The Aquatic Insect Community in Penitentiary Glen, a Portage Escarpment Stream in Northeastern Ohio
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Date
1984-06
Authors
Robertson, D. J.
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Abstract
The aquatic insects inhabiting Penitentiary Glen, an isolated, highgradient lotic habitat along Stoney Brook in Lake County, Ohio, were sampled during winter (December 1976), spring (May 1977), and summer (July 1977) months. Collections of immatures from dip nets and Surber samples were augmented with adult specimens taken in sweep nets and hand-picked from streamside rocks. Seventy-three species distributed among 60 genera in 7 orders were collected. Based on the diverse composition of the community dominated by organisms intolerant of organic enrichment, water quality in Stoney Brook is not significantly degraded. Community composition varies seasonally, with a trend toward a declining proportion of facultative organisms and increasing proportions of saproxenous and saprophobic organisms from winter through spring and into summer. Benthic diversity in Penitentiary Glen compares favorably with that in similar, relatively undisturbed northeastern Ohio streams, but the identity and proportional distribution of aquatic taxa varies considerably between streams.
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Author Institution: Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh
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Citation
The Ohio Journal of Science. v84, n3 (June, 1984), 113-119