Group 1: Distribution of benthic macroinvertebrates in glacier-fed streams
Aims
1. to collect data for a range of environmental variables
2. to introduce benthic macroinvertebrate sampling methods
3. to investigate relationships between macroinvertebrates and environmental variables
4. to compare the findings with contemporary alpine stream ecosystem concepts
Methods
1. Visit three sites along the main glacier-fed river, one site close to the snout, one mid-way
downstream and one just before the river reaches the hydro lake.
2. At each site make detailed observations of water and air temperature, electrical conductivity,
turbidity, channel morphology, pH, dissolved oxygen and stream discharge.
3. At each site collect three Surber samples for benthic macroinvertebrates
4. Back at the hut, sort the Surber samples and identify benthic macroinvertebrates using published
keys.
5. Using a range of statistical methods, look for relationships between environmental variables and
stream invertebrates
6. Compare results with published studies to determine how representative the glacier-fed river is
with those in other parts of the world.
Tasks
Before starting fieldwork, think about the following questions and make some suitable hypotheses
that you can later use your data to answer
1. How are the different environmental variables likely to change as we move further downstream
from the glacier?
2. How are benthic macroinvertebrate metrics such as total abundance, number of taxa/species and
diversity likely to change as we move further downstream from the glacier?
3. How will this glacier-fed river compare with other glacier-fed rivers in Europe and other parts of
the world?
Results/Presentation
You are in relatively large groups so to achieve the aims of this study you will need to divide up the
tasks. One of the biggest tasks is the identification of invertebrates so most people should be
assigned to this in the first instance. Others may wish to analyse the environmental data while some
read the background literature then communicate information to the rest of the group.
The sampling strategy has been designed to provide you with data which can be analysed using a
range of statistical methods commonly adopted by stream ecologists. It is your group’s responsibility
to decide which statistical methods are appropriate to help you accept/reject your hypotheses.
When presenting your findings, give a brief overview of the sampling strategy to familiarise other
groups with what you have done. Present results as graphs/tables to clearly convey the main
findings.
A range of papers/book chapters are available for you to gain information from previously published
studies. Remember to include appropriate referencing throughout.
Group 2: Distribution of benthic macroinvertebrates in different stream types
Aims
1. to collect data for a range of environmental variables
2. to introduce benthic macroinvertebrate sampling methods
3. to investigate relationships between macroinvertebrates and environmental variables in different
stream types
4. to compare the findings with contemporary alpine stream ecosystem concepts
Methods
1. Visit three different stream types: (1) the main glacier-fed river close to the glacier snout, (2) one
groundwater stream draining valley side-slopes, and (3) one lake outlet stream.
2. At each site make detailed observations of water and air temperature, electrical conductivity,
turbidity, channel morphology, pH, dissolved oxygen and stream discharge.
3. At each site collect three Surber samples for benthic macroinvertebrates
4. Back at the hut, sort the Surber samples and identify benthic macroinvertebrates using published
keys.
5. Using a range of statistical methods, look for relationships between environmental variables and
stream invertebrates
6. Compare results with published studies to understand the importance of different stream types in
alpine basins.
Tasks
Before starting fieldwork, think about the following questions and make some suitable hypotheses
that you can later use your data to answer
1. How are the different environmental variables likely to vary between the glacier-fed river,
groundwater stream and lake outlet?
2. How are benthic macroinvertebrate metrics such as total abundance, number of taxa and diversity
likely to differ between stream types?
3. How will the different stream types compare with similar stream types in other parts of Europe
and the world?
Results/Presentation
You are in relatively large groups so to achieve the aims of this study you will need to divide up the
tasks. One of the biggest tasks is the identification of invertebrates so most people should be
assigned to this in the first instance. Others may wish to analyse the environmental data while some
read the background literature then communicate information to the rest of the group.
The sampling strategy has been designed to provide you with data which can be analysed using a
range of statistical methods commonly adopted by stream ecologists. It is your group’s responsibility
to decide which statistical methods are appropriate to help you accept/reject your hypotheses.
