Changes in the benthic invertebrate communities of the thomson river, southeastern Australia, after dam construction

Benthic macroinvertebrates were quantitatively sampled at four sites, one above (T6) and three (T14A, T16, T21A) downstream of the Thomson Dam, Victoria, Australia, for three summers after completion of dam construction in 1983. Community composition was compared with that recorded previously during dam construction to determine the effects of the main environmental consequences of the dam, viz the input of fine sediment (< 2mm grain size), the temporary release of cold hypolimnetic water during summer, and altered levels of discharge. Unnaturally low summer water temperatures were only recorded at the two sites immediately downstream of the dam (in order downstream T14A and T16). After water temperatures returned to normal summer levels, species richness increased at these sites. Levels of fine sediment increased in the surface layers of the riverbed at T16 but not at T14A. By the time this study began levels at T16 had been reduced almost to pre-dam levels. At T21A levels approximately tripled after completion of construction. At T14A and T16 marked increases in species richness occurred during this study whereas at T21A species richness did not change, and was lower than that recorded during dam construction. Ordination and classification of samples clearly displayed these changes in the benthic communities downstream of the dam and the lack of change at T6 above the dam. Altered discharge resulted in some loss of habitable area and thus total standing stock at T14A only.