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Harvard Forest Symposium Abstract 2008

  • Title: Headwater Stream Habitat and Communities in North-Central Massachusetts
  • Primary Author: Betsy Colburn (Harvard Forest)
  • Additional Authors: Robert Brooks (USDA Forest Service)
  • Abstract:

    This research is studying the biological communities of intermittent and perennial headwater streams in hemlock and hardwood forests in north-central Massachusetts, with particular focus on mosses and aquatic insects. The overall goal is to test the hypotheses that hemlock-dominated streams are more thermally stable, remain cooler in summer and warmer in winter, and are less susceptible to seasonal drying than hardwood-dominated streams, and that hemlock streams support a richer aquatic macroinvertebrate fauna, support a higher proportion of predatory fish species, and are more likely to sustain populations of native brook trout than hardwood streams.

  • Research Category: Watershed Ecology