When presenting your findings, give a brief overview of the sampling strategy to familiarise other
groups with what you have done. Present results as graphs/tables to clearly convey the main
findings.
A range of papers/book chapters are available for you to gain information from previously published
studies. Remember to include appropriate referencing throughout.
Group 3: Temporal dynamics of glacier-fed stream ecosystems
Aims
1. to collect data for a range of environmental variables
2. to introduce benthic macroinvertebrate sampling methods
3. to investigate relationships between macroinvertebrates and environmental variables in different
stream types
4. to compare the findings with contemporary alpine stream ecosystem concepts
Methods
1. Visit the main glacier-fed river midway downstream and remain there throughout the day
2. Every 30 minutes make detailed observations of water and air temperature, electrical conductivity,
turbidity, channel morphology, pH, dissolved oxygen and river discharge.
3. Three drift nets will deployed at hourly intervals over five hours and left for 30 minutes each time
to sample drifting aquatic invertebrates.
4. Back at the hut, sort the drift samples and identify benthic macroinvertebrates using published
keys.
5. Using a range of statistical methods look for relationships between environmental variables and
stream invertebrate drift.
6. Compare results with published studies to determine how comparable glacier-fed streams are to
other river ecosystems.
Tasks
Before starting fieldwork, think about the following questions and make some suitable hypotheses
that you can later use your data to answer
1. How are the different environmental variables likely to vary throughout the day?
2. How are metrics such as total abundance, number of taxa and diversity of drifting invertebrate
likely to differ throughout the day?
Results/Presentation
You are in relatively large groups so to achieve the aims of this study you will need to divide up the
tasks. One of the biggest tasks is the identification of invertebrates so most people should be
assigned to this in the first instance. Others may wish to analyse the environmental data while some
read the background literature then communicate information to the rest of the group.
The sampling strategy has been designed to provide you with data which can be analysed using a
range of statistical methods commonly adopted by stream ecologists. It is your group’s responsibility
to decide which statistical methods are appropriate to help you accept/reject your hypotheses.
When presenting your findings, give a brief overview of the sampling strategy to familiarise other
groups with what you have done. Present results as graphs/tables to clearly convey the main
findings.
A range of papers/book chapters are available for you to gain information from previously published
studies. Remember to include appropriate referencing throughout.
Group 4: The role of disturbance in glacier-fed stream ecosystems
Aims
1. to collect data for a range of environmental variables
2. to introduce benthic macroinvertebrate sampling methods
3. to investigate relationships between macroinvertebrates and environmental variables, and
disturbance events.
4. to compare the findings with disturbance concepts and theories
Methods
1. Visit the main glacier-fed river midway downstream and remain there throughout the day
2. At two 20m stream reaches make detailed observations of water and air temperature, electrical
conductivity, turbidity, channel morphology, pH, dissolved oxygen and stream discharge.
2. Sample the two stream reaches for benthic macroinvertebrates by collecting three Surber samples.
3. At the bottom of the lower reach, deploy three drift nets for thirty minutes to gain an
understanding of natural drift.
4. Two people enter the lower 20m reach and vigorously disturb the streambed sediments for ten
minutes. During this event, at the bottom of the reach deploy three drift nets for thirty minutes to
gain an understanding of disturbance induced drift.
5. Collect three Surber samples from both 20m reaches following the disturbance.
6. At the bottom of the lower reach, deploy three drift nets for thirty minutes to gain an
understanding of post-disturbance natural drift.
7. Back at the hut, sort the drift samples and identify benthic macroinvertebrates using published
keys
5. Using a range of statistical methods look for Before-After-Control-Impact (BACI) differences.
6. Compare results with published studies to determine to understand how glacier-fed river
ecosystems respond to disturbance.
Tasks
Before starting fieldwork, think about the following questions and make some suitable hypotheses
that you can later use your data to answer
1. How are the different environmental variables likely to vary between the two river reaches before,
during and after the disturbance effect?
