API MANAGEMENT PTY. LTD.
HHAARRDDEEYY RREESSOOUURRCCEE:: AAQQUUAATTIICC EECCOOSSYYSSTTEEMM SSUURRVVEEYYSS
PRE- & POST-WET 2010 SAMPLING
FINAL REPORT
Wetland Research & Management January 2011 Hardey Aquatic Surveys: 2010 Wetland Research & Management
Study Team Project Management: Jess Delaney and Andrew Storey Field work: Jess Delaney, Isaac Cook, Caroline Lever (API) Macroinvertebrate identification: Adam Harman, Isaac Cook, Ness Rosenow and Jess Delaney Microinvertebrate identification: Russ Shiel, University of Adelaide Report: Jess Delaney and Isaac Cook Reviewed by: Andrew Storey
Recommended Reference Format WRM (2011) Hardey Resource: Aquatic Ecosystem Surveys. Unpublished DRAFT report by Wetland Research & Management to API Management Pty. Ltd. January 2011.
Acknowledgements This report was written by Wetland Research and Management (WRM) for API Management Pty. Ltd (API). WRM would like to acknowledge Michelle Carey for efficient overall management on behalf of API. Caroline Lever is thanked for assistance with field logistics, and for help during both field trips. Her assistance is greatly appreciated. Fish photographs were provided by Dr Mark Allen and the dragonfly picture was provided by Dr Jan Taylor. The draft report was reviewed by Caroline Lever (API).
Disclaimer This document was based on the best information available at the time of writing. While Wetland Research & Management (WRM) has attempted to ensure that all information contained within this document is accurate, WRM does not warrant or assume any legal liability or responsibility to any third party for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information supplied. The views and opinions expressed within are those of WRM and do not necessarily represent API policy. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form, stored in any retrieval system or transmitted by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of API and WRM.
This document has been printed on ‘Reflex Green Recycled Paper’.
Frontispiece (top to bottom): Hardey River at Kazput Pool (site HR5) (photo by Jess Delaney/WRM, Jan 2010); view from the Hardey Resource (photo by Jess Delaney/WRM, Jan2010); and, the Pilbara Tiger dragonfly (photo by Jan Taylor).
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CONTENTS 1 INTRODUCTION ...... 1 1.1 Background ...... 1 1.2 Study objectives ...... 1 2 METHODS ...... 3 2.1 Study area ...... 3 2.1.1 Climate ...... 3 2.2 Sites and sampling design ...... 4 2.3 Water quality ...... 7 2.4 Microinvertebrates ...... 9 2.5 Hyporheic fauna ...... 9 2.6 Macroinvertebrates ...... 10 2.7 Fish ...... 10 3 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION ...... 12 3.1 Water quality ...... 12 3.1.1 Physico-chemistry ...... 12 3.2 Microinvertebrates ...... 18 3.2.1 Taxonomic composition and species richness ...... 18 3.2.2 Conservation significance of microinvertebrates ...... 19 3.3 Hyporheic fauna ...... 21 3.3.1 Taxonomic composition and species richness ...... 21 3.3.2 Hyporheos taxa ...... 