Historic, Archive Document Do not assume content reflects current scientific knowledge, policies, or practices. Eisenhower Consortium Bulletin 1 0 rS0( Effects of Road Salting on Aquatic Invertebrate Communities Manuel C. Molles, Jr. Molles, Manuel C. , Jr. 1980. Effects of road salting on stream in¬ vertebrate communities. Eisenhower Consortium Bulletin 10, 9 p. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Forest and Range Experiment Station, Fort Collins, Colo. Salting and sanding roads favored production of oligochaetes over other invertebrates but did not have a pronounced effect on Ephemeroptera , Plecoptera, Trichoptera, or Coleoptera in the study streams. Salting and sanding of roads affects stream invertebrates mainly through increased input of fine sediments and can impair trout condition and reproduction. Keywords: stream invertebrates, road salting and sanding, invertebrate production, invertebrate diversity, sediment, salinity, trout, Sangre de Cristo Mountains, New Mexico Cover photos courtesy of New Mexico State Highway Department Eisenhower Consortium Bulletin lO July 1980 Effects of Road Salting on Aquatic Invertebrate Communities1 Manuel C. Molles, Jr. Assistant Professor of Biology Biology Department University of New Mexico 1 This research was supported by the Rocky Mountain Forest and Range Experiment Sta¬ tion, Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, through the Eisenhower Consortium for Western Environmental Forestry Research under Research Agreement 16-589-GR. Supervision was provided by David R. Patton, Project Leader, Wildlife Habitat Research, Tempe, Ariz. Contents Page Management Implications . 1 Introduction . 1 Study Area . 1 Materials and Methods . 2 Results and Discussion . 2 Biomass . 2 Numbers . 4 Species Diversity . 5 Effects of Dissolved Salts Versus Sediment . 5 Implications to Trout Production . 8 Summary . 8 Literature Cited . 9 Effects of Road Salting on Aquatic Invertebrate Communities1 Manuel C. Molles, Jr. Management Implications Salting and sanding roads to ease passage of traffic in winter has been shown to increase salinity and suspended sediments in nearby streams. The present study examined the effects of these impacts on stream invertebrates. Reaches receiving drainage from such roads supported reduced biomass and numbers of stream invertebrates and/or were dominated by oligochaetes during certain seasons. It appears these ef¬ fects were the result of increased input of fine sediments. Reduced invertebrate production and changes in invertebrate composition have the potential of impairing trout condition (length-weight ratio) and, perhaps, total trout production. Increased sedimentation also has the potential of harming trout reproduction. Examination of this possibility could receive a high priority in future studies of the impact of road salting and sanding. Management could take steps now to reduce inputs of fine sediments to streams. Procedures to be considered are (1) application of no more road salt and sand than necessary to insure safe passage of traffic, and (2) revegetation of roadsides with salt-tolerant species to act as a barrier to sand movement. Introduction The application of salt and sand to roads, a widespread practice used to ease access to winter recreation areas, has been shown to increase concentrations of dissolved salts (Gosz 1977a) and suspended sediments (Gosz 1977b) in nearby streams. Elevated salt concentrations in these streams result mainly from inputs of chloride (Gosz 1977a). The main sources of increased sed¬ iment load are (1) sand applied during sanding and salting, and (2) increased erosion of soils resulting from the killing of roadside vegetation by accumulated salts. