Date of Award
3-17-2020
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Environmental Sciences, MS
First Advisor
Jennifer Bouldin
Committee Members
Hubert Stroud; Lorin Neuman-Lee; Richard Lizotte; Travis Marsico
Call Number
LD 251 .A566t 2019 M25
Abstract
Agricultural ditches can improve water quality and serve as habitats of ecological importance within the agricultural landscape. This study investigated the impact of vegetation on water quality and wildlife in Northeast Arkansas agricultural ditches. Ten sites in two watersheds were measured weekly for sediment and nutrients from 2016 to 2018. Vegetative coverage and diversity were assessed seasonally at each site, whereas macroinvertebrate, amphibian, reptile, and bird sampling occurred in spring and summer. This study found that sites with greater bed and bank coverage had lesser loading values than sites with low bed and bank coverage across many of the measured parameters. Additionally, structure and quantity of vegetation was found to be more influential in determining biodiversity and community structure of organisms at a site than water quality. The results of this study will help improve water quality through improved agricultural ditch management and highlight the biological importance of agricultural ditches.
Rights Management
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
Martin, Emma Rose, "Understanding The Impact of Vegetation on Water Quality and Biodiversity in Northeast Arkansas Agricultural Ditches" (2020). Student Theses and Dissertations. 427.
https://arch.astate.edu/all-etd/427
