Benthic Macroinvertebrate Research

Benthic invertebrates live on the bottom of streams and lakes

For my senior year at the University of Arkansas, I took a field lab ecology class. The final project was a research project that involved collecting benthic macroinvertebrates and doing statistical analysis on species counts, species richness, and water pollution. We worked with two very different stream types in Northwest Arkansas, but we did not find any significant relationships between land use, water pollutant runoff, and macroinvertebrate and species richness. However, we did find a partially supported statistical difference between the two sites with species richness and diversity, and further research will have to be done to determine the reasons.

  • Purpose

    Stream Health Research