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of these impacts on stream invertebrates. Study Area The study area is in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains approximately 15 km northeast of Santa Fe, N. Mex. The streams studied, Tesuque Creek and the Rio en Medio, are crossed by a road to the Santa Fe Ski Basin (fig. 1). This road receives applications of a mixture of 25% salt (99% NaCl) and 75% sand by the State Highway Department2 * following snow storms with total applications of this mixture ranging up to 4.35 x 104 kg per km of road per year. Study sites, each encompassing a 60-m length of stream, were established above and below the road on both study streams (fig. 1). The above¬ road site on Tesuque Creek extended upstream from a point approximately 35 m above the road. The below-road site on Tesuque Creek, which receives drainage from 0.5 km of road, extended down¬ stream from a point approximately 50 m below the road. The above-road site on the Rio en Medio, a reach of stream immediately below the U.S. Geological Survey weir on that stream, was approximately 1 km upstream from the below-road site. The positioning of the control site this distance above the below-road site was necessary to preclude influences from the Santa Fe Ski Basin. The below-road site on the Rio en Medio extended downstream from a point 100 m below the road. This reach of stream receives drainage from 0.35 km of road and a dirt parking lot. 2James R^ Gosz, personal communication. Professor of Biology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque. 1 Santa Fe Figure l.--Map of the study streams showing loca¬ tion of above-road (A) and below-road (B) study sites on Tesuque Creek and on the Rio en Medio. basis of relative number of individuals. The assumption is that all species are approximately the same size. However, in the present study, there were great differences in size between species and between instars of the same species. In such instances, biomass seems a more meaning¬ ful index of relative importance of species. Therefore, dry weights were used to calculate the relative proportions of species in a collection (^e., p. = w./W, where w. = dry weight of the i species ancl W = total clry weight of the col¬ lection). Species evenness (Pielou 1969, p. 233) was calculated as T = H' H* H' In # species max All Surber samples for a given date and study site were pooled for calculations of spe¬ cies diversity. This procedure yields the same value of H' as would be obtained if an average H' per sample were calculated. In these calcula¬ tions, only insects of the orders Ephemeroptera , Plecoptera, Trichoptera, and Coleoptera were included. Other groups were excluded because of taxonomic difficulties. Information on trout diets was taken from the literature since densities of trout in the study streams were too low (two individuals per 300 m of stream) to do a meaningful dietary analysis . Concentrations of dissolved salts were determined using a conductivity meter. Bimonth¬ ly samples were analyzed from each study site. Statistical comparisons between study sites were made using Student's t-test or, when stand¬ ard transformations (Steele and Torrie 1960) failed to normalize distributions, the Mann- Whitney test (Zar 1974). Materials and Methods Benthic invertebrates were monitored by sampling with a Surber Sampler (0.093 m2). Ten to twelve Surber samples were taken at each study site in summer, autumn, and spring. A thick cover of ice prevented winter sampling. Samples were taken in midstream in intervals of 5 m be¬ ginning at the downstream end of each study site. The sections of streams studied consisted chiefly of swift runs with little pool development. The major difference between study sites was an ob¬ vious increase in sand bottom below the road on both streams. All invertebrates collected were sorted from coarse materials in the field, fixed in 95% ethanol, and later transferred to 70% ethanol. Final sorting, identification, counting, and weighing were done in the laboratory. Dry weights were taken by drying specimens with an infrared drying unit, cooling them in a desiccator, and weighing on an electric semimicro balance (preci¬ sion = ±0.01 mg) . Species diversity was calculated using the Shannon-Wiener diversity index (Shannon and Weaver 1949), H' = - I p . lnp . . In this index, t^ proportion of a sample represented by the i