First Advisor

Yangdong Pan

Date of Award

Spring 6-18-2024

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Environmental Science and University Honors

Department

Environmental Science

Language

English

Subjects

macroinvertebrate, restoration, ecology, stream habitat

DOI

10.15760/honors.1480

Abstract

Globally, river restoration has become a popular tool for improving the health of a watershed and restoring ecosystem services, but still has significant knowledge gaps. In certain areas and scientific communities, special attention has been given to the response of macroinvertebrates as a measure of restoration success. This systematic literature review aims to highlight and discuss the patterns in studies that have comparable before-and-after restoration data on macroinvertebrates after reconnecting stream channels to their floodplains. Macroinvertebrate sampling is a simple if not time-consuming task that can reveal important data about habitat quality. Because they serve as an important food source for salmonids, this data is especially relevant in the Pacific Northwest, where many species of salmon are listed as either Threatened or Endangered, and improving habitat for salmon is often a goal of river restoration projects. This literature review using the PSALSAR method found that the majority of stream restoration took place in the watershed with agricultural (52%) or urban (21%) land-use type. Restored stream reaches varied from 0.4 to 11.5 km with an average of 2.8 km. Of the nineteen studies that analyzed macroinvertebrate metrics, 73% of those show a positive response to restoration. Environmental managers should incorporate biological indicators as defined measures of success during the planning phase and continue monitoring for at least ten years post restoration. My research concludes that restoration of streams to their historic floodplains is often beneficial for macroinvertebrates, and by extension, many other parts of the local ecosystem.

Persistent Identifier

https://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/41835

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