Full Title
Habitat preference of riffle beetles (Coleoptera: Elmidae) in the unregulated Snowy Creek, north-eastern Victoria
Supervisor
John Hawking, Rob Cook
Student
Jono Thompson
Funding Body
MDFRC Summer Scholarship
Duration
December 2007 to February 2008
Outcomes
Report and Oral Presentation
Summary
Elmids were the focus of this study because of what was found in the Mitta Mitta monitoring program. Elmids were absent from the Mitta river below the Dartmouth Dam, until the confluence with Snowy Creek. Snowy creek was found to have a diverse and abundant elmid fauna. The aim of this study was to determine the meso- and microhabitat preferences of elmids in the Snowy creek with the aim of determining why they may be absent from the Mitta Mitta River. Mesohabitats (pools and riffles), and microhabitats (tops or bottoms of rocks, patches of fine sediment and woody debris) were sampled during the study to help try and identify what habitat features were associated with the habitat preference of elmids. As with some past studies it is believed that current velocity will have the biggest influence on the diversity and abundance of elmids. However, the importance of substrate type, especially wood, is highlighted as a very important environmental feature that may have more of an influence on the distribution of elmids than current velocity. Current velocity and habitat type are believed to be the reason different species inhabit different environments. It is hypothesis that current velocity and substrate type will be the environmental parameters that determine the habitat preference of elmids.
