Habitat+Characterization

E.O. Wilson's brief commentary on Hurricane Creek: []

On September 26 and October3, 2011 our class went to Watson’s Bend on Hurricane Creek to evaluate the health of the stream by measuring multiple vital abiotic factors. These included cross-sectional areas of the area we tested, as well as the depth, velocity, habitat cover, substrate types, and pH level. Additionally, discharge was measured. Discharge, typically measured in cubic meters per second, shows the volumetric flow rate of a given body of water and can be found by multiplying that body's cross-sectional area by its mean velocity. Discharge can be affected by damming, rainfall, groundwater release, and numerous other factors within a fluvial system. Dissolved oxygen levels (DOL) are also highly important to life in a water body. Measuring dissolved oxygen shows the amount of oxygen diffused into a water body through air and as a bi-product of photosynthesis. Low DOL can be indicative of high temperature, overpopulation of microorganisms, or overproduction and subsequent decomposition of aquatic plant life. Meanwhile, the life sustaining capacity of a water body for certain aquatic insects, specifically stoneflies of the Plecoptera group, are directly dependent upon oxygen levels. Plecoptera do not tolerate low DOL (see "The EPT Index"). Other factors measured were conductivity, aspect (direction of downstream flow), canopy angles, habitat types, riparian canopy closure (sky enclosed by vegetation), and riparian land use (land use that dominates the area through which a particular water body flows). All of these factors provide an assessment of the type or quality of habitat present at one reach along Hurricane Creek.

Some other abiotic factors we took note of around the area included the sampling conditions. On September 26, 2011, it was a sunny and clear day, the water level appeared low, and was much deeper by the right edge of water (REW), although it was still easily wadable. The modification of the channel was lightly affected by a lot of gravel accumulating along the bottom of the channel, and a large bridge was also within 100 yards of the test area. As can be seen in the data below, both banks of the river were left stripped bare after the tornado, which resulted in no riparian canopy closure, and a remarkably higher percentage of open canopy than in years past. The substrate was composed of mostly fine, medium, and coarse gravel, but silt, clay, large and small cobble, and small boulders were also present. Some of the relevant data for Watson's Bend are provided below.
 * Cross-sectional area = 4.29 meters squared
 * Discharge = 0.6988 meters cubed per second
 * Average velocity = 0.163 meters per second
 * Wetted channel width = 15.90 meters
 * Geomorphic unit (habitat type) = run
 * Aspect = 88 degrees east
 * Left canopy angle (amount of creek surface covered by tree canopy on the left side) = 12 degrees
 * Right canopy angle (amount of creek surface covered by tree canopy on the right side) = 35 degrees
 * Open canopy angle (amount of creek surface not covered by canopy) =73.89 degrees
 * Percentage of open canopy (out of 180 degrees) = 73.8.9%
 * Riparian canopy closure on the left (measure of canopy coverage by vegetation on the left bank) = 0
 * Riparian canopy closure on the right (measure of canopy coverage by vegetation on the right bank)= 0
 * Canopy closure (total measure of canopy coverage by vegetation) = 0
 * Dominant riparian land use on the left and right banks = SW, or shrubs and woodlands.