2. How are metrics such as total abundance, number of taxa and diversity of drifting invertebrate
likely to differ before and after disturbance at the two river reaches?
3. How will the composition of drifting insects differ between the two river reaches?
Results/Presentation
You are in relatively large groups so to achieve the aims of this study you will need to divide up the
tasks. One of the biggest tasks is the identification of invertebrates so most people should be
assigned to this in the first instance. Others may wish to analyse the environmental data while some
read the background literature then communicate information to the rest of the group.
The sampling strategy has been designed to provide you with data which can be analysed using a
range of statistical methods commonly adopted by stream ecologists. It is your group’s responsibility
to decide which statistical methods are appropriate to help you accept/reject your hypotheses.
When presenting your findings, give a brief overview of the sampling strategy to familiarise other
groups with what you have done. Present results as graphs/tables to clearly convey the main
findings.
A range of papers/book chapters are available for you to gain information from previously published
studies. Remember to include appropriate referencing throughout.
Invertebrate identification recording sheets
Site
Sample Date
Sample Reference
Sample Processor
Invertebrate taxa
Date
Completed
Data Entered
Y/N
Tally
Total
Invertebrate identification recording sheets
Site
Sample Date
Sample Reference
Sample Processor
Invertebrate taxa
Date
Completed
Data Entered
Y/N
Tally
Total
Sharp edges
and corners,
plane
surfaces
roughened
1
Surface dull,
darkened,
stained by
algae or
minerals.
Bright
surfaces
<5% of area
Assorted
sizes tightly
packed or
overlapping
1
4. Percent of
riverbed stable
5. Scouring and
deposition
6. Clinging
aquatic
vegetation
(mosses and
algae)
2. Brightness
3. Consolidation
and particle size
of substrate
Score
Score
Score
Component
1. Rock
angularity
Score
Pfankuch stability score assessment criteria (Pfankuch, 1975)
Rounded
edges and
corners.
Surfaces
smooth and
flat
Mostly dull
but may have
up to 35%
bright
surfaces,
some dull on
larger rocks
2
Corners and
edges well
rounded in 2
dimensions
3
Well rounded
in all
dimensions,
surfaces
smooth
4
2
Mixture 5050% dull and
bright
(±15%)
3
Predominantly
bright >65%
exposed or
scoured
surfaces
4
2
Moderately
packed with
some
overlapping
4
6
No packing
evident, loose
assortment
easily moved
8
80-100%
4
50-80%
8
Mostly a
loose
assortment
with no
apparent
overlap
20-50%
12
0-20%
16
<5% channel
length
affected by
scouring and
deposition
6
12
30-50%
affected.
Deposits and
scour at
obstructions,
constrictions
at bends.
Some filling
in pools
18
>50% of the
bottom in a
state of flux or
change nearly
year long
24
Abundant.
Growth
largely moss
like, dark
green year
round. In
swift water
1
5-30%
affected.
Scour at
constrictions
and where
gradient
steepens.
Some
deposition in
backwaters
and pools
Common.
Algae forms
in low
velocity and
pool areas.
Moss in swift
waters
2
Present but
spotty.
Mostly in
backwater
areas.
Seasonal
blooms make
rocks slick
3
Perennial types 4
scarce or
absent. Yellowgreen shortterm bloom
may be present
Total stability score = sum of the 6 components
Lower scores = higher stability
Site description recording sheet
Sample Site
Grid reference
Date/Time
Weather
Water temperature (ºC)
Air Temperature
(ºC)
Turbidity (NTU)
Electrical conductivity
(µScm-1)
Stream width (m)
pH
Dissolved oxygen (%)
Pfankuch Score
Stream discharge
Segment
Segment
Width
(m)
Segment depth
(m)
Segment velocity (m s-1)
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
Total discharge
(Σ segment discharges)
Segment
discharge (m3s-1)