Cited by 81Freshwater macroinvertebrate diversity and ecologyFire effects on ecosystemsEcology and biodiversity studies

Effects of wildfire of varying severity on benthic stream insect assemblages and emergence

Malison, Rachel L., Baxter, Colden V.·2010·Journal of the North American Benthological Society

Abstract

The effects of wildfire can alter the structure of stream insect assemblages. Post-fire shifts to dominance by r-strategist taxa could drive increases in productivity of primary consumer and predatory insects, but this possibility has not been explicitly investigated. Likewise, the extent and duration of such effects might be mediated by fire severity, but this hypothesis also has not been evaluated. We report results from a comparative study that examined the mid-term (5–10 y post-fire) effects of wildfire of varying severity on stream insect assemblage composition and productivity measured in terms of benthic larval biomass and flux of emerging adults. We compared benthos and emergence in a suite of 2nd- to 3rd-order, unburned streams to those that had experienced low-severity and high-severity wildfire in wilderness watersheds of central Idaho. Reaches that experienced high-severity burn had the greatest biomass of r-strategist, generalist primary consumers that included Chironomidae, Baetis, and Simuliidae. The greatest biomass of predatory insects, such as Rhyacophila, occurred in reaches that experienced high-severity burn. Differences in composition of emerging insects were more pronounced in some time periods than others, with greatest emergence from high-severity reaches in early summer. High-severity reaches consistently had the greatest emergence flux. Reaches that experienced low-severity burn had the least emergence, and unburned reaches had intermediate emergence flux. Our results suggest that burn severity might drive differences in aquatic insect assemblages and their productivity.

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Crossref · 10.1899/09-022.1

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Authors
Malison, R. L., & Baxter, C. V.
Affiliations
Idaho State University (US)
Corresponding author
  • Malison, Rachel L.
  • Baxter, Colden V.
Venue
Journal of the North American Benthological Society
Published
2010-12
Volume
29
Issue
4
Pages
1324-1338
ISSN
  • 0887-3593 (ISSN-L)
  • 1937-237X
OpenAlex
W2158799729
Cited by
80
References
44
Citations by year
2026: 4 · 2025: 5 · 2024: 4 · 2023: 3 · 2022: 6 · 2021: 7 · 2020: 3 · 2019: 5 · 2018: 5 · 2017: 5 · 2016: 2 · 2015: 5 · 2014: 7 · 2013: 10 · 2012: 6
FWCI
5.51
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Locations
  • Journal of the North American Benthological Society (publishedVersion)
  • BioOne Complete (BioOne) (submittedVersion)
Funders
  • National Science Foundation
  • Idaho State University
  • Directorate for Biological Sciences
  • Student Research Committee, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences
Topics
  • Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Ecology › Freshwater macroinvertebrate diversity and ecology
  • Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Global and Planetary Change › Fire effects on ecosystems
  • Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Ecology › Ecology and biodiversity studies
Keywords
forest fires, burn severity, benthic macroinvertebrates, insect emergence, larval biomass, primary consumers, predatory insects, Chironomidae, Baetis, Simuliidae, Rhyacophila, post-fire recovery, stream ecology

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