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Title: LONG-TERM PHYSICAL AND BIOLOGICAL CHANGES TO THREE ALTERED ALABAMA RIPARIAN AREAS.

Author
item McIntyre, Sherwood
item ANKUMAH, RAMBLE - TUSKEGEE UNIVERSITY
item HULUKA, GOBENA - AUBURN UNIVERSITY

Submitted to: American Society of Agronomy Abstracts
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 10/1/2003
Publication Date: 11/1/2003
Citation: MCINTYRE, S.C., ANKUMAH, R.O., HULUKA, G. LONG-TERM PHYSICAL AND BIOLOGICAL CHANGES TO THREE ALTERED ALABAMA RIPARIAN AREAS. CD-ROM. MADISON, WI: AMERICAN SOCIETY OF AGRONOMY. 2003.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Long-term effects of human alteration of three riparian sites in the Alabama Black Belt were assessed. Each site had an intermittent stream flowing through permanent pasture and an adjoining forested area. The stream channel in the pasture at each site had been straightened more than thirty years prior to the study. A significant difference was found in stream riffles which occupied zero, six and 23 percent of pasture stream reaches compared to 13, 20 and 48 percent of forested reaches. At all three sites, stream water quality did not vary significantly between forested and pasture reaches, and the combined nitrate and nitrite nitrogen levels were low in both stream and runoff water. Family-level biotic indexes of benthic macroinvertebrates were 5.51, 6.26 and 6.75 for forested stream reaches and 5.59, 6.08 and 7.1 for pasture stream reaches. Biotic indexes indicated fair water quality for all the stream reaches. Riparian Channel and Environmental Inventory scores of 236, 245 and 290 indicated the three study forested riparian areas were in good condition. The riparian area of one pasture had a score of 171 indicating good condition while the other two pasture riparian areas had scores of 87 and 113 indicating fair condition. Study results indicate a need to increase the wooded riparian area along the pasture stream reaches.