Disturbances structuring macroinvertebrate communities in steep headwater streams: relative importance of forest clearcutting and debris flow occurrence

Abstract

This study shows that debris flow disturbances that alter in-channel physical conditions or displace organisms exert greater impacts on stream macroinvertebrate community structure than clearcutting disturbances that change energy inputs in steep headwater systems. We surveyed abiotic characteristics and macroinvertebrate communities of 10 steep headwater streams in central Japan that contained a chronosequence of forest stands and debris flow occurrences. Streams of recently logged forests had higher light levels, nitrate concentrations, and stream temperature ranges than streams of mature forests. Streams of middle-aged forests, which experienced debris flows in recent years (1989–1998), had lower abundance of shredders, crawlers, and headwater-adapted taxa than the other streams. A shredder taxon, Gammarus nipponensis , was completely absent in the streams with recent debris flows, despite their dominance in the other streams. Decreases of depositional environment associated with depletion of large wood and loss of channel structure as well as replacement of community members by rapid colonizers appear to be the major mechanisms of structural changes in macroinvertebrate communities affected by debris flows.