MEIOFAUNAL ABUNDANCE IN SANDBARS 

 OF ACID MINE POLLUTED, RECLAIMED, 

 AND UNPOLLUTED STREAMS 

 IN SOUTHEASTERN OHIO 



WILLIAM D. HUMMON, WAYNE A. EVANS, MARGARET R. HUMMON, 



FRANCIS G. DOHERTY, ROBERT H. WAINBERG, AND WILLIAM S. 



STANLEY 



Department of Zoology and Microbiology, Ohio University, Athens, Ohio 



ABSTRACT 



In October and November 1976, a collection was made at each of tv^^o sites 

 along seven streams in Athens, Vinton, and Hocking counties, Ohio, during a 

 period of stable weather. Streams were chosen to include watersheds with no 

 mining and with varying histories of mining and reclamation. Meiofaunal 

 sampling followed a regular pattern. Four stations were sampled along a 

 cross-stream transect; four depths were sampled at each station, and triplicate 

 subsamples were taken at each depth, yielding 48 2.7-cm"' sediment subsamples 

 per site collected. Physical— chemical parameters measured for stream and 

 sediment at each site included temperature, pH, conductivity, carbonate 

 alkalinity, sulfates, calcium and total hardness, manganese, iron, dissolved 

 oxygen, biochemical oxygen demand, and stream flow. Meiofauna were 

 narcotized with 1% MgCl2, extracted by multiple decantation, and tallied and 

 identified to major taxon with multiple whole Sedgwick— Rafter cell counts. 



The number of major taxa recovered at the 14 sites ranged from 3 to 11; 

 geometric mean abundance of total meiofauna per coring station expressed as 

 organisms per 10 square centimeters of surface ranged from 21 to 443. Diptera, 

 one of 16 taxa observed, total numbers of taxa present, and geometric means of 

 total meiofauna were significantly correlated (negatively) with values for 

 compensated noncarbonate conductivity from the 14 sites. 



In a dendrogram of Sh' similarity analysis, the unpolluted streams along 

 with several sites with a past history of mining formed an eight-site complex, 

 showing H' taxon diversity values of 1.6 to 2.8 with 40 to 80% in common. The 

 remaining sites, all with a past history of mining, formed two groups. One group 

 of four sites, dominated by rotifers, showed H' values of 1.2 to 1.6 wath 36 to 

 52% in common. The second group of two sites, dominated by nematodes, 

 showed H values of 1.3 to 1.5 with 46% in common. 



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