ASSESSING THE ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH OF GEORGIA WETLANDS AND RIVERS USING AQUATIC INVERTEBRATES

• Sponsoring Institution: National Institute of Food and Agriculture
• Project Status: COMPLETE
• Funding Source: HATCH
• Reporting Frequency: Annual
• Accession No.: 1011549
• Project Start Date: Jan 24, 2017
• Project End Date: Dec 31, 2021
• Program Code: [(N/A)]- (N/A)

Recipient Organization
UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA
200 D.W. BROOKS DR
ATHENS,GA 30602-5016

Performing Department
Entomology

Non Technical Summary
In rivers and wetlands across Georgia, I will use aquatic invertebrates to indicate and assess impacts of various environmental impacts, including long-term (30 yr) change in riverine communities, impacts of flow regulation on floodplains, and impacts of an invasive plant on ecosystem processes.

Animal Health Component

50%

Research Effort Categories

Basic

50%

Applied

50%

Developmental

(N/A)

Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)	Subject of Investigation (SOI)	Field of Science (FOS)	Percent
112	0210	1070	100%

Knowledge Area
112 - Watershed Protection and Management;

Subject Of Investigation
0210 - Water resources;

Field Of Science
1070 - Ecology;

Keywords

ecology

bioassessment

river

floodplain

invasive species

Goals / Objectives
Use invertebrates to assess long-term (decadal) ecological change, using the Ogeechee River in east-central Georgia as a study system.Use invertebrates to assess environmental integrity of Georgia floodplains, using the Oconee, Altamaha and Savannah Rivers as study systems.

