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RELATING FLUVIAL GEOMORPHOLOGY TO MACROINVERTEBRATE DISTRIBUTION

dc.contributor.advisorLindenschmidt, Karl-Erich
dc.contributor.committeeMemberLi, Yanping
dc.contributor.committeeMemberDoig, Lorne
dc.contributor.committeeMemberChivers, Doug
dc.creatorMeissner, Anna G.N. 1990-
dc.creator.orcid0000-0002-8198-9484
dc.date.accessioned2016-06-16T17:18:48Z
dc.date.available2016-06-16T17:18:48Z
dc.date.created2016-10
dc.date.issued2016-06-16
dc.date.submittedOctober 2016
dc.date.updated2016-06-16T17:18:48Z
dc.description.abstractModern rivers undergo constant stress from disturbances such as bank stabilization, channelization, dams, and water expenditures. As these anthropogenic activities persist, efficient methods of characterizing rivers remain essential. Macroinvertebrates are an important feature in evaluating fluvial health, because they are often the first to react to contaminants. These toxins can be transferred through macroinvertebrates to other trophic levels. The purpose of this research was to use a geospatial model to differentiate instream macroinvertebrate habitats, and determine if the model is a viable method for stream evaluation. Through the use of ArcGIS and digital elevation models, the geomorphology of the Qu’Appelle River, Saskatchewan was assessed. Four geomorphological characteristics of the river were isolated (sinuosity, slope, fractal dimension, stream width) and clustered through a Principle Component Analysis, yielding sets of river reaches with similar geomorphological characteristics, called typologies. These typologies were mapped to form a geospatial model of the river, and grouped into geomorphological response units (GRUs). Macroinvertebrate data were aligned to the model, revealing relationships between macroinvertebrate taxa and fluvial geomorphology. A Kruskal-Wallis analysis and post hoc pairwise multiple comparisons pinpointed significant relationships between several genera and typologies. Furthermore, certain GRUs contained more sensitive macroinvertebrate families and healthier levels of diversity than other GRUs. Typologies were better suited to relate geomorphology to macroinvertebrate taxa, because they represented a more direct relationship to localised geomorphological characteristics than GRUs.
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdf
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10388/7289
dc.subjectmacroinvertebrates
dc.subjectfluvial geomorphology
dc.subjectfractal dimension
dc.subjectgeomorphic typologies
dc.subjectgeomorphic response units (GRU)
dc.subjectsinuosity
dc.subjectriver
dc.subjectinstream habitat
dc.subjectSaskatchewan
dc.titleRELATING FLUVIAL GEOMORPHOLOGY TO MACROINVERTEBRATE DISTRIBUTION
dc.typeThesis
dc.type.materialtext
thesis.degree.departmentSchool of Environment and Sustainability
thesis.degree.disciplineEnvironment and Sustainability
thesis.degree.grantorUniversity of Saskatchewan
thesis.degree.levelMasters
thesis.degree.nameMaster of Environment and Sustainability (M.E.S.)

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