Date of Award
9-22-2025
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Environmental Sciences, MS
First Advisor
Jennifer Bouldin
Committee Members
Sarah Webb; Steven Green; Tanja McKay
Abstract
Exposure to different abiotic factors drives a shift in macroinvertebrate communities. In wetland systems, soil is the primary driver of the aquatic system. Analyzing community dynamics in association with soil composition, water physiochemical properties, wetland size and age is valuable in determining wetland health. Little research has been done to examine the direct relationship between wetland soil parameters and macroinvertebrate communities. Macroinvertebrate diversity, community composition, and soil and water composition data were analyzed from natural wetlands, Agricultural Conservation Easement - Wetland Reserve Easement Program (ACEP-WRE) wetlands, and agricultural wetlands within the Mississippi Alluvial Plain. Sample collection occurred from February to November of 2024. Data supports ACEP-WRE wetlands efficacy in cycling nutrients and supports macroinvertebrate diversity, comparably or better than natural wetlands. This study supports the ability of wetland soil parameters to predict changes in macroinvertebrate community composition within the orders Diptera and Hemiptera.
Rights Management
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
Recommended Citation
Wheeler, Helena Grace, "Aquatic Macroinvertebrate Diversity and Water Quality as Indicators of Wetland Health in Natural and Constructed Wetlands of Northeast Arkansas" (2025). Student Theses and Dissertations. 1110.
https://arch.astate.edu/all-etd/1110
