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Marine and Freshwater Research Marine and Freshwater Research Society
Advances in the aquatic sciences
RESEARCH ARTICLE

Small spate disturbance and the complexity of habitat architecture in Mountain River, Tasmania

BJ Robson

Marine and Freshwater Research 47(6) 851 - 855
Published: 1996

Abstract

Densities of benthic invertebrates were counted over several weeks before and after a small winter spate (15.5 times base flow) in two riffle types of contrasting architectural complexity in Mountain River, Tasmania. Complex benthic architecture reduced the impact of this spate on invertebrate densities over the short term (seven days). Longer-term recovery (several weeks) was unaffected by riffle architecture, with one of the riffles recovering much more slowly than the others. Refuges from small spates in Mountain River may exist in mid channel in complex boulder-cobble riffles. Within its temporal context, the effects of the spate on the study sites were of a similar magnitude to other unexplained population fluctuations.

https://doi.org/10.1071/MF9960851

© CSIRO 1996

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