Relations among riparian grazing, sediment loads, macroinvertebrates, and fishes in three central Pennsylvania streams

We assessed relations among riparian grazing, sediment loads, macroinvertebrates, and fishes in three streams in adjacent catchments in central Pennsylvania. The catchments consisted mostly of agricultural and forest lands. Lengths of streams subjected to riparian grazing were 2.5 km along Cedar Run and 4.1 km along Slab Cabin Run; there was no riparian grazing along Spring Creek. Median daily discharge and temperatures during summer and winter were significantly different among streams. Annual sediment yields were 113, 255, and 273 t in Spring Creek, Cedar Run, and Slab Cabin Run, respectively. Substrate permeability of potential spawning sites for brown trout ( Salmo trutta), and densities of benthic macroinvertebrates were significantly higher in Spring Creek than in the other streams. Densities of wild brown trout were 5-23 times higher in Spring Creek than in Cedar Run and Slab Cabin Run. Although there were marked differences among streams with and without riparian grazing, other watershed attributes could have had some influence on these streams. Resume : Nous avons evalue les relations existant entre le broutage riverain, la charge de sediments, les macro-invertebres et les poissons, dans trois petits cours d'eau de bassins-versants voisins, dans le centre de la Pennsylvanie. Ces bassins-versants etaient principalement recouverts de terres agricoles et de forets. Le broutage riverain touchait 2,5 km du Cedar Run et 4,1 km du Slab Cabin Run, alors que les berges du ruisseau Spring n'etaient soumises a aucun broutage. Le debit quotidien moyen ainsi que les temperatures estivales et hivernales etaient sensiblement differents selon les cours d'eau. La production annuelle de sediments etait de 113 t pour le ruisseau Spring, de 255 t pour le Cedar Run et de 273 t pour le Slab Cabin Run. La permeabilite des substrats pouvant servir de frayeres a la truite brune ( Salmo trutta) et la densite des macro-invertebres benthiques etaient significativement plus elevees dans le cas du ruisseau Spring que dans celui des deux autres cours d'eau. De meme, la densite des truites brunes sauvages etait 5-23 fois plus elevee dans le ruisseau Spring que dans le Cedar Run et le Slab Cabin Run. Il existe donc des differences marquees entre les cours d'eau soumis et non soumis au broutage riverain, mais il est possible que d'autres caracteristiques des bassins-versants aient eu une incidence sur ces cours d'eau. (Traduit par la Redaction)

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