Comparative Assemblages of Macroinvertebrate at Different Stream Orders in Baram River Basin, Miri Division

Freshwater ecosystems provide habitats for many plants and animals of which macroinvertebrates constitute substantially in term of composition and abundance. They play important role in freshwater ecosystem through decomposition of organic matters and maintaining the continuity of nutrient cycles. Quantifying the species richness and distribution of macroinvertebrates in Baram River basin is important in providing insight the quality of the ecosystem. This study examines the variability of macroinvertebrates assemblages and species identities in relation to stream orders and other environmental parameters. Significant differences in assemblages were found between tributaries of Baram River. The study quantified how assemblages of macroinvertebrates associated with different order classification of stream in logged-over forest. Collection of macroinvertebrates was conducted by using kick net that taken from nine streams as categorized in relation to the proposed dam site. The relationship between acroinvertebrates assemblages and environmental parameters were analyzed by multivariate technique. However, there are no significant different between environmental parameter with assemblages of macroinvertebrates