Cornerstone: A Collection of Scholarly and Creative Works for Minnesota State University, Mankato
Abstract
Benthic macroinvertebrates (spineless organisms that live in water and are visible with the naked eye) have been used for decades as indicators of water quality. The purpose of our research was to determine if the number and species composition of benthic macroinvertebrates were different between 3 sites: Blue Earth River upstream of the Rapidan Dam and reservoir; Blue Earth River downstream of the Rapidan Dam and at the LeSueur River just prior to it confluence with the Blue Earth River. Artificial substrates (Hester-Dendy) were placed at each sampling site. The substrates were to be collected after 4-5 weeks of colonization between May and September 2004. Due to the unusually wet weather and high flows, all artificial substrates were lost. In October macroinvertebrates were sampled using the pick method at two of the original sites (Blue Earth River below the Rapidan Dam (Jones Ford) and LeSueur River) and at the Beauford Creek. We will discuss the differences between the macroinverterates found at these sites plus problems associated with field sampling
