NEON aquatic macroinvertebrate sampling strategies over the continental scale

Background/Question/Methods

The National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) is a national-scale research platform for assessing the impacts of climate change, land-use change, and invasive species on ecosystem structure and function.  NEON datasets include abiotic and biotic measurements distributed over 20 ecoclimatic domains from Puerto Rico to Alaska.  The NEON Observatory will collect data on aquatic organisms over 30 years in order to enable the research community to assess ecological response to climate change and land use change at regional and continental scales. 

A significant challenge to this effort is to define standardized, consistent methodologies that will allow comparison and integration of data from different sites across the continent.  In this poster, we define the strategy for macroinvertebrate sampling at the regional and continental scales.  Sampling strategy encompasses timing of seasonal sampling over diverse ecoclimates, frequency of sampling each year, and location of samples within a stream reach based on microhabitats to best assess diversity metrics.

Results/Conclusions

Macroinvertebrate sampling will be conducted using standardized field collection and laboratory sampling procedures at all sites.  Data will be rigorously collected and quality-controlled at each site.  The goal of macroinvertebrate sampling is to determine changes in biodiversity over spatial and temporal scales, as well as to document invasive species encroachment or native species loss at each site.

Macroinvertebrate sample timing will be defined using a suite of environmental variables collected from historical data, local meteorological data, and in situ sensors.  Variables identified as being most influential to macroinvertebrate community development include stream flow and discharge, water temperature or degree days, and light quantity and quality.  Thresholds for flow, degree days, and light will be determined using published literature and used to create algorithms for each sample region.   These algorithms will ideally target sampling dates during the growing season to target highest macroinvertebrate community diversity.  Sample frequency will also be based on these algorithms.  Proposed timing includes late winter/early spring, mid-summer, and autumn sample at each site.  Sample location will be based on prior, large-scale monitoring studies using microhabitats structure within each stream.  Locations will be chosen both to maximize diversity at each site and to standardize sampling efforts across sites.