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Abstract
The distribution of Plecoptera along a California river was used to test several predictions of the River Continuum Concept about how functional feeding groups should change along a stream's length. Stoneflies were collected from stream orders 1-6 (123 km) of the Cosumnes River continuum in the central Sierra Nevada. The 69 stonefly species collected were separated into three functional feeding groups – 26 shredders (detritivores), 39 predators (engulfers), and 4 scrapers. Stonefly shredders and predators reached maximum species richness at middle stream orders (3-5). The relative abundance of shredders was highest in the headwaters, then declined with increasing stream order. Predator relative abundance exhibited an inverse trend to shredders. Few scrapers were present, but these were most abundant at middle stream orders; they were almost entirely absent from the headwaters. These trends in diversity and relative abundance of functional feeding groups agree with predictions of the River Continuum Concept and emphasize the importance of riparian vegetation in the structure and function of Sierra Nevada streams. The type of terrestrial plant community through which the stream was flowing did not appear to affect the diversity or relative abundance of shredders.
Parent Publication
Citation
Bottorff, Richard L.; Knight, Allen W. 1989. Stonefly (
Plecoptera) Feeding Modes: Variation Along a California River Continuum. In: Abell, Dana L., Technical Coordinator. 1989. Proceedings of the California Riparian Systems Conference: protection, management, and restoration for the 1990s; 1988 September 22-24; Davis, CA. Gen. Tech. Rep. PSW-GTR-110. Berkeley, CA: Pacific Southwest Forest and Range Experiment Station, Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture; p. 235-241
