595.70^ Fay $1% YELLOWSTONE RIVER STUDY Annual Progress Report Research Conducted By: Montana Department of Fish and Game and Tenneco Inc. !■ Prepared by: Robert L. Newell Aquatic Ecologist August 1975 MONTANA STATE LIBRARY S 595.709 F2yc.1 Yellowstone River study annual progress 3 0864 00096814 2 OBJECTIVES - PHASE I This study was initiated in August, 1974 and actual sampling of aquatic macroinvertebrates began in November. Initial research objectives were to inventory the invertebrates, determine longitudinal distribution patterns and examine the quality of the fauna utilizing species diversity indices. Once this information has been obtained, research on flow requirements and ecology of the dominant organisms can proceed. It was decided early in the study that it would be desirable to study the entire river as a continuous ecosystem. Data gathered from all parts of the river could aid in the understanding of the faunal distribution at any one station. METHODS - PHASE I Twenty sampling stations were established along the Yellowstone River in Montana (Table 1) and each was sampled monthly except during severe ice conditions (January - March) and peak runoff months (May - June). Stations 1-4 were sampled by Rod Berg (Fish and Game funding), stations 5 - 11 by Dennis Schwehr (University of Montana, Old West Reg. Comm. funding) and stations 12 - 20 by Robert Newell (Tenneco, Inc. funding). Initial inventory sampling was accomplished by means of Hester - Dendy multiple plate artificial substrates (E.P.A. 1973). These samplers were modified by placing larger spacers between the plates and by inserting a longer center rod. This center rod with attached plates was thrust into the substratum with the lowermost plate 2" from the bottom. Fluctuating water levels and thick, unstable ice conditions destroyed some samplers and forced their temporary removal during the winter and high water period. Additional monthly inventory sampling was accomplished with 2 min. kick samples. This type of sampling ensures collection of most of the fauna. Data gathered from kick samples can be used in diversity calculations, percent composition and comparisons between stations. All organisms collected from the Yellowstone River were identified to genus, counted and the data were sent to the State Data Processing Bureau where several species diversity indicies were calculated. Invertebrates collected from the Tongue River were identified to genus but were not counted. Species diversity indices were calculated using the following formulas; s Shannon-Weaver function (d)=- ^C (%/N) log2 (Ni/N) 1-1 (Shannon and Weaver 1964) Equitability (Em) = d/dmax (Margalef 1957, Krebs 1972) Hester-Dendy multiple plate artificial substrates -16 mm Yellowstone River at Livingston -2- Tabic 1. Yellowstone River Sampling Stations f'i 0 . L o c a t i o n County Elevation River Mile*' •* 1 Corwin Springs Park 5110 ft. 549 2 Mallard Rest Access Park 4620 515 3 Above Livingston Park 4490 502 4 Above Shields River Park 4380 497 5 Grey Bear Access Sweetgrass 4100 468 6 Below Greycliff Sweetgrass 3880 444 7 Columbus Stillwater 3566 411 8 Laurel Yellowstone 3294 391 9 Duck Creek Bridge Yellowstone 3140 360 10 Huntley Yellowstone 3110 349 11 Custer Yellowstone 2720 300 12 Bighorn River Treasure 2700 296 13 Myers Treasure 2640 279 14 Forsyth Rosebud 2490 234 15 Miles City Custer 2335 184 16 Terry Prairie 2190 138 17 Glendive Dawson 2045 93 18 Intake Dawson 1998 71 19 Sidney Richland 1892 30 20 Cartwright, N.D. McKenzie 1850 9 ** Mouth of the Yellowstone River is river mile 0.0. •3- Rpdundnncy (R) = dmnx - A dmax - dtnin (Wilhm and Dorris 1966, 1968) i r ~_1 Theor. Max. diversity («lmax) = ( /N) [_log2 N! - Slog2 (N/S)!j Theor. Min. diversity (dmin) = (Vn) \ log2 N! -■ logo i_N-| !j Evenness (J') = 3/log2 S (Pielow 1969, Egloff and Brakel 1973) d, Species Richness (SR) = d - /log2N (Orr et al. 1973) where: S = number of species Ni = number of individuals in the i_ SPECIES N ■ total number of individuals A high (>3.0) Shannon-Weaver index generally means a healthy community while a low index ( Yf iLU WS1 :one River. TAXA STATIONS 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 X E. Heterocaudata X X Epeorus albertae X Epeorus longimanus ..... . X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X Paraleptophlebia ... heteronsa . X X X X X X X Ameletus (oregonensls) ? . . . X X X X X X X X X X X X X X Ephemerella margarita ... . X X X X X X X Ephemerella inermis ..... . X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X Baetis (alexanderi) ? . X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X Heptagenia elegantula. . . . . X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X Pvhithrogena hageni . X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X Tricorythodes minutus ... XXX X X X X X X X X Leptophlebia X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X Traverella albertana. . . . . X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X Stenonema sp. Choroterpes (albiannulata) ?..... X X X X X X X X X X X Dactylobaetis (cepheus)?. X X X X X X X X X X Brachycercus (prudens)?.. X X -9- Table 4. Longitudinal Distribution of Trichoptera of the Yellowstone River. TAXA STATIONS 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 Amiocentrus aspilus „. X Rhyacophila sp. „ X X X X X Glossosoma sp. ....... X X X XXX X X Glossosoma velona X Psychomyia sp. ....... . s X X XXX .'• Athripsodes sp. ....... X X X XXX X X x X X XXX X X X Arctopsyche grandis . „ X X X XXX X X X Brachycentrus Sp...... X X X XXX x X X uece tis sp . ........... X x Oecetis dis|uncta .... x Hydroptila sp,,. »,,.,. X X X XXX X X X X X X X X X X Cheuraatopsyche sp..... X X X XXX X X X X X X X X X X X Cheumatopsyche enonis. X X X X X X Hydropsyche sp. X X X XXX X X X X X X X X X X X H. occidentalis ...... X X tl» SEpflraLH ett«i»oaoo» i X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X K X X X X X X X X X X X X :« X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X Pteronarcys californica0 . . Arcynopteryx parallela. . . Hesperoperla pacif ica .. . Isocapnia missourii. feocapnia vedderensis. ... Nemoura besametsa. ....... Nemoura cinctipes. .„...«,. Claassenia sabulosa. ..... Pteronarcella badia Alloperla spp . , . , „ , . Alloperla signata. Alloperla pallidula. ..... Alloperla coloradensis. . capma spp. ...&©. ...«.«». Capnia distincta , . Capnia confusa„ Capnia gracilaria. ....... x x Capnia poda. ............. x x x x x Capnia limata. „ Brachyptera spp... x B . nigripennis .......... O . |J Qv i- J» JLk*