22 3.4 Macroinvertebrates ...... 23 3.4.1 Taxonomic composition and species richness ...... 23 3.4.2 Conservation significance of macroinvertebrates ...... 25 3.4.3 Functional feeding groups ...... 26 3.5 Fish ...... 28 3.5.1 Species richness ...... 28 3.5.2 Conservation significance of fish fauna ...... 28 3.5.3 Length Frequency Analysis ...... 29 4 CONCLUSIONS ...... 37 4.1 Water quality ...... 37 4.2 Microinvertebrate fauna ...... 38 4.3 Hyporheic fauna ...... 38 4.4 Macroinvertebrate fauna ...... 39 4.5 Fish ...... 39 5 RECOMMENDATIONS ...... 41 6 REFERENCES ...... 42 APPENDICES ...... 46 Appendix 1. Site photographs ...... 47 Appendix 2. ANZECC/ARMCANZ (2000) trigger values for the protection of aquatic systems in tropical northern Australia ...... 49 Appendix 3. Water quality data from January and May 2010...... 51 Appendix 4. Microinvertebrate data from January and May 2010...... 53 Appendix 5. Hyporheic fauna recorded from the Hardey and Beasley rivers in January and May 2010...... 57 Appendix 6. Macroinvertebrate data from January and May 2010...... 59
iii Hardey Aquatic Surveys: 2010 Wetland Research & Management
LIST OF TABLES, FIGURES & PLATES TABLES
TABLE 1. AQUATIC SAMPLE SITES , THEIR GPS LOCATION AND TYPE (POTENTIAL IMPACT OR REFERENCE )...... 5 TABLE 2. ALL WATER QUALITY PARAMETERS MEASURED ...... 8 TABLE 3. COMPOSITION OF MICROINVERTEBRATE FAUNA RECORDED FROM THE STUDY AREA IN JANUARY AND MAY 2010. . 18 TABLE 4. COMPOSITION OF MICROINVERTEBRATE FAUNA RECORDED FROM THE HARDEY RIVER AND BEASLEY RIVER DURING THE CURRENT STUDY ...... 18 TABLE 5. COMPOSITION OF MACROINVERTEBRATES RECORDED FROM THE STUDY AREA IN JANUARY AND MAY 2010...... 23 TABLE 6. COMPOSITION OF MACROINVERTEBRATES RECORDED FROM THE HARDEY AND BEASLEY RIVERS DURING THE CURRENT STUDY ...... 24 TABLE 7. LIST OF FISH SPECIES RECORDED FROM EACH SITE . INDICATES PRESENCE IN JANUARY , * INDICATES PRESENCE IN MAY 2010...... 29
FIGURES
FIGURE 1. LOCATION OF THE HARDEY RESOURCE IN THE PILBARA REGION OF W.A., SHOWING THE HARDEY AND BEASLEY RIVER SYSTEMS ...... 2 FIGURE 2. RAINFALL AT THE AIRSTRIP GAUGING STATION ON THE HARDEY RIVER , SHOWING AVERAGE TOTAL MONTHLY RAINFALL (LEFT ) AND TOTAL ANNUAL RAINFALL (RIGHT )...... 4 FIGURE 3. TOTAL MONTHLY RAINFALL (MM ) AND TOTAL MONTHLY STREAMFLOW VOLUME (ML) DATA FOR THE MT SAMSON GAUGING STATION ON THE HARDEY RIVER ...... 4 FIGURE 4. PLOT SHOWING RAINFALL IN FEBRUARY , MARCH AND APRIL OF 2010 RECORDED FROM THE HARDEY RIVER AIRSTRIP STATION , COMPARED WITH AVERAGE HISTORIC RAINFALL DURING THESE MONTHS ...... 5 FIGURE 5. LOCATION OF THE HARDEY RIVER POTENTIAL IMPACT SITES AND THE BEASLEY RIVER REFERENCE SITES WITH RESPECT TO THE HARDEY RESOURCE ...... 6 FIGURE 6. DISSOLVED OXYGEN (%) LEVELS RECORDED IN JANUARY AND MAY 2010...... 12 FIGURE 7. ELECTRICAL CONDUCTIVITY (µS/ CM ) RECORDED IN JANUARY AND MAY 2010...... 13 FIGURE 8. TOTAL NITROGEN (LEFT ) AND TOTAL PHOSPHORUS LEVELS (RIGHT ) RECORDED IN JANUARY AND MAY 2010...... 