1. Macro Invertebrates
Wednesday – November 13, 2009

2. Bell Ringer 11/17/09
In your notebook, arrange the following items into created groups, and why those groups:
Fork
Spoon
Shovel
Toothpick
Ice cream scoop
Bucket
Spear

3. Aquatic Macroinvertebrates
A presentation created by:
CREEK CONNECTIONS Box 10, Allegheny College Meadville, PA
When people think about aquatic life, they think about frogs, fish, crayfish, and lily pads. Many people don’t think about aquatic insects. There are thousands of species. Of the 91,000+ North American insects, 7% are aquatic or semi-aquatic. They can be found in every type of waterway, from a small temporary pond to a forested creek to a large river passing through a city.
Illustration source: Microsoft Office Clip Art

4. Aquatic Insect Feeding
Detritus
Shredders
Decomposers
Illustrations Source: Aquatic Entomology by W. Patrick McCafferty, 1998
Coarse Particulate Organic Matter (CPOM)
Cranefly Larva
Illustration Source: Stream Ecology: Structure and Function of Running Waters by J. David Allan, 1995.

5. Shredders
Shredders – help to breakdown the clumps of organic materials and detritus
Detritus: dead leaves, plants parts, twigs and other organic matter
Examples of shredders:
Cranefly larvae
Case-building caddisfly larvae
Scuds
Aquatic sowbugs
Some small stonefly nymphs

6. Aquatic Insect Feeding
Fine Particulate Organic Matter (FPOM)
Collectors
Filtering Collectors
Gathering Collectors
Brushlegged Mayfly Nymph
Source of photo: unknown
Blackfly Larva
Illustrations Source (both): Aquatic Entomology by W. Patrick McCafferty, 1998

7. Filtering and Gathering Collectors
Filtering Collectors – obtain food from bits and pieces in the water column.
Examples of filtering collectors:
Mayfly nymphs
Net-spinner caddisfly larvae
Blackfly larvae
Mussels
Some midge larvae

8. Filtering and Gathering Collectors
Gathering Collectors – obtain food from the stream bottom
Examples of gathering collectors:
Some mayfly nymphs
Some caddisfly larvae
Some midge larvae

9. Aquatic Insect Feeding
Grazers or Scrapers
Periphyton - algae on rocks
Water Penny
Case-building Caddisfly Larva
macroinv/caddiscase.jpg
Illustration Source: Stream Ecology: Structure and Function of Running Waters by J. David Allan, 1995.

10. Grazers/Scrapers Grazers/Scrapers – feed on algae on rocks
Examples of grazers/scrapers:
Water pennies
Flathead mayfly nymphs
Snails
Casebuliding caddisfly larvae

11. Aquatic Insect Feeding
Predators
Dragonfly Larva
Giant Water Bug
Giant Water Bug
Illustrations Source (two above): Aquatic Entomology by W. Patrick McCafferty, 1998

12. Predators Predators – feed on other aquatic insects
Examples of predators:
Dobsonfly larvae
Fishfly larvae
Dragonfly nymphs
Water bugs
Most beetles
Crayfish
Water striders
Some stonefly nymphs

13. If you were absent…
Copy notes from this presentation.