Relationship Between Stream Microhabitat and Aquatic Insect Assemblages In Watersheds Associated with Managed and Unmanaged Areas In Bankhead National Forest.

The composition and diversity of aquatic biota within the Bankhead National Forest are influenced by stream habitat characteristics which may have resulted directly or indirectly to anthropogenic activities such as tree cutting and prescribed burn. To determine the influences of these forest management practices on aquatic insect assemblages and water quality, this study was conducted at the Bankhead National Forest in Lawrence, Winston and Franklin Counties in Alabama.  Assessment of stream habitat and measurements of basic water quality parameters were performed and compared for watersheds associated with managed (thinned or thinned and burned) and unmanaged (control). Aquatic insects were collected seasonally using kick net method from nine study sites downstream from forest stands that have been previously thinned (Rock Creek, Flannigan Creek and Borden Creek ), thinned and burned (Brushy Creek, Rush Creek and West Beech Creek ) or unmanaged (Basin Creek, Thompson Creek and West Flint Creek ).  This paper focuses on the EPT [Ephemeroptera (mayflies) - Plecoptera (stoneflies) – Trichoptera (caddisflies)] assemblages.