species, p^, is generally calculated on the Results and Discussion Over 30,000 stream invertebrates were col¬ lected, identified, counted, and weighed during the study. Most of these (99%) were insects of the orders Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, Coleoptera, Trichoptera, and Diptera. The remainder were oligochaetes and turbellarians , which, though few in numbers, comprised a substantial propor¬ tion of the biomass of some collections. Biomass The biomass of invertebrates inhabiting Tesuque Creek during July and October was not affected by the presence of the road. In these collections, significant differences between above-road and below-road samples were found only for the Ephemeroptera, which were represented by greater biomass below the road in both July (P <0.01) and October (P <0.01) (table 1). How¬ ever, in April the biomasses of all groups but oligochaetes were significantly higher above the road . In contrast to Tesuque Creek, total biomass in the Rio en Medio in July was higher below the road (P <0.05) (table 2) as the result of higher 2 Table 1 . --Comparisons of biomass and numbers of invertebrates collected with a Surber sampler in Tesuque Creek above and below the road in summer, autumn, and spring. The values listed are means. Sta¬ tistical comparisons are within dates only. July 31, 1976 October 16, 1976 April 23, 1977 Above N=10 Below N=10 Signifi¬ cance Above N=10 Below N=10 Signifi¬ cance Above N=10 Below N=10 Signifi¬ cance Biomass Coleoptera 1.45 1.26 1.03 0.97 2.45 0.95 P<0 . 05 Diptera 2.29 4.33 0.77 1.21 9.86 4.49 P<0.01 Ephemeroptera 20.47 39.52 P<0.01 3.87 10.73 ^O.OOl 13.59 4.60 P<0.001 Oligochaeta 7.77 0 27.73 6.05 8.05 5.59 P<0.01 Plecoptera 10.81 9.31 16.76 17.09 12.73 6.93 P<0 . 05 Trichoptera 51.86 14.72 18.67 13.81 41.33 9.36 P<0.001 Turbellaria 0.52 1.14 C1) 0.14 1.40 C1) 0.37 1.91 PC0.001 Total 95.17 70.27 68.97 51.30 88.45 33.82 P<0.001 Numbers Coleoptera 1.90 2.90 5.40 3.80 14.80 5.30 Diptera 15.40 22.90 6.50 8.90 176.00 67.20 P<0.001 Ephemeroptera 45.10 47.10 25.40 44.90 P<0 . 05 213.10 77.40 P<0.01 Oligochaeta 0.90 0 P<0 . 05 2.30 0.50 P<0 . 05 1.20 1.20 Plecoptera 15.50 17.60 48.70 75.70 62.00 88.50 Trichoptera 12.30 4.20 34.30 27.80 66.00 35.10 P<0.01 Turbellaria 0.30 0.90 C1) 0.20 1.00 1.20 6.00 P<0.05 Total 91.40 95.60 122.80 162.60 534.30 280.70 P<0.01 1 Mann-Whitney Test, Student's t-Test used in other analyses Table 2. --Comparisons of biomass and numbers of invertebrates collected with a Surber sampler in Rio en Medio above and below the road in summer, autumn, and spring. The values listed are means. Sta¬ tistical comparisons are within dates only. July 30, 1976 October 16, 1976 May 17, 1977 Above Below N=10 N=10 Signifi¬ cance Above Below N=10 N=10 Signifi¬ cance Above N=10 Below N=10 Signifi¬ cance Biomass Coleoptera 1. .00 0. .54 4. ,17 1. ,81 4. .04 1 , .30 P<0. 001 Diptera 4. .81 4. .34 4. .53 1. .40 P<0.01 39. .31 6. . 18 P<0. 001 Ephemeroptera 11 . .86 9. .19 15. .08 2. .91 1P<0.001 71. .83 15, .32 P<0.01 Oligochaeta 0. .79 53, .23 P<0 .01 0. .11 35. .76 1P<0.001 8. .39 5. .71 Plecoptera 4. .38 2. .67 44. .07 24. .77 (:) 4. .05 3. .66 Trichoptera 2. .58 0. .02 Tl A O .05 4. .80 4. .48 2. .68 4. .11 Turbellaria 0. .17 0 (x) 1 . .67 0 2. .32 0. .21 Total 25. .59 70. .00 P<0 .05 74. .44 71. ,06 132. .60 36. .49 '-d A O 001 Numbers Coleoptera 5. .70 1. .80 13. .90 3. .90 P<0.01 24. .83 10. .42 P<0. 001 Diptera 40. .30 19. .10 27. , 10 6. .50 P<0.001 452. .42 185. .17 P<0. 001 Ephemeroptera 15. ,40 14. .40 93. .50 6. .70 P<0.001 251. .08 118. .08 P<0. 001 Oligochaeta 0. .30 3. .50 1P<0.( JO 1 0. .60 4. .60 ^<0.01 1 . .08 2. .83 Plecoptera 8. .50 18. .50 70, .70 38. .90 16. .67 54. .58 Trichoptera 1. .80 0. .30 P<0 .05 4. .30 4. .00 9. .08 9. .75 Turbellaria 0. .10 0 1. .60 0 6. .58 0. .33 P<0. 001 Total 72. . 