Woody Debris as a Resource for Aquatic Macroinvertebrates in Stream and River Habitats of the Southeastern United States: a Review

Proceedings of the 2011 Georgia Water Resources Conference, April 11, 12, and 13, 2011, Athens, Georgia.Woody debris can be a valuable resource for stream macroinvertebrates both directly and indirectly as a source of food or substrate. We review the literature on woody debris-macroinvertebrate interactions in three ecoregions in the Southeastern U.S. Studies on streams in the Coastal Plain ecoregion, which tend to be sandy or muddy, indicate that woody debris is valuable as substrate. Studies on streams in the Appalachian ecoregion, which tend to have abundant stable rocky substrate, indicate that woody debris is more important for its role in altering flow dynamics, which diversifies habitat, and accumulating organic matter, which serves as food. Relevant studies on streams in the Piedmont ecoregion, which tend to have substrate intermediate between Appalachian and Coastal Plane streams, are limited. Current data suggests it is not as important as riffle habitat to all but a few taxa.Sponsored by: Georgia Environmental Protection Division U.S. Geological Survey, Georgia Water Science Center U.S. Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service Georgia Institute of Technology, Georgia Water Resources Institute The University of Georgia, Water Resources FacultyThis book was published by Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, The University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia 30602-2152. The views and statements advanced in this publication are solely those of the authors and do not represent official views or policies of The University of Georgia, the U.S. Geological Survey, the Georgia Water Research Institute as authorized by the Water Research Institutes Authorization Act of 1990 (P.L. 101-307) or the other conference sponsors