부산대학교 도서관

To link to full-text access for this article, visit this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.limno.2007.01.002 Byline: Tiziano Bo, Stefano Fenoglio, Giorgio Malacarne, Massimo Pessino, Francesca Sgariboldi Keywords: Sedimentation; Interstitial zone; Macroinvertebrates; Functional groups; NW Italy; Piemonte Abstract: The influence of streambed sediment clogging on macroinvertebrate communities was investigated in the Lemme creek (NW Italy). To assess how fine sediment accumulation can influence the colonisation process and community composition of macroinvertebrates, we placed 48 traps in the riverbed. The traps consisted of boxes built with metal net (mesh 1cm, height 15cm, sides 5cm) covered with nylon net except for the apex, allowing access exclusively from the top. We created four trap types filled with 100% gravel, 30% sand and 70% gravel, 70% sand and 30% gravel and 100% sand. After 20 and 40 days, we removed 6 traps/type. Macroinvertebrates rapidly colonised the traps, as we found no significant community differences between the two removal dates. Among the four trap types, we found significant differences in taxa number and abundance, which both decreased with increasing clogging. Thus, our study supports the hypothesis that clogging and the accumulation of fine substratum elements strongly affects benthic stream communities. Author Affiliation: University of Piemonte Orientale, Di.S.A.V., Via Bellini n. 25, 15100 Alessandria, Italy Article History: Received 23 October 2006; Revised 4 January 2007; Accepted 9 January 2007