Freshwater Invertebrates
Freshwater Invertebrates
Freshwater invertebrates are a wide category of organisms including mussels, insects and insect larvae, crayfish, snails, worms, and more. These animals can be sensitive to changes in water quality, and a rich diversity of freshwater invertebrates can indicate that a water body is healthy.
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Effects of Abandoned Coal Mine Drainage in the New River Gorge
Many abandoned historic mines surround the New River Gorge. Untreated water draining from these mines has the potential to alter the temperature and water quality of nearby creeks and rivers. Remediation and restoration has been proposed for many of these abandoned mines. However, the cold water seeping out of these mines may also create wetland areas along the flat mine benches which were cut...
Hydrologic, Water-Quality, and Ecological Monitoring and Analysis to Support Stream Restoration Research in Reston, Virginia
The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with Resource Protection Group, Inc. is partnering with Reston Association to monitor the hydrology, water-quality, and ecology of two restored urban streams in Reston, Virginia – Snakeden Branch and The Glade. A combination of continuous and discrete hydrologic and water-quality data are collected to evaluate stream conditions and estimate sediment and...
River Continuum Concept Ecological Limit Functions for Fish and Benthic Data in Virginia
The ecological limit functions (ELF) developed in cooperation with the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) are a graphical representation of the current and historical state of aquatic biota in Virginia streams. The goal of this study was to quantify the potential species richness and habitat response to flow alteration using available long-term ecological data. Fish and benthic...
Clinch River Water Quality and Mussel Health
The Clinch and Powell Rivers flowing from southwestern Virginia through parts of East Tennessee support unique and nationally significant endemic and endangered populations of fresh-water mussels and other aquatic fauna. Surveys of mussel and fish community structure over past decades have shown a pattern of decline throughout the Powell River and on parts of the upper Clinch that have suggested a...