Wetland versus
Stream Macroinvertebrates
Duration:
Purpose: To investigate various biomes through observation and comparison
Classroom
of the diversity of life, in particular, the specific number of species, 20 minutes
biomass, and type of organisms. Outdoors
2 sessions,
40 min. each
Summary: In this exercise, students will use their data from the activity Who
Setting:
Lives in the Water? or Missing Macroinvertebrates and compare it to Classroom
a macroinvertebrate sample collected from a wetland site. Outdoors
Core Standards:
6th grade
Background: For background information, see:
Science ILO’s:
• The Macroinvertebrate section of the Utah Stream Team Manual 1a, 1b, 1d, 1e
which defines a macroinvertebrate and discusses how macroinver- 1h, 1i, 2a,
tebrate populations change due to natural and human influences, 2d-2f, 4a, 4b,
5a, 5b, 6b, 6c
why macroinvertebrates are important in aquatic ecosystems, how
to collect a sample and how to interpret the results. 7th and 8th
• The activity Who Lives in the Water? or Missing Macroinverte- grade Science
ILO’s:
brates.
1a-1c, 1g, 2b,
2e, 3c, 4a, 4e,
Materials: • Kick nets* 7th grade
Science
• plastic pan* • Waders Standards:
• Transfer pipettes* • Clipboard 4.2b, 4.2d,
5.1d, 5.2a-5.2e
• Plastic petri dishes* • Pencils 5.3c
• Magnifying glasses*
9-12 Science
• Copies of macroinvertebrate keys ILO’s:
• Copies of student worksheet 1a, 1c-1g, 1i,
1j, 2b, 3a, 3c,
• Copies of macroinvertebrate sampling instructions 3d, 4a-4e, 6b,
• Data from activity Who Lives in the Water? or Missing 6c
Macroinvertebrates Earth
* For information on equipment for loan or Systems
• Bucket for purchase, contact USU Water Quality Science:
Extension at (435) 797-2580 or www.exten- 4.2b, 4.2c
sion.usu.edu/waterquality (continuted)
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USU Water Quality Extension - Stream Side Science Wetland vs. Stream Macroinvertebrates
Wetland versus
Stream Macroinvertebrates
Biology: Classroom 1. Ask the students to list differences between a stream biome and
1.3c, 1.3d
Activity: a wetland biome (e.g., water velocity, temperature, depth, width,
NR Science I:
vegetation, sediment, inhabitants). Tell them that for this activity
4.1g they will compare the diversity of macroinvertebrates found in a
stream to those found in a wetland.
NR Science
II: 2. Explain to the students that they will be using their data from
4.1a, 5.2h,
5.3e
the activity Who Lives in the Water? to compare with the new data
they collect from a wetland biome.
6th grade
Math: 3. Ask the students about the differences they expect to see in the
Statistics and macroinvertebrates from the two types of biomes. Why would
Probability:
5a
there be differences?
7th grade 4. Be sure the students are familiar with the macroinvertebrate
Math: keys they will be using in the field and also the sampling
Number procedures. If you would like a larger, laminated version of the key
System: 3
Statistics and
provided, please contact USU Water Quality Extension at (435)
Probability: 797-2580.
1, 2
High School Field 1. Set up stations for sampling macroinvertebrates. These areas
Math:
Statistics and Activity: should be easily accessible and safe to enter. Each station should
Probability: include:
Making • Wetland sampling instruction sheets (it helps to laminate these!)
Inferences • Waders
and
Justifying • Kick net
Conclusions: • Plastic pan Safety First!
1 Always consider safety factors when
• Transfer pipettes working near water.
Geography • Magnifying glasses
for Life:
2.1b • Petri dishes
• Macroinvertebrate keys
2. Divide the students into groups. The groups should be made up
of no more than six students to be sure everyone gets to
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Wetland vs. Stream Macroinvertebrates USU Water Quality Extension - Stream Side Science
Wetland versus
Stream Macroinvertebrates
participate. Provide each group with clipboards, pencils, and
worksheets. Each group will sample at a different station.
3. Have the students follow the instructions for sampling
macroinvertebrates on the macroinvertebrate sampling sheet, and
record the information on the macroinvertebrate
sorting worksheet.
ACTIVITY EXTENSIONS:
• Research factors that would contribute to a decline in the diversity of
macroinvertebrates (refer to the activity What’s in the Water and/or see the
activity Missing Macroinvertebrates).
Applying Use the following suggestions to have the students compare their
the Data: data.
1. Have the students graph the number of each species or types
found at each site. Are there entire groups present at one site, but
missing at another?
2. Have the students graph the number of individuals found at
each site. See example below.
3. Have the students estimate the biomass (organisms per unit
area) at each site.
Macroinvertebrate Diversity
# found at each site
45
40
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
Mosquito larva
Water strider
Water boatmen
Aquatic worms
Snails
Beetle larva
Midge larva
Leeches
Scuds
Cranefly larva
Blackfly larva
Damselfly nymph
Dragonfly nymph
Caddisfly larva
Mayfly nymph
Site 1
Site 2
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USU Water Quality Extension - Stream Side Science Wetland vs. Stream Macroinvertebrates
Wetland versus
Stream Macroinvertebrates
1. Were there some types of organisms found in both biomes
Further and other types of organisms not found in one or the other?