15 FIGURE 9. CONCENTRATIONS OF COPPER (LEFT ) AND ZINC (RIGHT ), RECORDED FROM THE STUDY AREA IN JANUARY AND MAY 2010...... 16 FIGURE 10. MICROINVERTEBRATE TAXA RICHNESS ...... 19 FIGURE 11. CONSERVATION CATEGORY OF MICROINVERTEBRATE TAXA RECORDED FROM THE BEASLEY RIVER (LEFT ) AND HARDEY RIVER (RIGHT )...... 20 FIGURE 12. PROPORTION OF SPECIES FROM EACH HYPORHEIC CLASSIFICATION CATEGORY ...... 21 FIGURE 13. NUMBER OF OCCURRENCES OF TAXA CONSIDERED HYPORHEOS RECORDED FROM EACH RIVER SYSTEM ...... 21 FIGURE 14. MACROINVERTEBRATE TAXA RICHNESS RECORDED FROM EACH SITE ON EACH SAMPLING OCCASION ...... 24 FIGURE 15. CONSERVATION CATEGORY OF MACROINVERTEBRATE TAXA RECORDED FROM THE BEASLEY RIVER (LEFT ) AND HARDEY RIVER (RIGHT )...... 25 FIGURE 16. PIE -CHARTS SHOWING THE PROPORTION OF MACROINVERTEBRATE TAXA FROM EACH FUNCTIONAL FEEDING GROUP RECORDED FROM THE HARDEY RIVER (LEFT ) AND BEASLEY RIVER (RIGHT )...... 27 FIGURE 17. LENGTH -FREQUENCY PLOTS FOR WESTERN RAINBOWFISH FROM SELECTED SITES ON THE HARDEY AND BEASLEY RIVERS ...... 30 FIGURE 18. LENGTH -FREQUENCY PLOT FOR HYRTL ’S TANDAN CATFISH COLLECTED FROM BR1 ON THE BEASLEY RIVER .... 31 FIGURE 19. LENGTH -FREQUENCY PLOTS OF SPANGLED PERCH FROM ALL SITES SAMPLED IN JANUARY AND MAY 2010...... 32 FIGURE 20. LENGTH -FREQUENCY PLOT FOR FORTESCUE GRUNTER FROM HR5...... 33 FIGURE 21. LENGTH -FREQUENCY PLOTS OF BONY BREAM FROM SELECTED SITES ...... 34 FIGURE 22. LENGTH -FREQUENCY PLOTS FOR FLATHEAD GOBY FROM SELECTED SITES ON THE HARDEY AND BEASLEY RIVERS ...... 35 FIGURE 23. LENGTH -FREQUENCY PLOTS FOR BARRED GRUNTER FROM SELECTED SITES ON THE HARDEY AND BEASLEY RIVERS ...... 36
PLATES
PLATE 1. USING THE PORTABLE WTW FIELD METERS TO RECORD IN SITU WATER QUALITY SUCH AS P H, EC, DO, AND WATER TEMPERATURE ...... 7 PLATE 2. USING THE 250 µM MESH NET TO SELECTIVELY SAMPLE THE AQUATIC MACROINVERTEBRATES AT BR2...... 10 PLATE 3. THE AUSTRALIAN ENDEMIC CLADOCERA , MOINA CF MICRURA (PHOTO BY RUSS SHIEL ) ...... 19 PLATE 4. STYGAL AMPHIPOD ?NEDSIA SP ., COLLECTED FROM THE HYPORHEIC ZONE AT BR2 ON THE BEASLEY RIVER (PHOTO BY RUSS SHIEL )...... 22 PLATE 5. THE PILBARA TIGER , ICTINOGOMPHUS DOBSONI (PHOTO TAKEN AND PROVIDED BY DR JAN TAYLOR /WA INSECT STUDY SOCIETY )...... 26 PLATE 6. WESTERN RAINBOWFISH MELANOTAENIA AUSTRALIS (LEFT ) AND SPANGLED PERCH LEIOPOTHERAPON UNICOLOR (RIGHT ) (PHOTOS TAKEN AND PROVIDED BY MARK ALLEN ©)...... 29 PLATE 7. HYRTL ’S TANDAN , NEOSILURIS HYRTLII (PHOTO TAKEN AND PROVIDED BY MARK ALLEN ©)...... 29
iv Hardey Aquatic Surveys: 2010 Wetland Research & Management
1 INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background
API Management Pty. Ltd. (API) plan to develop the Hardey Resource Area, located approximately 50 km west north-west of Paraburdoo in the Pilbara region of Western Australia (see Figure 1). The Hardey Bedded Iron Deposit is a potential extension to API’s West Pilbara Iron Ore Project (WPIOP) Stage 1 development. The resource covers an area of approximately 75 hectares and is hosted within the Dales Gorge Member of the Brockman Iron Formation.