Project Methods
Assessing long-term ecological change in the ogeechee river using aquatic invertebrates The focus of my effort will be to use community and ecosystem analyses of invertebrates to assess how the Ogeechee River is currently functioning ecologically. Further I will use functional studies conducted in 1982-83 (synthesized in Benke and Wallace 2014) as a baseline to assess how ecological processes controlling the Ogeechee River might have changed over the past 30+years.The ecology of rivers is controlled primarily by climate, patterns of water flow, water quality, substrate compositions, nutrient levels, organic matter dynamics, condition of the riparian zone, and condition of the watershed. Rivers of the Southeastern Coastal Plain are unique from other regions in that river beds consist mostly of shifting sands, a habitat that is conducive to only a limited biota. However, because the watersheds are largely forested, an ample supply of snags (coarse woody debris from dead trees) occurs in most channels. Studies have established that these snags are the major foci for biological activity in Southeastern rivers, especially for fish and invertebrates (Benke and Wallace 2003, 2014). To assess habitat quality of the Ogeechee River, dynamics on snags should be very informative.I intend to monitor invertebrate communities of the Ogeechee River by sampling snag habitats, and compare this data to comparable collections from 1982-1983 to address the following questions:What kinds of invertebrates currently exploit snag habitats in the Ogeechee River?What kinds of invertebrates exploited snag habitats in the past?Has the invertebrate community structure on snags changed from the past?If so, how has it changed in terms of ecological functioning?Can the invertebrates provide clues as to why the Ogeechee River has changed ecologically?MONITORING OF FLOODPLAIN AND RIVERINE ECOSYSTEM RESPONSE TO FLOOD PULSES ON THE SAVANNAH RIVER, GA/The periodic inundation of floodplains is believed to be the major factor in sustaining the ecological functions of river-floodplain systems (see review in Junk and Wantzen 2006). The high overall productivity and biodiversity of these systems is due largely to the many-fold increase in aquatic areas occurring upon floodplain inundation. Flood pulses can exert a range of influences such as shaping the morphology of river channels and floodplains, affecting soil oxygen and moisture levels, and impacting biological and chemical transformations among nutrient pools. Flood pulses regulate plant reproduction, with seedling establishment only successful under certain hydrologic conditions (Schneider and Sharitz 1988). Flood pulses during the plant dormant season (October - March) can increase soil moisture, disperse seeds, and inhibit germination of upland species (those species not considered wetland residents), on lower elevation sites. Healthy floodplains support a community of invertebrates (insects and crustaceans) and fish specifically adapted to live and breed in wetlands.To sample invertebrates and fish, my laboratory selected locations along the floodplains of each of the Savannah and Altamaha Rivers. The Altamaha River was sampled because it shared many similarities with the Savannah River, but because it is not managed for flood control it retains near natural flood pulses. Thus, the Altamaha provides a useful reference target for evaluating the condition of Savannah River floodplains.At each location, sampling is stratified to be conducted in representative low lying backwater swamps of the floodplain interior, both seasonally and permanently flooded. These locations are where aquatic invertebrates accumulate (Reese and Batzer 2007). All of the backwater swamps selected become hydrologically connected to the river channels during significant flood events. Preliminary data suggest that Dytiscidae beetles may be useful indicators of healthy large-river floodplains of Georgia. This study is designed to develop rapid assessment protocols to monitor Dytiscidae beetles in Savannah River floodplains to assess impacts of flow management.Impacts of Chinese privet on litter decomposition and associated arthropodsNon-native invasive species represent the greatest environmental and economic threat to forests in the United States (Pimental et al. 2005). One key ecosystem function likely to be affected by invasion by non-native woody plants is decomposition. Because differences in plant traits are known to affect rates of decomposition (Cornwell et al. 2008) and thick layers of growth can significantly alter important physical conditions such as insolation and humidity, changes in forest composition and structure brought about by invasive species are likely to influence this process (Cameron and Spencer 1989, Heneghan et al. 2006, Mitchell et al. 2011, Kuebbing et al. 2014). This, in turn, may have important consequences for key issues like carbon sequestration and productivity. To date, few experimental efforts to explore such questions have been made. A study carried out in New York, however, found that litter from both exotic and native plant species decomposes faster in forests invaded by non-native plants than in non-invaded forests (Ashton et al. 2005).Since being introduced in the mid nineteenth century, Chinese privet, an evergreen shrub native to Asia, has become one of the most abundant non-native invasive plants in the southeastern United States. The species currently occupies about 3.5% of the total land area covered by forests in the region (Rudis et al. 2006) and dominates many riparian areas. For example, 59% of the Upper Oconee River floodplain in north Georgia was covered by privet by 1999 (Ward 2002). Once established, privet grows in dense thickets up to 9 m in height (Miller 2003). The species competes strongly with native plants for light and nutrients, displacing many species from the understory and suppressing tree regeneration. Forest floors lacking native plants will likely lack other species as well, including many invertebrates.In 2005, an experiment investigating the ecological impacts of Chinese privet removal was initiated in floodplain forests in northeastern Georgia. So far the study has consistently shown that privet removal strongly benefits native plant and flying insect communities (Hanula et al. 2009, Ulyshen et al. 2010, Hanula and Horn 2011b, a, Hudson et al. 2013). Some non-native invertebrates, by contrast, may benefit from privet. For example, Ulyshen et al. (2010) found an association between privet and the non-native ambrosia beetle, Xylosandrus crassiusculus. Similarly, Lobe (2012) found European earthworms to be more common at sites invaded by privet whereas native earthworms were more abundant at sites never invaded by the species.In the current study, I plan to revisit the question of how privet removal affects decomposition. Unlike previous studies, I will:Compare experimentally the litter decomposition rates of a native tree (sweetgum, a species found at all study locations), in addition to privet. We predict both species will decompose more rapidly in plots invaded by privet, based on the findings of Ashton et al. (2005).Include a mixed litter treatment (Salamanca et al. 1998, Prescott et al. 2000, Gartner and Cardon 2004) to examine how the presence of privet litter affects the decomposition rates of sweetgum. We predict sweetgum litter will decompose more quickly in mixed bags.Use two mesh sizes, 0.3 mm and 2 mm, to determine how patterns may vary depending on the presence of microarthropods.Compare microarthropod communities among treatments. We predict that plots containing privet will support less abundant and rich microarthropod communities.Disentangle the effects of privet leaf chemistry and the indirect effects of privet on the physical environment (i.e., insolation, humidity, temperature) on decomposition.

Progress 10/01/19 to 09/30/20

Outputs
Target Audience:Students Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Five graduate students, and two undergraduates received research trainin. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Journal articles What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Publish more papers, Continue supporting graduate student education.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Multiple research papers published, two graduate students graduated, 3 graduate studnets continued their programs.

