Influence of water quality on macroinvertebrate population and diversity

The environmental impact of urbanization is ubiquitous. Biodiversity within an ecosystem can be a simple means to determine the impact of urban development and overall environmental health of a region, and careful evaluation of waterways can provide insight into environmental health. Watersheds from three unique microenvironments in rural Tennessee were systematically compared. Water samples from rural and urban watersheds around Cookeville, TN were collected and analyzed. GIS was used to delineate watersheds, and land use and land cover data were computed to obtain urban areas in each watershed. Water samples were collected from three sites, all 3 ^rd ordered streams. Macroinvertebrate identification, counting and indexes were developed. The North Carolina Biological Index was used to compute the Biotic Index Score. Habitat assessment and land use data were compared to measurements of water quality. Computation from percent dominance and percent clingers showed that watersheds exert their own characteristics. Percent urban area has negative impact on the diversity of macroinvertebrate community and dominance. Habitat assessment also supports such findings.