Table 1. Abiotic Factors Showing Stream Health of Hurricane Creek at Watson's Bend, Fall 2006-Fall 2011: Some of these data have been collected each semester since the Fall of 2006, while others have been collected for a shorter period of time. Table 1 provides information on several abiotic variables measured at Hurricane Creek since Fall 2006. While it is important to note these variables were only measured once per semester, some of the key findings include:
 * Sampling Period || Conductivity (uS) || Discharge || Dissolved Oxygen || pH || Open Canopy Angle || Riparian canopy || Temperature (degrees Celsius || Wetter channel width (m) ||
 * Fall 2006 || n/a || 0.804 || n/a || n/a || 30 || 9.09 || n/a || 13.38 ||
 * Spring 2007 || n/a || 0.621 || n/a || <span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">n/a || 28 || 7.49 || <span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">n/a || 17.33 ||
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Fall 2007 || <span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">n/a || 0.298 || <span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">n/a || <span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">n/a || 36 || 8.82 || <span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">n/a || 16.7 ||
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Spring 2008 || 164.9 || 1.67 || 90 || 7.3 || 62 || 8.3 || 21.9 || 19.42 ||
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Fall 2008 || <span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">n/a || <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">n/a || <span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">n/a || <span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">n/a || <span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">n/a || <span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">n/a || <span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">n/a || <span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">n/a ||
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Spring 2009 || 128.1 || 1.814 || 100 || 7.43 || 15 || 8.82 || 16.2 || 19.42 ||
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Fall 2009 || 364.2 || 1.012 || 99 || 7.2 || 30 || 9.09 || 25.3 || 14.6 ||
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Spring 2010 || 424.7 || 2.26 || 100.5 || 7.27 || 28 || 6.68 || 20.7 || 11.85 ||
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Fall 2010 || 432 || 0.719 || 101 || 7.26 || 16 || 8.3 || 26.9 || 14.12 ||
 * Fall 2011 || 191.1 || n/a || 101.4 || 7.4 || 28 || 9.09 || 20.5 || 16.25 ||
 * <span style="line-height: 26px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 3em; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">The conductivity of the area as been increasing since 2008. This indicates more dissolved solids have entered the water system over time. There could be numerous reasons for this, including runoff from roads and construction, polluted storm drains, or other nonpoint pollution discharge areas.
 * <span style="line-height: 26px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 3em; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">The discharge for the area over time has been higher in the spring and lower in the fall.
 * <span style="line-height: 26px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 3em; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">The dissolved oxygen has not increased or decreased much since it began being recorded in spring 2008, when it was only 90%, it is now up to consistently around 100% since Spring 2009.
 * <span style="line-height: 26px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 3em; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">The pH has changed no more that 0.23 in the last three years on these samples dates.
 * <span style="line-height: 26px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 3em; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">The open canopy angle is slightly lower than it has been in years past, its peak was in spring 2008. This is likely to vary seasonally with the timing of leaf emergence or senescence by the surrounding vegetation.
 * <span style="line-height: 26px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 3em; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">The riparian cover percentage has remained with in 3% over the years.
 * <span style="line-height: 26px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 3em; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">The temperature measurements are consistent in the fall and in the spring, with spring typically cooler than fall.
 * <span style="margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 3em; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">T he wetted-channel width has increased from 2006-2008, and from 2009 it has decreased. This trip showed a slight increase, though.

We also measured the water quality of Hurricane Creek by collecting macroinvertebrates. Varying types of macroinvertebrates can tolerate differing levels of pollution, and studies on other bodies of water within the U.S. have shown that observation of macroinvertebrates is more effective in gauging the overall health and biological sustainability of a given stream or river than using fish or plant life (Lammert 258). On the first documented trip to the creek organisms from the following classes were found: Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, Tricoptera, Odanata, Coleoptera, Hemiptera, Megaloptera, and Diptera, along with several non-insect creatures. Minor fluctuations can be seen in the number of each species found upon the return trips, which could be due to a variety of factors. If the various abiotic factors discussed above were to change for one reason or another it could potentially cause certain species to thrive or die out. Variation among seasons might also vary based on the respective life cycles of different invertebrate species. There was an alarming shift in the number of Odanata found between the Fall of 2010 and the following spring; the number of specimens dropped from four to zero. On the whole, however, the changes from season to season are not too alarming, especially when the fact that this is not an exhaustive list of insects inhabiting the creek. The following table displays the samples of the different insect families found at Hurricane creek over recent years:


