The effects of subsampling and sampling frequency on the use of surface-floating pupal exuviae to measure Chironomidae (Diptera) communities in wadeable temperate streams

Raymond William Bouchard, Leonard C. Ferrington

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

18 Scopus citations

Abstract

Community, diversity, and biological index metrics for chironomid surface-floating pupal exuviae (SFPE) were assessed at different subsample sizes and sampling frequencies from wadeable streams in Minnesota (USA). Timed collections of SFPE were made using a biweekly sampling interval in groundwater-dominated (GWD) and surface-water-dominated (SWD) streams. These two types of stream were sampled because they support different Chironomidae communities with different phenologies which could necessitate sampling methodologies specific to each stream type. A subsample size of 300 individuals was sufficient to collect on average 85% of total taxa richness and to estimate most metrics with an error of about 1% relative to 1,000 count samples. SWD streams required larger subsample sizes to achieve similar estimates of taxa richness and metric error compared to GWD streams, but these differences were not large enough to recommend different subsampling methods for these stream types. Analysis of sample timing determined that 97% of emergence occurred from April through September. We recommend in studies where estimation of winter emergence is not important that sampling be limited to this period. Sampling frequency also affected the proportion of the community collected. To maximize the portion of the community, collected samples should be taken across seasons although no specific sampling interval is recommended. Subsampling and sampling frequency was also assessed simultaneously. When using a 300-count subsample, a 4-week sampling interval from April through September was required to collect on average 71% of the community. Due to differences in elements of the chironomid community evaluated by different studies (e.g., biological condition, phenology, and taxonomic composition), richness estimates are documented for five sampling intervals (2, 4, 6, 8, 10, and 12 weeks) and five subsample sizes (100, 200, 300, 500, and 1,000 counts). This research will enhance future studies by providing guidelines for tailoring SFPE methods to study specific goals and resources.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)205-223
Number of pages19
JournalEnvironmental Monitoring and Assessment
Volume181
Issue number1-4
DOIs
StatePublished - Oct 2011

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
Acknowledgements This work was partially funded by a University of Minnesota Doctoral Dissertation Fellowship and a Bell Museum of Natural History Dayton and Wilkie Grant. We are grateful to the following organizations and agencies for permission to sample the streams in this study: Belwin Conservancy (Valley Creek), Three Rivers Park District (Credit River), Cedar Creek Natural History Area (Cedar Creek), Dakota County Parks (Trout Brook), and the Carnelian/Marine on Saint Croix Water Management District (Mill Stream). We are also grateful for critical comments on earlier versions of this manuscript by Dave Andow, Erin Bouchard, Ralph Holzenthal, Bruce Vondracek, and from two anonymous reviewers.

Keywords

  • Chironomidae
  • Sampling frequency
  • Subsampling
  • Surface-floating pupal exuviae
  • Taxa richness

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