Publications

• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: McDaniel, C. H., McHugh, J. V., & Batzer, D. P. (2019). Colonization of drying temporary wetlands by Coptotomus loticus (Coleoptera: Dytiscidae): a unique strategy for an aquatic wetland insect. WETLANDS ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT, 27(5-6), 627-634. doi:10.1007/s11273-019-09681-4
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Yang, M., Lu, K., Batzer, D. P., & Wu, H. (2019). Freshwater release into estuarine wetlands changes the structure of benthic invertebrate assemblages: A case study from the Yellow River Delta. SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT, 687, 752-758. doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.06.154
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Dodds, W. K., Bruckerhoff, L., Batzer, D., Schechner, A., Pennock, C., Renner, E., . . . Grieger, S. (2019). The freshwater biome gradient framework: predicting macroscale properties based on latitude, altitude, and precipitation. Ecosphere, 10(7). doi:10.1002/ecs2.2786
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Bush, B. M., Stenert, C., Maltchik, L., & Batzer, D. P. (2019). Beaver-created successional gradients increase beta-diversity of invertebrates by turnover in stream-wetland complexes. FRESHWATER BIOLOGY, 64(7), 1265-1274. doi:10.1111/fwb.13302
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Wu, H., Guan, Q., Lu, K., & Batzer, D. P. (2019). Aquatic macroinvertebrate assemblages in wetlands of Northeastern China. HYDROBIOLOGIA, 838(1), 153-162. doi:10.1007/s10750-019-03984-6
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: McDaniel, C. H., & Batzer, D. P. (2019). Effects of River Flow Regulation beyond the Channel: Multifaceted Changes within a Group of Invertebrate Floodplain Specialists. WETLANDS, 39(1), 87-98. doi:10.1007/s13157-018-1070-1
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Bush, B. M., Ulyshen, M. D., Fair, C. G., & Batzer, D. P. (2019). Assessing the effects of mesh enclosures on invertebrates and litter breakdown in a floodplain forest of the Southeastern USA. WETLANDS ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT, 27(1), 149-156. doi:10.1007/s11273-018-9648-1
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Wu, H., Guan, Q., Ma, H., Xue, Z., Yang, M., & Batzer, D. P. (2019). Effects of saline conditions and hydrologic permanence on snail assemblages in wetlands of Northeastern China. ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS, 96, 620-627.
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Lu, K., Wu, H., Xue, Z., Lu, X., & Batzer, D. P. (2019). Development of a multi-metric index based on aquatic invertebrates to assess floodplain wetland condition. HYDROBIOLOGIA, 827(1), 141-153. doi:10.1007/s10750-018-3761-2
• Type: Book Chapters Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Jackson, J. K., Resh, V. H., Batzer, D. P., Merritt, R. W., & Cummins, K. W. (2019). Sampling aquatic insects: collection devices, statistical considerations, and rearing procedures. In R. W. Merritt, K. W. Cummins, & M. B. Berg (Eds.), An Introduction to the Aquatic Insects of North America, fifth edition (pp. 43-64). Dubuque, IA: Kendall Hunt

Progress 10/01/18 to 09/30/19

Outputs
Target Audience:Other scientists, students, professionals, and general public. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Two graduates students graduated with MS dg\egrees, and one with a PhD. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Journal articles and conference presentations What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Publish more papers, do more conference presentations, train more students, and conduct more public outreach.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Five journal pulbications were publsihed.

Publications

• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Maltchik, L., Caleffi, V., Stenert, C., Batzer, D. P., Fernandez Piedade, M. T., & Junk, W. J. (2018). Legislation for wetland conservation in Brazil: Are existing terms and definitions sufficient?. ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION, 45(3), 301-305. doi:10.1017/S0376892917000522
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Ruhi, A., Dong, X., McDaniel, C. H., Batzer, D. P., & Sabo, J. L. (2018). Detrimental effects of a novel flow regime on the functional trajectory of an aquatic invertebrate metacommunity. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY, 24(8), 3749-3765. doi:10.1111/gcb.14133
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Guan, Q., Liu, J., Batzer, D. P., Lu, X., & Wu, H. (2018). Snails (Mollusca: Gastropoda) as potential surrogates of overall aquatic invertebrate assemblage in wetlands of Northeastern China. ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS, 90, 193-200. doi:10.1016/j.ecolind.2018.01.069
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Batzer, D. P., & Murray, K. M. (2018). How important are aquatic predators to mosquito larval populations in natural wetlands? A case study from Carolina bays in Georgia. WETLANDS ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT, 26(3), 391-397. doi:10.1007/s11273-017-9581-8
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Batzer, D. P., Noe, G. B., Lee, L., & Galatowitsch, M. (2018). A Floodplain Continuum for Atlantic Coast Rivers of the Southeastern US: Predictable Changes in Floodplain Biota along a River's Length. WETLANDS, 38(1), 1-13. doi:10.1007/s13157-017-0983-4