 * || Fall 2011 || Spring 2011 || Fall 2010 || Spring 2010 ||
 * Ephemeroptera || 3 || 2 || 2 || 2 ||
 * Plecoptera || 1 || 0 || 0 || 1 ||
 * Tricoptera || 1 || 2 || 2 || 1 ||
 * Odanata || 2 || 0 || 4 || 2 ||
 * Coleoptera || 1 || 1 || 2 || 1 ||
 * Hemiptera || 0 || 2 || 3 || 2 ||
 * Megaloptera || 0 || 1 || 1 || 1 ||
 * Diptera || 0 || 2 || 1 || 1 ||
 * Non-insect || 3 || 3 || 4 || 3 ||

As mentioned earlier, changes in the level of pollution within the waters of Hurricane Creek could change the amount of insects present from the various classes. Monitoring the number of insects present in the creek is an effective method of gauging the amount of pollutants in the creek. According to the Watershed Science Institute, macroinvertebrate richness can only be found in high quality streams, as aquatic insects are not prone to reside in polluted waters ("The EPT Index"). Runoff from nearby coal mines is virtually neutralized by the time water flow reaches the New 243 lab transect; however, any concentration of foreign substance could potentially damage macroinvertibrate quality of life. The influence of these mine-related deposits is enormous, as water chemistry is more important to macroinvertebrate survival in Southeastern watersheds than both land use and in-stream habitat (Sawyer 85). Other factors, such as the relatively creeping velocity of our transect, could explain the lack of any Plecoptera in the fall of 2010, as stoneflies tend to inhabit rapidly flowing streams ("The EPT Index"). Caddisflies and Mayflies, however, are far more suited to slow moving currents, and thus the presence of said species within the conditions found in our transect is to be expected ("The EPT Index"). It is not just the presence of pollutants that can affect the number of macroinvertebrates living in the creek however. In fact, the richness of macroinvertebrates directly corresponds to the lack of suspended sediment in the creek. According to studies done at Troy University, low levels of suspended sediments have been found to sustain a diverse and high abundance of aquatic insect life (Sawyer 94).

While we observed a mild inconsistency in retention of EPT members within Hurricane Creek over the year, the water body showed signs of general good health. Hardly any visible garbage or sediments littered the waters, which remain relatively clear, and just enough opening in the overhead vegetation allowed sunlight to shine down on the creek habitat. Aside from a bridge that stood a few hundred yards away from the transect, only shrubs, trees, bushes, and various other forms of plant life surround and exist within the creek. Water pH sat at just above 7, demonstrating that any acidic or otherwise unbalanced mine discharge is neutralized before reaching the areas of the creek at the place we investigated. The thriving existence of lifeforms ranging from the microscopic to macroscopic levels, as is mentioned above, also is indicative of an ecosystem that is improving in habitat quality. Although the tornado did deplete some of the natural resources around the creek, the lower amount of trees and brush allow m <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 14.6667px;">ore sunlight, stimulating algae growth as well as increasing photosynthesis in the water. The increased photosynthesis proved to be beneficial to the environment because it kept the dissolved oxygen levels at a level able to support aquatic life. The effects of the increased photosynthesis is seen with the increase of macroinvertebrates. Ideally, as environmental safety regulations are further mandated and more strictly enforced by the Tuscaloosa City and State of Alabama governments, and as local citizens become more aware of the impact of their everyday decisions with regard to our natural habitats, Hurricane Creek will continue to become a healthier, more vibrant habitat even with the destructiveness of the April 27 tornado.

Thankfully, Hurricane Creek does //not// resemble this: [|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oIrIw2J8SI]

__**HURRICANE CREEK PICTURES: BY JUSTIN MIXON (Edited on 10-27-10)**__
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**Works Cited**

Lammert, Mary. "Assessing Biotic Integrity of Streams: Effects of Scale in Measuring the Influence of Land Use/Cover and Habitat Structure on Fish and Macroinvertebrates." //Environmental Management.// June 2000. 23:2, 257-270.

Sawyer, James, et al. "Influence of Habitat, Water Quality, and Land Use on Macroinvertebrate and Fish Assemblages of a Southeastern Coastal Plain Watershed, USA." //Aquatic Ecosystem Health and Management.// 2004. 7:1, 85-99.

"The EPT Index." 2008. Web. < []>