TITLE:
Vertical redistribution of drifting benthic invertebrates in the Kedrovaya River, Primorsky Region of Russia
AUTHORS:
Maxim V. Astakhov, Victor V. Bogatov
KEYWORDS:
Sampling; Benthos; Stream Drift; Vertical Distribution
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Ecology,
Vol.4 No.2,
February
20,
2014
ABSTRACT: The vertical
distribution of morphologically different drifting invertebrates (mayfly and
dipteran larvae) in a small salmon river was studied. Drifting invertebrates
were caught with the Astakhov’s sampler equipped with three driftnets placed
one above another. The average annual drift rate in different levels of a water
column was practically the same, while the drift density decreased from the
bottom to the surface. Over the course of 24 hours, the drifting organisms did
not show clear preference for a particular water layer. Invertebrates were
constantly redistributed between the upper and lower levels at approximately 30
- 90 min intervals. This redistribution appears to be linked to the fact that
invertebrates of the same taxa, which entered into water column from different
bottom sites become active at different times.