Stream Health Assessment Based on Macroinvertebrate Diversity

• Kamden Clapper

  Juniata College

  Author

• Ella Gerhardt

  Juniata College

  Author

• Alison Superka

  Juniata College

  Author

• Barrett Walters

  Juniata College

  Author

Our study was done in Crooked Creek, Muddy Run, and Standing Stone Creek by collecting macroinvertebrates, measuring steam characteristics such as pH, oxygen content and temperature, and measuring the EPT% index. These streams showed three different stream types and areas. We found that Standing Stone Creek had the highest EPT% index followed by Crooked Creek and then Muddy Run. These macroinvertebrates also showed four different functional guilds. Muddy Run had the most species abundance but the fewest number of species while Crooked Creek and Standing Stone Creek were dominated by one species. Standing Stone had the most amount of individual organisms collected followed by Crooked Creek and then Muddy Run. Before the study was started, we assumed that Muddy Run would have the lowest stream health due to its location and visible pollution. We had assumed that Standing Stone and Crooked Creek would be similar in water quality and species richness and abundance due to their location and appearance of stream quality. A chi-square test proved that the difference in the EPT% index of Standing Stone and Crooked Creek from Muddy Run was significant. In conclusion, the stream health of Muddy Run was significantly worse than Standing Stone and Crooked Creek.

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