Environmental assessment of stormwater pond impacts on a Rouge River tributary

This study was conducted to evaluate impacts of stormwater ponds in the Municipality of the Town of Richmond Hill on select physical (temperature, dissolved oxygen, and pH) chemical (nutrients) and biological (macroinvertebrate community, macrophyte and experimental Hyalella azteca and Daphnia magna enclosures) aspects of a Rouge River tributary. Over a five-month period five sites along the tributary close to the outfall of the stormwater ponds were sampled to determine if there were any impacts, cumulatively (with increasing number of pond outfalls along the tributary) and locally (above and below an outfall). Physical and nutrient parameters showed no signifiant degradation in water quality, either cumulatively or locally. Macrophytic data showed some decrease in biomass at downstream sites, but no decrease in diversity or species richness. Survivorship in the enclosures containing Hyalella azteca and Daphnia magna showed no significant cumulative change. Analysis of the macroinvertebrate community showed no cumulative or local impact until the farthest downstream site.

Environmental assessment of stormwater pond impacts on a Rouge River tributary

This study was conducted to evaluate impacts of stormwater ponds in the Municipality of the Town of Richmond Hill on select physical (temperature, dissolved oxygen, and pH) chemical (nutrients) and biological (macroinvertebrate community, macrophyte and experimental Hyalella azteca and Daphnia magna enclosures) aspects of a Rouge River tributary. Over a five-month period five sites along the tributary close to the outfall of the stormwater ponds were sampled to determine if there were any impacts, cumulatively (with increasing number of pond outfalls along the tributary) and locally (above and below an outfall). Physical and nutrient parameters showed no signifiant degradation in water quality, either cumulatively or locally. Macrophytic data showed some decrease in biomass at downstream sites, but no decrease in diversity or species richness. Survivorship in the enclosures containing Hyalella azteca and Daphnia magna showed no significant cumulative change. Analysis of the macroinvertebrate community showed no cumulative or local impact until the farthest downstream site.

The Influence of Climate and Land Cover Change on Historical Brook Trout (Salvelinus Fontinalis) Populations in the Humber River, Rouge River, and Duffins Creek Watersheds

Long-term records of the abundance of organisms are needed to detect more progressive changes in their populations as a result of external stressors. Long-term changes in historical Brook Trout

The Influence of Climate and Land Cover Change on Historical Brook Trout (Salvelinus Fontinalis) Populations in the Humber River, Rouge River, and Duffins Creek Watersheds

Long-term records of the abundance of organisms are needed to detect more progressive changes in their populations as a result of external stressors. Long-term changes in historical Brook Trout

Discovery, dispersal, and genetic diversity of Rhyacophila lobifera Betten, 1934 (Trichoptera: Rhyacophilidae) in southeast Michigan, USA

Rhyacophila lobifera Betten, 1934 has been previously documented in the upper Midwest states of Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois, and the province of Ontario. Here we report on the diversity of this species in the Rouge and Huron River watersheds using DNA barcode-verified identifications to confirm the first known Michigan record of this species, with collection from the lower Rouge River in 2003 and again in 2008. Since first detection, we document that the range of R. lobifera in the Rouge River watershed has expanded to include at least one additional site on the Lower Branch and five sites on the Middle Branch (Johnson Creek), as well three sites in the neighboring Huron River watershed. Our sequence analysis of the mitochondrial COI barcode gene region suggests a fine scale population structure in these watersheds, with haplotype partitioning congruent with proposed dispersal patterns based on first records at each site. Ranking as a 4 on the Hilsenhoff's biotic index—an intermediate level of water quality tolerance, discovery of R. lobifera in an urbanized southeast Michigan watershed is not unexpected, but population genetic patterns lend insight into its recent range expansion.