Sampling microhabitats
Contents
Why?
Where and when?
How?
Who?
1
Contents
Why?
Where and when?
How?
Who?
2
Purpose of microhabitat sampling
To learn more about the habitat preference of aquatic
organisms in a verifiable way.
3
Purpose of microhabitat sampling
Stones
Gravel
(Lithal)
Species 1
(Akal)
Sand
(Psammal)
Wood
(Xylal)
50
15
1
25
Species 2
2
5
40
5
Species 3
12
3
0
50
Contents
Why?
Where and when?
How?
Who?
4
Where?
- All stream types
- Preferably reference sites and/or “good” sites
- “Moderate” sites, if microhabitats, which are not present in
“high” or “good” sites, exist
- At sites, where different microhabitats exist
Where?
Substrates
- Megalithal (bedrock)
- Macrolithal (large stones)
- Mesolithal (medium-sized stones)
- Mikrolithal (small stones)
- Akal (gravel)
- Psammal (sand)
- Macrophytes (plants)
- CPOM (leaves)
- Logs (wood)
- Woody debris dams
Flow conditions
- lentic and lotic
5
Where and when?
Ideally 5 samples per stream type per microhabitat
Ideally the same number of samples per sites at both
seasons
Example: Subtropical Pine Forest
in Nepal
high high high high good good good good mod. mod. mod.
p es
y
t
t
a
t
habi pe
f
o
ence ream ty
r
r
u
Occ n the st
i
with
Stones
Gravel
Sand
Clay
Macrophy.
Stones
x
x
Gravel
x
x
Sand
x
Clay
Macrophy.
ples
m
a
s
of
n
o
i
t
rixxbu x x)
Dist samplex
1
(x =
xx
x
x
x
x
x
xx
x
x
xx
xx
6
Example: Subtropical Pine Forest
in Nepal
high high high high good good good good mod. mod. mod.
Stones
x
x
xx
x
Gravel
x
x
x
x
x
Sand
x
xx
x
Clay
x
x
Macrophy.
x
xx
x
x
xx
xx
25 cm
25 cm
x=
Example: Subtropical Pine Forest
in Nepal
high high high high good good good good mod. mod. mod.
Stones
Gravel
Sand
Clay
Macrophy.
x=
25 cm
25 cm
7
Contents
Why?
Where and when?
How?
Who?
Manual for additional
microhabitat samples (AMS)
- Two different versions (mountains and lowlands)
- Select the dominant microhabitats
- Sample the microhabitats
- Sort out fragile organism
- Store the samples SEPARATELY
- Complete the AMS protocol
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Field protocol
Microhabitat
substrate type
No.
Megalithal
1
Megalithal
2
distance
lentic lotic depth
shoreline bottom luff
[cm/s] [cm/s] [cm]
[cm]
lee
O2 [%]
O2
temp.
[mg/dl] [°C]
with
algae
layer
air-water
interface
Yes No
-
-
3
100-150
-
-
-
Mean:
100
Mean: Mean:
7.5
14
x
35-55
25
100-150
-
x
-
Mean:
100
Mean: Mean:
7.5
13
x
x
-
-
Contents
Why?
Where and when?
How?
Who?
9
Who?
Sampling: Resource persons or Asian partners
Sorting and identification: Asian partners and Thomas
Korte
Data evaluation: UDE
10