISTURBANCE ALONG A PRECIPITATION GRADIENT IN TEXAS COASTAL PRAIRIE STREAMS | Virtual Platform

PRECIPITATION REGIME MEDIATES BENTHIC MACROINVERTEBRATE COMMUNITY RESPONSE TO FLOOD DISTURBANCE ALONG A PRECIPITATION GRADIENT IN TEXAS COASTAL PRAIRIE STREAMS

Local precipitation regimes are predicted to be affected by global climate change. We surveyed nine streams in the Texas Gulf Coastal Prairie that were distributed across a semi-arid to sub-humid rainfall gradient to observe the ecological impact of differing precipitation regimes. On a monthly basis, we assessed benthic invertebrate community characteristics, flow conditions, and water quality variables to relate precipitation regime to stream ecosystem structure and function. As annual rainfall increased, flow regimes became more stable within seasons and predictable across seasons. Invertebrate community composition was influenced by rainfall and correlated flow variables. Sub-humid streams were dominated by slower growing taxa without adaptations for desiccation resistance and strong dispersal. In contrast, semi-arid streams with lower, more stochastic flows were dominated by taxa with the ability to exit the water. Mesic sites displayed greater seasonal variation in composition and species richness than semi-arid sites, whereas the communities in semi-arid sites were strongly shaped by flow conditions in the weeks prior to sampling. These observations demonstrate how important precipitation regime is to stream ecosystem structure and function, suggesting that climate change may have sweeping impacts on lotic fauna.

Biological interactions
Stream
Climate variability

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Presenters/Authors

Fernando Carvallo (), Texas A&M University–Corpus Christi, fcarvallo@islander.tamucc.edu ;