Macroinvertebrate Response to Leaf Addition in Welsh Upland Streams (2013)

Eight Welsh upland river reaches were sampled to examine macroinvertebrate composition and abundance in response to deciduous leaf addition. The survey, conducted in January and March 2013, compared moorland and conifer forested sites at Llyn Brianne and Plynlimon. Dr Isabelle Durance organized the work under the NERC-funded DURESS project.

Use Cases

• Analyze macroinvertebrate composition differences between experimental leaf addition and control reaches.
• Compare aquatic biodiversity responses in moorland versus exotic conifer forested river sites.
• Estimate leaf decomposition rates from nylon mesh bag surveys across eight sampling reaches.
• Examine temporal changes in invertebrate abundance between January 2013 and March 2013 sampling events.

Strengths

• Data from eight distinct sampling reaches across two major Welsh upland sites (Llyn Brianne and Plynlimon).
• Includes paired experimental and control conditions for direct comparison of leaf addition effects.
• Temporal replication with surveys conducted at two time points (January and March 2013).

Limitations

• Limited geographic scope to eight reaches in the Welsh uplands, reducing generalizability.
• Temporal coverage is restricted to a single winter/spring period in 2013.
• Sample size (number of rows/observations) is unknown from the provided description.

Provenance

Source

Environmental Information Data Centre

Collection Method

Field survey using nylon mesh bags containing deciduous leaves in experimental and control river reaches, with macroinvertebrate samples collected, processed, and sorted by project team.

Time Range

2013

Freshness

null

Geography

Eight sampling reaches in Welsh uplands at Llyn Brianne and Plynlimon sites.