Wednesday, June 6, 2007 - 2:15 PM
277

Macroinvertebrate communities in natural and restored floodplain wetlands in the central Platte River basin

Clinton K. Meyer and Matt R. Whiles. Department of Zoology and Center for Ecology, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL 62901-6501

Wetlands in the central Platte River basin provide numerous ecosystem services but have been diminished and degraded by agricultural practices and development.  Wetland restoration is increasingly common in this region, but the success of restorations is virtually unknown.  We sampled macroinvertebrates during spring (March-June), 2003-2004 in restored (5-15 years old) and natural slough wetlands to assess restoration success.  Total macroinvertebrate abundance, biomass, and diversity were all similar in restored and natural wetlands.  Although communities in restored and natural sites were generally similar, we observed some taxonomic differences, particularly with non-insects.  For example, relative abundance and biomass of Helisoma and Pisidium were both higher in natural wetlands, and leeches were only collected in natural sites.  Functional structure based on abundance was similar between natural and restored wetlands, but some differences in biomass-based estimates were evident.  For example, relative biomass of collector-filterers was higher in natural than restored wetlands in 2003 (P= 0.019).  Although measures of total abundance and diversity suggest that restorations are similar to natural systems, differences in functional group biomass and community structure indicate that some components have not recovered several years after restoration.  Further, differences in functional structure may reflect differences in ecosystem functioning of restored wetlands.