An investigation of the impact of the University of Michigan Biological Station's Stream Lab on the benthic organic matter of the Maple River.

Abstract

Man-made activities alter the flow of natural water ways. We attempted to ascertain the impact of the UMBS's Stream Lab on the Maple River. In particular, I focused on the Stream Lab's impact on the total benthic organic mass comprising primarily of sediments and algae and excluding macroinvertebrates. Tiles were laid upstream of the intake pump, at mid-stream, downstream of the outlet, as well as inside of the stream lab facility. Multiple replicants were collected over the span of two weeks. Statistical analysis (MANOVA) indicated no correlation between the sample mass and either on both site location or day. This indicates that the stream lab had no impact upon the Maple River or that the design and execution of the experiment failed to capture the impact the Stream lab has upon the Maple River.