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Title: The Role Of Bankside Habitat In River Ecology
Author: SSC Harrison
Author: ITB Harris
Author: P D Armitage
Author: Environment Agency
Document Type: Monograph
Annotation: Environment Agency Project ID:EAPRJOUT_664, Representation ID: 224, Object ID: 1996
Abstract:
This study represents two and a half years of practical research and analysis of riparian vegetation and aquatic invertebrate interactions. The prime objective of the first year was to determine the distribution and abundance of invertebrates in three different types of chalk stream habitat: l bankside (stream margin) l main channel gravel 0 main channel Ranunculus Ten streams were chosen, to enable comparisons to be made across a large number of differing physical and biological factors. These ten steams are described. During initial field observations, it was apparent that there were several distinct types of riparian management which directly affected the quality and quantity of bankside and instream habitat, and therefore potentially influenced invertebrates in the stream. These management types were: - ungrazed (fenced, abundant tall vegetation) - grazed by cattle (short-grass banks only) - woodland (continuous tree-canopy cover) Several types of bankside vegetation were distinguished, and sampled. These included:- - reeds and other monocotyledonous plants - overhanging vegetation (Urtica dioica, Rubus fiuticosus etc.) - grass, at the edge of grazed margins - Apium and Rorippa In addition to sampling the various instream and marginal habitats across the different management regimes, the terrestrial (emergent) adults of aquatic invertebrates were also collected to determine whether they associated with particular riparian vegetation types, which were: - the accessible aerial parts of trees - tall herbaceous. plants (such as Symphytum oflcinale, Oenanthe crocata and Epilobium spp) - short riparian grass - the aerial parts of reeds The conclusions drawn from these experiments have clear implications for the management of riparian areas. These are discussed in Section 9.0, where the fmdings of the project are used to suggest the most beneficial policies for management of bankside areas, in terms of the requirements of aquatic invertebrates.
Publisher: Environment Agency
Subject Keywords: RiversRiverbanksInvertebratesHabitatsVegetationAquatic plantsPlant population
Extent: 181
Permalink: http://www.environmentdata.org/archive/ealit:4564
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