New Zealand Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research abstracts
Transition from pasture to native forest land-use along stream continua:
effects on stream ecosystems and implications for restoration
MIKE R. SCARSBROOK
JANE HALLIDAY
National Institute of Water & Atmospheric
Research Ltd
P. O. Box 11 115
Hamilton, New Zealand
email: m.scarsbrook@niwa.cri.nz
Abstract Three first-order, hill country, pasture streams in
Waikato, New Zealand, were chosen to investigate the effects of patches of
late-succession indigenous riparian forest on water quality, epilithon, stream
morphology, and aquatic macro-invertebrates. Sites were situated in open
pasture and at two distances (c. 50 and 300 m) into a forest remnant on
each stream. Shade, channel width, and epilithon biomass were restored to
conditions similar to a native forest control site within 300 m of the
streams entering the native forest remnants, whereas water chemistry and levels
of surficial fine sediment changed more slowly. Invertebrate community
composition showed shifts towards the native forest condition just 50 m
into the forest remnants, and full recovery had occurred within 300 m.
Results from this study suggest that discontinuous restoration of riparian
margins could mitigate some changes associated with pastoral land use, but
sediment and water quality problems may not be solved.
Keywords stream habitat; forest remnants; channel morphology;
water quality; benthic macroinvertebrates; riparian restoration; New Zealand
M98038
Received 2 July 1998; accepted 1 December 1998
PDF file of entire paper: medium quality (1299K); (scanned from paper original: notes about this process)
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