Comparison of Macroinvertebrate Populations Collected with Three Different Methods at Several Location in the Maple River

Benthic macroinvertebrates (spineless organisms that live in water and are visible with the naked eye) are being used as indicators of water quality. The purpose of our research was to determine if three different methods of collecting macroinvertebrates produced similar information on the number and types of organisms collected. Two different types of artificial substrates (Hester-Dendy (multi plate) and Brick- Scrubby) were placed at four sampling sites in the Maple River. The artificial substrates were collected after 5 or 6 weeks (May 28, 2006-July 5 or 11, 2006) in the water at each site. The day the artificial substrates were collected, macroinvertebrates were also collected using the timed-pick method. We will discuss the similarities and differences between the number, species and feeding groups of macroinverterates found at each site with the different sampling techniques. We will discuss the implications of these results on development of biological water quality criteria standards using macroinvertebrates