Advisory Committee Chair
Robert W Thacker
Advisory Committee Members
Robert U Fischer
Ken Marion
James B McClintock
Document Type
Thesis
Date of Award
2013
Degree Name by School
Master of Science (MS) College of Arts and Sciences
Abstract
Forestry management activities can influence hydrologic regimes of intermittent streams which can influence the macroinvertebrate community of these streams. To test the effects of various harvesting and intercropping techniques, five small watersheds (0.08-0.25 km2) in Greene County, AL have been monitored before and after various treatments. Modified rapid bioassesment protocols were used to sample each stream every two weeks prior to treatments and once a month following treatments. In an effort to capture the full seasonality of these intermittent streams, samples were collected for a full year following the first sampling date. Macroinvertebrate community data has been analyzed using multimetric as well as multivariate techniques. No pattern of significant differences was seen in the biotic metrics analyzed. Multivariate analysis revealed that season had a significant effect at all sites at the genus level. Treatment had no significant effect on before and after communites at the genus level. A second objective was also analyzed to test for a significant positive relationship between the amount of detritus and biodiversity measures. It was found that 43 % of the variation in observations of the natural log of abundance could be explained by the mass of detritus in a sample using general linear model (r2 = 0.43, p <0.001). Leading to the conclusion that biodiversity measures are positively related to the amount of detritus in the streams in this study.
Recommended Citation
Breland, Kelly L., "Effects of loblolly pine (Pinus taeda) and switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) intercropping techniques on intermittent stream macroinvertebrate communities" (2013). All ETDs from UAB. 1254.
https://digitalcommons.library.uab.edu/etd-collection/1254