Aquatic invertebrate biomass and community composition in greentree reservoirs and naturally flooded forests in the Mississippi Alluvial Valley and interior flatwoods

Author

Justyn Richard Foth

Issuing Body

Mississippi State University

Advisor

Rick M. Kaminski

Committee Member

Dibble, D. Eric

Committee Member

Davis, J. Brian

Committee Member

Kroger, Robert

Date of Degree

4-30-2011

Document Type

Graduate Thesis - Open Access

Major

Wildlife and Fisheries Science

Degree Name

Master of Science

College

College of Forest Resources

Department

Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Aquaculture

Abstract

The Mississippi Alluvial Valley (MAV) contained vast bottomland hardwood forests into the 20th century. Humans cleared forests, and altered hydrology, yet the MAV remains important for North American waterfowl and other wildlife. To estimate standing crops of aquatic invertebrates as food in hardwood bottomlands for wintering waterfowl, I quantified dry mass of invertebrates in naturally flooded forests (NFFs) and greentree reservoirs (GTRs) during winters 2008–2010. The MAV had greater invertebrate mass in NFFs (x̄ = 18.39 kg/ha; SE = 2.815 [CV = 15.3%]) than GTRs (x̄ = 5.16; SE = 0.492 [CV = 9.5%]), compared with lesser masses in Mississippi Interior Flatwoods’ GTR (x̄ = 2.26; SE = 0.320) and NFF (x̄= 1.45; SE = 1.305). Invertebrate diversity was greatest in NFFs and in depths from 10–40 cm. Flooding GTRs ≤ 40 cm and managing naturally dynamic hydrology may benefit invertebrates, ducks, and associated bottomland hardwood communities

URI

https://hdl.handle.net/11668/14987

Recommended Citation

Foth, Justyn Richard, "Aquatic invertebrate biomass and community composition in greentree reservoirs and naturally flooded forests in the Mississippi Alluvial Valley and interior flatwoods" (2011). Theses and Dissertations. 723.
https://scholarsjunction.msstate.edu/td/723