• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.353-361
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• 2011

This study was conducted to examine the effects of sedimentation caused by highland agriculture on benthic macroinvertbrate assemblages in upper Song Stream from 2006 to 2009. The mean concentrations of water quality parameters (pH, DO, EC, TDS, TN, and TP) were gradually increasing toward downstream but ORP was decreased. Furthermore, biological habitats at lower reaches were more homogeneous and unstable due to sand deposition than those at upper sites. A total 106 species of benthic macroinvertbrates in 47 families, 11 orders, 6 classes, and 5 phyla were identified during whole field surveys. Song Stream showed great declines of overall biological attributes along its longitudinal gradients, particularly in taxa richness and abundance. Of all functional groups scrapers and clingers were most affected against the degradation of habitat quality, whereas collector-gatherers and burrowers showed the opposite case. It was found that such results had close correlations with water quality parameters and substrate composition which played an important role in structuring macroinvertebrate communities. In conclusion, this study represents that disturbance caused by highland agricultural activities had negative effects on benthic macroinvertebrate communities by leading to sand deposition at adjacent stream ecosystems.