Macro Invertebrates of Kirby Brook

The purpose of our project was to compare the relative abundance of Macroinvertebrates at two sites on Kirby Brook in Westport MA. One site was in the woods behind our high school approximately 1/4 of a mile along an overgrown trail. These woods are frequented in the winter for hunting purposes. At the time of the study, the water was stagnant due to lack of rain. The second site was across from a farm on Drift Rd. The water was low but flowing. At both sites, Oligochaetes made up the majority of Macroinvertebrates (231 at site 1, 71 at site 2). Oligochaetes have a high tolerance to polluted water which may suggest that the quality of water was poor at both sites. The total diversity of Macroinvertebrates was much higher at Drift Rd. (site 2) but the presence of so many Oligochaetes may have skewed our MGBI for that site. We are attributing the poor water quality to lack of rain and low flow, although runoff from nearby farms and roadways may also contribute