A number of ephemeral drainage lines traverse the Hardey Resource Area. Although no major creeklines are associated with the Hardey Resource Area, the Hardey River lies approximately 1.5 km to the south. Current mine plans are not complete, however, dewatering and/or discharge operations may be necessary. Therefore, API contracted WRM to undertake an aquatic survey of significant pools in the area to establish baseline conditions, determine the distribution and conservation status of aquatic fauna which may be present in or near the Hardey Resource Area, and provide data for a Public Environmental Review (PER). Given the imminent commencement of this operation, baseline data were required in the short term. ANZECC/ARMCANZ (2000) recommend at least three years baseline data are required to establish local trigger levels for assessing changes in aquatic fauna. At least two years of monthly data are recommended for developing local trigger values for water quality data. This is usually not logistically possible, so at least three years biannual data are recommended as a compromise.
1.2 Study objectives
The aims of this project were to collect data which would: identify ecological values and conservation significance of the aquatic ecosystems in the immediate vicinity of the Hardey Resource Area, allow future impact assessment, and allow monitoring of changes in water quality and aquatic fauna over the life of the project. Sampling of aquatic fauna (fish, macroinvertebrates, microinvertebrates, hyporheic fauna) and water quality were undertaken in the vicinity of the Hardey Resource as well as from reference (control) sites.
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Figure 1. Location of the Hardey Resource in the Pilbara Region of W.A., showing the Hardey and Beasley river systems.
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2 METHODS 2.1 Study area
The Hardey River is a major tributary of the Ashburton River in the Pilbara Region of Western Australia. It flows in a westerly direction for approximately 217 km from Mount Tom Price in the Hamersley Range until it meets the Ashburton River near Hardey Junction. Tributaries of the Hardey River include the Beasley River and Hope Creek. Although much of the length of the Hardey River is ephemeral, there are permanent pools located in the vicinity of the Hardey Resource Area. Such permanent pools have high environmental significance in the Pilbara owing to the fact that they are rare because of the aridity of the region. Halse et al. (2002) suggested that systems with permanent pools in the Pilbara provide an important “source of animals for colonisation of newly flooded pools and maintenance of populations of invertebrate species at the regional level”.
The Beasley River arises in the Hamersley Range north west of Tom Price and flows south- west for around 105 km into the Hardey River. This river is also mostly ephemeral, although permanent pools do exist north-west of the Hardey Resource Area.
2.1.1 Climate
The climate of the Pilbara is semi-arid, with relatively dry winters and hot summers. Most rainfall occurs during the summer months and is associated with cyclonic events; when flooding frequently occurs along creeks and rivers (Gardiner 2003). Due to the nature of cyclonic events and thunderstorms, total annual rainfall in the region is highly unpredictable and individual storms can contribute several hundred millimetres of rain at one time. Average annual pan evaporation in the Pilbara is ten times greater than rainfall (Stoddart 1997).
Average annual rainfall recorded from gauging stations in the vicinity of the Hardey Resource range from 356.31 mm at Mt Samson (Station # 505026) to 374.84 mm at Airstrip (Station # 005059). The length of record differs for these stations, with Mt Samson extending from 1973 to 1998, and Airstrip from 1989 to current. The Mt Samson gauging station is located on the Hardey River approx. 18 km west of Tom Price and the Airstrip station is located approx. 6.5 km upstream of the Mt Samson station. As with other areas in the Pilbara, most rainfall in the vicinity of the Hardey River falls during the summer, between January and March (Figure 2). Very little rain falls between July and November (Figure 2). Over the period of record at Airstrip, total annual rainfall has ranged from 135.20 mm in 2003 to 711.40 mm in 2006 (Figure 2).
Consequently, streamflow is also highly seasonal and variable. Flows occur as a direct response to rainfall, with peak flows tending to occur within 24 hours of a rainfall event and continuing for several days. Figure 3 shows the relationship between rainfall and streamflow for the Mt Samson gauging station on Hardey River, with streamflow volumes generally being highest following large rainfall events.
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100 Hardey River rainfall - airstrip 800 Hardey River rainfall - airstrip 700 80 600
60 500 400 40 300
200 20 Annual total Annual rainfall (mm) 100 Average total Average monthly rainfall (mm) 0 0 Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 Figure 2. Rainfall at the Airstrip gauging station on the Hardey River, showing average total monthly rainfall (left) and total annual rainfall (right).
