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Some Ecological Relationships of the Invertebrate Drift in Praters Creek, Pickens County, South Carolina
Author(s) -
Reisen William K.,
Prins Rudolph
Publication year - 1972
Publication title -
ecology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.144
H-Index - 294
eISSN - 1939-9170
pISSN - 0012-9658
DOI - 10.2307/1934303
Subject(s) - diel vertical migration , benthic zone , ecology , abiotic component , benthos , invertebrate , crepuscular , standing crop , population , nocturnal , environmental science , biology , biomass (ecology) , demography , sociology
The role of organic drift in the ecology of a southern, upper Piedmont stream was evaluated from September 1967 to August 1968. By sampling for a 24—hr period each month, data on the diel and monthly fluctuations of the drift were obtained. Chemical physical analyses of the water were made to evaluate the role of selected abiotic variables in the ecology of the drifters. Community biomass could not be estimated by drift because fluctuations in the standing crop were not significantly correlated with fluctuations in the drift rate. With the exception of Ephemerella sp. the drifters did not respond in a density—dependent fashion to benthic population increases. Drift seemed to be initiated by pupation or emergence activity. The diel drift for the majority of the benthos examined was decidedly negatively phototactic. Pronounced crepuscular activity was observed for most of the hemimetabolous forms with a consistent midnight depression of activity.