Effect of Human Development on the Biodiversity of Benthic Macroinvertebrates in Douglas Lake, Michigan

Abstract

As human development increases on waterfronts, aquatic ecosystems are subject to habitat changes that may risk their health. Freshwater organisms are affected by these environmental variations, and studying the effects on indicator species reveals potential dangers of human development. Benthic macroinvertebrates are small organisms that live on the bottom of freshwater ecosystems, and are often used as indicator species for ecosystem health, because of their ability to reflect pollution levels and their various functional traits. We sampled areas of Douglas Lake with high, moderate, and low levels of human development and found a significant difference in macroinvertebrate community composition between the three sites. Species richness, abundance, and diversity were not statistically different, but observed trends in each metric could be connected to human impacts.