300 Hardey River Mt Samson Gauging Station 3500
250 3000
2500 200 2000 150 1500 100 1000 Total monthlyTotal rainfall (mm) 50 500 Total monthlyTotal streamflow volume (ML) 0 0 86 91 96 87 92 97 89 94 85 85 90 90 95 95 88 93 98 ------Jul Jul Jul Jan Jan Jan Sep Sep Sep Nov Nov Nov Mar Mar May May May Rainfall Streamflow Figure 3. Total monthly rainfall (mm) and total monthly streamflow volume (ML) data for the Mt Samson gauging station on the Hardey River.
2.2 Sites and sampling design
The ideal study design would include replicate pools within the area of potential impact (within the Hardey Resource Area itself and downstream Hardey River), as well as replicate pools on systems outside the area of potential impact (reference or control sites). However, the current study was limited by the absence of pools within the Hardey Resource Area itself, as well as regionally low surface water due to the below-average seasonal rainfall. A total of five permanent pools were located for sampling, including two potential impact sites on the Hardey River and three reference sites on the Beasley River (Figure 4 and Table 1). Site photographs are provided in Appendix 1.
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Table 1. Aquatic sample sites, their GPS location and type (potential impact or reference).
River Site Pool name Type Latitude Longitude BR1 Reference 22°52’31 S 117°07’05 E Beasley River BR2 Reference 22°52’42 S 117°06’30 E
BR3 Woongarra Pool Reference 22°52’55 S 117°06’11 E Hardey River HR5 Kazput Pool Potential impact 22°58’32 S 117°11’40 E HR6 Potential impact 22°58’37 S 117°11’18 E
It was proposed that sampling be conducted in the late dry season (i.e. Jan 2010) and the late-wet (i.e. April 2010). Dry season sampling is important as it identifies aquatic fauna utilising permanent pools as vital refuges. In addition, any impacts are likely to be more severe in the dry season under recessional flows due to a lack of dilution of any possible contaminants. Sampling in both seasons 120 increases the ability to collect all species 100 and allows for seasonal variations in breeding times of different species. 80 However, due to the lack of rain, there 60 40
wasn’t really a wet season in this area in Rainfall (mm)
2010. Monthly rainfall at the Airstrip 20 gauging station on the Hardey River was 0 well below the average during February, February March April March and April 2010 (Figure 5). There 2010 rainfall Average rainfall was no rain in February, and only 15.4 mm and 1.6 mm recorded in March and Figure 4. Plot showing rainfall in February, March and April of 2010 recorded from the Hardey River airstrip April, respectively (Figure 5). Therefore, station, compared with average historic rainfall during post-wet season sampling was much these months. reduced in 2010. Two sampling rounds were conducted, the first in January 2010 and the second in May 2010 in order to obtain as much baseline data as possible and show the system in a naturally stressed condition due to the low rainfall. This is an important issue to quantify, as natural variability may be greater than any potential future mine-related effects.
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Figure 5. Location of the Hardey River potential impact sites and the Beasley River reference sites with respect to the Hardey resource.
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2.3 Water quality
At each site a number of water quality variables were recorded in situ using portable WTW field meters, including pH, electrical conductivity (µS/cm), dissolved oxygen (% and mg/L), and water temperature (°C) (Plate 1). Undisturbed water samples were taken for laboratory analyses of ionic composition, nutrients and dissolved metals. Samples collected for nutrients and metals were filtered through 0.45 µm Millipore nitrocellulose filters. All water samples were kept cool in an esky while in the field, and frozen as soon as possible for subsequent transport to the laboratory. All laboratory Plate 1. Using the portable WTW field meters to record in analyses were conducted by the situ water quality such as pH, Ec, DO, and water temperature. Natural Resources Chemistry Laboratory, Chemistry Centre, WA (a NATA accredited laboratory). Table 2 shows all water quality variables measured.
