Macroinvertebrate Community Structure and Physicochemical Conditions of a Northwestern Oklahoma Spring

Abstract

Little Boiling Spring is a small rheocrene spring located in northwestern Oklahoma emerging from a sandy substrate and eventually flowing into the North Canadian River. Macroinvertebrate collections and water quality measurements were recorded seasonally for an annual period at the springhead and in the springbrook. A total of 31,376 individuals representing 49 taxa were collected in Surber net samples, while an additional three taxa were collected using a dip net. The spring fauna was dominated by worms, crustaceans, and dipterans. Shannon’s species diversity values at the springhead differed significantly from those in the springbrook during all seasonal collections, most likely due to increasing levels of oxygen and detritus documented during each collection in the springbrook. Collectors were the most abundant trophic group present in the spring throughout the investigation.