Macroinvertebrates

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Macroinvertebrates

• Little Creatures that tell us
• If our natural waterways are healthy

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Benthic Macroinvertebrates

• Benthic means living at the bottom of a body of
  water (stream, river, pond)
• Macro- large
• Invertebrate- animal without backbone
• Macroinvertebrate- large water dwelling
  invertebrate able to be seen without a microscope

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What are Macroinvertebrates?

• Organisms that have no backbone
• Visible without a microscope
• Found in Fresh Water Streams
• Eats leaves algae in stream
• Source of Energy for larger animals

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What are Macroinvertebrates?

• Snails
• Crayfish
• Worms
• Fly larva
• Mayfly, caddisfly, stone fly larva
• Clams
• Water beetles

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Indicator Species

• Indicator Species means
• They tell scientists when there is a problem in
  nature- specifically the stream environment
• The problem being pollution

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Why are Macroinvertebrates Important?

• Source of Energy for larger animals
• Brook Trout or other fish eats them
• Then fish are eaten by birds, raccoons, humans
• Helps with the Food Web

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Where do Macroinvertebrates live?

• Bottom of a Stream
• Attached to rocks
• Attached to plants
• In fast moving water, need oxygen
• http//www.epa.gov/owow/nps/kids/masterbugtheater.
  html

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Why are Macroinvertebrates Important?

• They are good indicators of the streams overall
  health
• These animals are different sizes, shapes, and
  have different adaptations that make it easy for
  scientists to learn if a stream is healthy

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Why do they need clean water?

• To survive the macroinvertebrates that show that
  the water is clean need
• Lots of oxygen to survive
• Poor oxygen, they die and provide no food for the
  Trout, kingfishers, Salmon, etc.
• Those macroinvertebrates that need poor dirty
  water to survive- tell scientists that the water
  is polluted

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Macroinvertebrates
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What do Macroinvertebrates tell Scientists about
a Stream?

• Some macroinvertebrates are only found in Healthy
  untouched waters- not polluted- these tell
  scientists that the water is pure and good
• Others are found in moderate or OK waters- these
  may have some pollutants- they tell the
  scientists that the water is starting to get
  worse
• Also other macroinvertebrates only survive in
  poor water, this tells scientists that the water
  quality is poor and needs help

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Which Macroinvertebrates tell that there is good
quality water?

• Different kinds of stoneflies, mayflies, and
  caddisflies tell a scientist the stream is
  healthy.
• Scientists look for a variety of the above

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Stonefly Larva
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Which macroinvertebrates do you find in a
Moderately clean Stream?

• The number of different macroinvertebrates
  becomes less as pollution rises
• There will be fewer stoneflies, many fewer
  mayflies, and only some types of caddisflies
• Soft-bodied worms and fly larva also increase
• Beetles are probably still in the stream
  mollusks are not.

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What macroinvertebrates are in poor quality
streams?

• Stoneflies are not present at all
• A few mayflies and caddisflies- maybe there
• Most found are soft-bodied animals fly
  larvae, leeches and planaria (round worm, tape
  worm).
• Amphipod- fast moving shrimp looking creature

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Planaria- Flatworm
http//www.watersheds.org/earth/enved.htm
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Macroinvertebrate means

1. Small creature that you need a microscope to see
2. Small creature that you can see without a
   microscope
3. Small creature that lives on land

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Benthic means

1. Living at the bottom of a stream
2. Living on land, near a stream
3. Living by floating in a stream

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Macroinvertebrates tell if a stream is healthy or
not.

1. True
2. False
3. Unsure

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A sample of a Macroinvertebrate is

1. Small bird
2. Mayfly larva
3. Butterfly larva
4. Turtle

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Macroinvertebrates that tell if water is clean
need only a little bit of oxygen

1. True
2. False

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Macroinvertebrates that survive in low oxygen
water tell scientists

1. The water is polluted
2. The water is clean
3. That it is water

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Large amounts of caddisfly larva, mayfly larva,
and stone fly larva are found in

1. Polluted water
2. Moderately clean water
3. Healthy, good quality water

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Smaller amounts of caddisfly, mayfly and stone
fly larva, along with some worms are in this type
of water

1. Polluted water
2. Moderately clean water
3. Healthy, good quality water

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Stoneflies are not present at all, more leeches,
and fly larvae are found in this stream

1. Polluted water
2. Moderately clean water
3. Healthy, good quality water