10 57. .60 211. .70 64. .60 P<0.001 760. .92 381 . .08 P CO Collection dates Figure 3 . --Comparisons of mean biomass per Surber sample (0.093 m2) taken from Tesuque Creek and the Rio en Medio above (A) and below (B) the road in summer, autumn, and spring. An (*) indicates significant differences be¬ tween above-road and below-road study sites. Statistical comparisons were made within dates only. Species Diversity Despite the effects on numbers and biomass noted above, salting and sanding of the road ap¬ pears to have had little effect on either composi¬ tion or diversity of insects. A total of 38 species of the orders Ephemeroptera , Plecoptera, Trichoptera, and Coleoptera were identified from Surber samples (table 3). Thirty-three of these species were collected in the Rio en Medio. Of these, three were confined to below-road collections and another three species were con¬ fined to above-road collections. In Tesuque Creek, 5 of 34 species were confined to above¬ road collections and 1 species was found below the road only. The total biomass of species confined to above-road or below-road sites com¬ prised less than 1% of the biomass of the four orders of insects included in this analysis. In all three collections from the Rio en Medio more species were collected above the road. In Tesuque Creek more species were collected above the road on two of the three dates. How¬ ever, overall species diversity, H' , was higher for all three below-road collections from Tesuque Creek and for one of three below-road collections from the Rio en Medio. In all four cases this was the result of higher species evenness, J, below the road. Effects of Dissolved Salts Versus Sediment Road salting and sanding had two principal effects on the water quality of the Rio en Medio and Tesuque Creek: (1) increased salinity (figs. 4 and 5), and (2) increased sediment load below the road for the sampling period from October 1976 to September 1977 (Gosz 1977b) as shown in the tabulaton below. Related to these changes in water quality below the road were reductions in invertebrate numbers and biomass. However, no pronounced differences in species diversity between study sites were observed. These results suggest that invertebrates below the road were affected mainly by sedimentation and not by ele¬ vated salinities. Above road Below road Rio en Medio 684 kg 1262 kg Tesuque Creek 1466 kg 6544 kg Species diversity is one of the most sensi¬ tive indicators of toxicity effects (Hawkes 1977). Where salt pollution has been severe, reductions in species diversity have been re¬ corded (Harrel 1966, Crowther and Hynes 1977). Failure to demonstrate any pronounced effect on composition or diversity during the present study indicates that salt concentrations below the road were not toxic to stream insects. The conclusion that salt concentrations be¬ low the road were not toxic to insects inhabiting the study sites is supported by the dissolved salt levels recorded. The maximum concentration of dissolved salts recorded (in the Rio en Medio below the road), ~ 66 mg/1 (fig- 5), was approx¬ imately one-half the world average for freshwater of 120 mg/1 (Wetzel 1975) and less than the "to¬ tal dissolved solids" of 14 of 18 mid-elevation trout streams in the Rocky Mountains (Pennak 1977). In addition, Crowther and Hynes (1977) found that road salting affected the behavior of stream insects in southern Ontario streams only when Cl concentrations exceeded 1,000 mg/1, two orders of magnitude greater than the maximum con¬ centration recorded in the present study. The reduction in invertebrate numbers and biomass observed in both study streams is con¬ sistent with the effects of sedimentation that have been observed in a wide variety of streams (Cordone and Kelley 1961). Gosz (1977b) docu¬ mented an increased sediment load below the road on both study streams, and even casual observa¬ tion confirms a higher percentage of sand bottom at below-road sites, especially on the Rio en Medio. Retention of sand appears to be enhanced 5 Table 3 . --Comparisons of species diversity and species composition of Coleoptera, Ephemeroptera , Plaecoptera, and Coleoptera collected with a Surber sampler in the Rio en Medio and Tesuque Creek above and below the road. 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