Spatial Variation in Invertebrate Communities in New Zealand Braided Rivers

Résumé du livre

Large braided rivers are a distinctive feature of the landscape in several regions of New Zealand. The invertebrate communities of braided rivers have been described as taxonomically depauperate, but recent research has suggested otherwise. We conducted a field survey of 11 braided rivers, collecting benthic invertebrates from six reaches dispersed down each river, and sampling up to five habitats per reach. We compared the taxonomic richness of these braided, multichannel rivers with non-braided, single channel rivers, and found that braided rivers actually support very diverse invertebrate assemblages when all floodplain habitats are included in analyses. We then compared biodiversity patterns within braided rivers. A total of 144 taxa and over 100 000 individuals were collected from the 11 braided rivers. Thirty-four percent of taxa were found in