Macroinvertebrate Community Structure and Physicochemical Conditions of Desperado Spring

Abstract

Desperado Spring is a small rheocrene spring located in south-central Oklahoma that emerges from a rocky outcrop and flows into the nearby Blue River. Macroinvertebrate collections and water quality measurements were taken seasonally for an annual period at the springhead and in the springbrook. A total of 16,410 individuals representing 49 taxa were collected in Surber net samples while an additional four species were collected using a dip net. This spring fauna was dominated by insects, especially midges (Chironomidae). Shannon’s species diversity values at the springhead differed significantly from those in the springbrook during all four seasonal collections, probably due to increasing levels of oxygen in the springbrook.