The Effects of Raquette River Damming on Macroinvertebrate Biodiversity (2023)

Macroinvertebrates provide an important food source for fish, birds, and amphibians, as well as perform a crucial cleaning service in aquatic ecosystems. However, dams can produce detrimental environmental effects, including disrupting the habitats and ecosystems of rivers. To examine this situation, we collected macroinvertebrate samples from three dams along the Raquette River in the environs of Potsdam, New York. We observed the dams’ impact on macroinvertebrate populations by recording data above and below each dam. The hypothesis was that dams would have a significant impact on the abundance and richness of macroinvertebrates due to the flow of dam-disrupting sediments and altering habitats. However, our results showed that these dams had little effect on macroinvertebrate population abundance and richness.