Progress 10/01/17 to 09/30/18

Outputs
Target Audience:Papers targeted other scientists and the gener al public. Outrerach activities targeted high school and college students. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Two MS students and one PhD student graduated tyhis year. Two undergraduate students conducted independent research projects. Three high school students collaborated with research projects. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Five journal articles, and one outreach booklet were published. Five conference papers were presented. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Four journal articles and one book chapter are already accepted for 2019. Six more papers are being reviewed. Two new graduate students were enrolled to conduct new research.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? We found that macroinvertebrate communities in the Ogeechee River changed dramatically over the past 35 year (>50% decline in consumer biomass, doubling of predator abundance), and attribute this change to reduced rainfall from climate change progressively reducing the size of flood pulses over the past 35 years, and thus disconnecting the river channel from the floodplain and reducing influx of invertebrate foods from the floodplain. We found that flow regulation in the Savannah River has altered the composition of dyticid beetle communities on the floodplain.

Publications

• Type: Books Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Murray, K., McHugh, J., Batzer, D., & Roberson, L. (2018). Aquatic Insects of the Ogeechee River: a pictorial guide to common taxa. Ogeechee Riverkeeper
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Maltchik, L., Caleffi, V., Stenert, C., Batzer, D. P., Fernandez Piedade, M. T., & Junk, W. J. (2018). Legislation for wetland conservation in Brazil: Are existing terms and definitions sufficient?. ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION, 45(3), 301-305.
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Ruhi, A., Dong, X., McDaniel, C. H., Batzer, D. P., & Sabo, J. L. (2018). Detrimental effects of a novel flow regime on the functional trajectory of an aquatic invertebrate metacommunity. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY, 24(8), 3749-3765.
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Guan, Q., Liu, J., Batzer, D. P., Lu, X., & Wu, H. (2018). Snails (Mollusca: Gastropoda) as potential surrogates of overall aquatic invertebrate assemblage in wetlands of Northeastern China. ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS, 90, 193-200.
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Batzer, D. P., & Murray, K. M. (2018). How important are aquatic predators to mosquito larval populations in natural wetlands? A case study from Carolina bays in Georgia. WETLANDS ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT, 26(3), 391-397.
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Batzer, D. P., Noe, G. B., Lee, L., & Galatowitsch, M. (2018). A Floodplain Continuum for Atlantic Coast Rivers of the Southeastern US: Predictable Changes in Floodplain Biota along a River's Length. WETLANDS, 38(1), 1-13.

Progress 01/24/17 to 09/30/17

Outputs
Target Audience:Farmers, students, and general public interesed in wetland and aqautic resources. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Two studnets are using the project for their gradute degrees. Publications produced involved international collaborations. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Through journal pulbications (see above). What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Students will complete their graduate degrees, more publications will be developed, and two new graduate studnets have been recruited to continue the work.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Master student tasked with assessing decadal changes in the Ogeechee River invertebrates completed the sampling and is conducting analyses in preparation for completing her MS thesis and preparing publications in 2018. Multiple other papers (listed above) were published on aquric and wetland ecology.

Publications

• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: McDaniel, C. H.*, McHugh, J. V., Batzer, D. P. (2017). Congeneric Predaceous Diving Beetle Species Fail to Segregate in a Floodplain System: A Case of Amplified Sympatry. ENVIRONMENTAL ENTOMOLOGY, 46(3), 494-501. doi:10.1093/ee/nvx063
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Guan, Q.**, Wu, H., Lu, K., Lu, X., Batzer, D. P. (2017). Longitudinal and lateral variation in snail assemblages along a floodplain continuum. HYDROBIOLOGIA, 792(1), 345-356. doi:10.1007/s10750-016-3073-3
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Wu, H.**, Guan, Q., Lu, X., Batzer, D. P. (2017). Snail (Mollusca: Gastropoda) assemblages as indicators of ecological condition in freshwater wetlands of Northeastern China. ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS, 75, 203-209. doi:10.1016/j.ecolind.2016.12.042
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Maltchik, L.**, Stenert, C., Batzer, D. P. (2017). Can rice field management practices contribute to the conservation of species from natural wetlands? Lessons from Brazil. BASIC AND APPLIED ECOLOGY, 18, 50-56. doi:10.1016/j.baae.2016.10.002
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Stenert, C.**, Ehlert, B., Avila, A. C., Rocha Sousa, F. D., Esquinatti, F. M., Batzer, D. P., Maltchik, L. (2017). Dormant propagule banks of aquatic invertebrates in ponds invaded by exotic pine species in southern Brazil. MARINE AND FRESHWATER RESEARCH, 68(5), 954-963. doi:10.1071/MF16067