Discussion: The most obvious difference in large macroinvertebrates in
a wetland is the presence of dragonfly and damselfly
larvae. These are rarely found in moving streams because
they require emergent vegetation such as cattails for resting,
and for laying their eggs. You may also find considerably
more swimming beetles (Order Coleoptera) or boatmen and
backswimmers (Order Hemiptera) in a wetland than in a
stream, because they do better in still water.
Zooplankton are also typically found in wetland ponds.
Look for Daphnia and other microscopic animals swimming
in the water.
Animals found in moving water may be more stream lined
or have adaptations for clinging to rocks compared to
animals who live in still water. They may be less
streamlined and have adaptations for swimming.
2. What features of those habitats might have caused these dif-
ferences?
The most obvious difference between the two habitats is
flow. Water slowly moves through a wetland, but there is not
any measurable velocity. Materials settle in these
conditions, typically resulting in a soft, mucky bottom rather
than the rocky bottom of many fast streams.
Standing water may warm up faster than running water,
resulting in changes in oxygen. Both systems have standing
plants and mats of plants that cover some of the surfaces,
but a pond/wetland is much more likely to have an
abundance of suspended single celled plants (algae).
64
Wetland vs. Stream Macroinvertebrates USU Water Quality Extension - Stream Side Science
Worksheet
Macroinvertebrate Sorting - Wetlands
Name: ___________________________ Group #: ______________________
Date: ____________________________ Site ID: ______________________
MACROINVERTEBRATES TALLY OF TYPES OF INDIVIDUALS
Ephemeroptera (mayflies)
Odonata (dragonflies and damselflies)
Plecoptera (stoneflies)
Trichoptera (caddisflies)
Diptera (flies)
Megaloptera (fishflies and dobsonflies)
Coleptera (beetles)
Amphipoda (shrimp and scuds)
Isopoda (sow bugs)
Decapoda (crayfish)
Gastropoda (snails)
Bivalvia (bussels and clams)
Oligochaeta (All segmented worms except
leeches)
Hirudinea (leeches)
Other
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USU Water Quality Extension - Stream Side Science Wetland vs. Stream Macroinvertebrates
Sampling
Macroinvertebrate Sampling - Wetlands
Time – 40 minutes Step 1 - Choose your sample site
Persons – 2 Select sampling reaches that are safe and
Materials -
• kick net easily accessed by everyone in your group.
• plastic pan
• transfer pipettes Step 2 - Collect your sample
• plastic petri dishes 1. Wade into the water and scoop material
• magnifying glasses from the wetland bottom. Be sure to not scoop
• dichotomous key up too much sediment with your sample.
• ruler 2. Push and pull the net through aquatic
OPTIONAL vegetation.
• 5 gallon bucket for decanting
• waders
3. Hand pick organisms from sticks and other
structures.
4. Continue this process until you have
approximately 100 organisms.
Step 3 - Empty your sample
1. Hold your sampling net over a plastic pan and use a bucket of water to wash the
material into the pan.
2. If your sample contains a lot of sediment, stir the sample in the pan to suspend the
animals, and then pour the suspended material back into your net. Rinse the sediment
from the pan, and then wash the animals from the net back into the pan.
Step 4 - Sort out 100 macroinvertebrates
1. Pour most of the water from the pan so that materials and animals are no longer
floating. Distribute the material evenly in the bottom of the pan.
2. Take a ruler and divide the material in half. Remove one half of the material from
the pan.
3. Redistribute the material again over the bottom of the pan and divide this material
again with a ruler.
4. Continue this process until you have a sample with about 100 organisms total.
5. Add some stream water back into the pan for easier sorting.
6. Sort and identify the macroinvertebrates using the key, petri dishes, and pipettes.
7. Keep track of the number of the types of organisms on the macroinvertebrate sorting
worksheet. For example, if you collect two mayflies, but they have distinct differences,
then you have two types of mayflies.
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Wetland vs. Stream Macroinvertebrates USU Water Quality Extension - Stream Side Science
Key to Macroinvertebrate Life in Ponds and Rivers in Utah
Shells No Shells
Single Shell Double Shell Legs No legs
With tentacles, brushes or Worm like
Snails Clams, Mussels
(Gastropoda) (Bivalvia)
Fly Fly larve Flat worm Segmented worm Leech
larve (Diptera) (Turbellaria) (Oligochaeta) (Hirudinea)
10 + legs 4 pair of legs 3 pairs of legs
No Wings Wings
Crayfish Scud Sowbug Water mite Beetle-like, Leathery wings
USU Water Quality Extension - Stream Side Science
(Decapoda) (Amphipod) (Isopod) (Trombidiformes) hard wings
No tails 1 or 2 tails 3 tails
Water Beetles Water Bugs
(Coleoptera) (Hemiptera)
Stonefly Caddisfly Mayfly Alderfly Beetle
(Plecoptera) (Trichoptera) (Ephemeroptera) (Megaloptera) Larva
http://www.extension.usu.edu/waterquality
Mayfly Damselfly Images courtesy of USU Water Quality Extension
Alderlfy (Ephemeroptera) (Odonata) and University of Wisconsin– Extension Environ-
Dragonfly
Key to Aquatic Invertebrates in Utah
Caddisfly Beetle Larva (Megaloptera) mental Resources Center.
(Odonata) Aquatic Moth
(Trichoptera) (Coleoptera) IMAGES NOT TO SCALE
(Lepidoptera)
Wetland vs. Stream Macroinvertebrates
Resource
67
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USU Water Quality Extension - Stream Side Science