Water quality data were compared against ANZECC/ARMCANZ (2000) water quality guidelines. ANZECC/ARMCANZ (2000) provides trigger values for a range of water quality parameters for the protection of aquatic ecosystems. These trigger values may be adopted in the absence of adequate site-specific data. ANZECC/ARMCANZ (2000) recommends different levels of species protection applied to different levels of ecosystem condition. The 99% value is applied to high conservation/ecological value ecosystems, the 95% value to slightly to moderately disturbed ecosystems and the 90% or 80% values to highly disturbed ecosystems. In the ANZECC/ARMCANZ (2000) water quality management framework, the decision about the ecosystem condition is typically a joint one between stakeholders. Based on the observed condition of rivers in the vicinity of the Hardey Resource, it is suggested that either the 99% or possibly the 95% values are applied. When applying trigger values (TVs), ANZECC/ARMCANZ (2000) state the following: “Trigger values are concentrations that, if exceeded, would indicate a potential environmental problem, and so ‘trigger’ a management response, e.g. further investigation and subsequent refinement of the guidelines according to local conditions .” (Section 2.1.4); and “Exceedances of the trigger values are an ‘early warning’ mechanism to alert managers of a potential problem. They are not intended to be an instrument to assess ‘compliance’ and should not be used in this capacity .” (Section 7.4.4)
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Table 2. All water quality parameters measured.
Parameter Units Parameter Units pH pH units Aluminium (Al) mg/L Electrical conductivity µS/cm Arsenic (As) mg/L Dissolved oxygen % saturation Boron (B) mg/L Dissolved oxygen mg/L Barium (Ba) mg/L Water temp °C Cadmium (Cd) mg/L Cobalt (Co) mg/L Sodium (Na) mg/L Chromium (Cr) mg/L Potassium (K) mg/L Copper (Cu) mg/L Calcium (Ca) mg/L Iron (Fe) mg/L Magnesium (Mg) mg/L Manganese (Mn) mg/L Chloride (Cl) mg/L Molybdenum (Mo) mg/L
CO 3 mg/L Nickel (Ni) mg/L
HCO 3 mg/L Lead (Pb) mg/L
SO 4 mg/L Selenium (Se) mg/L Alkalinity mg/L Uranium (U) mg/L Hardness mg/L Vanadium (V) mg/L
Nitrate (NO 3) mg/L Zinc (Zn) mg/L
Ammonium (NH 3) mg/L Total Nitrogen (total N) mg/L Total Phosphorus (total P) mg/L
Hence, TVs should not be used in a ‘pass-fail’ approach to water quality management. Their main purpose is to inform managers and regulators that changes in water quality are occurring and may need to be investigated. In the case of baseline data collection, the guidelines may be used to establish background levels relative to TVs, and show where certain elements may be naturally elevated (i.e. due to geological features). This allows future discrimination of mine effects from natural enrichment. Where background levels are elevated, then it is desirable to establish site-specific TVs.
The guidelines recommend, that where an appropriate default TV does not exist, or the default TV is consistently lower than natural background concentrations, natural background data should be used to derive the TV. In these instances, the 80 th percentile (and 20 th percentile in the case of variables that require an upper and lower guidelines, e.g. pH) of a baseline dataset should be used. This value is then compared to the median value of the subject water (i.e. the dewatering water) (for further details see Sections 3.3.2.4 and 7.4.4 of ANZECC/ARMCANZ 2000). It is also recommended that TV are based on at least two years of monthly monitoring data, although it is now acknowledged that this is not always possible in remote regions, therefore at least three years of biannual data at replicate sites will provide indicative data.
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2.4 Microinvertebrates
Microinvertebrate samples were collected from each site by gentle sweeping over an approximate 15 m distance with a 53 µm mesh pond net. Care was taken not to disturb the benthos (bottom sediments). Samples were preserved in 70% ethanol and sent to Dr Russ Shiel of Adelaide University for processing. Dr Shiel is a world authority on microfauna, with extensive experience in fauna survey and impact assessment across Australasia.
Microinvertebrate samples were processed by identifying the first 200-300 individuals encountered in an agitated sample decanted into a 125 mm 2 gridded plastic tray, with the tray then scanned for additional missed taxa also taken to species, and recorded as ‘present’. Specimens were identified to the lowest taxon possible, i.e. species or morphotypes. Where specific names could not be assigned, vouchers were established. These vouchers are held by Dr Shiel at Adelaide University, Adelaide, Australia.
2.5 Hyporheic fauna
At each site, hyporheic sampling was conducted by digging a hole approximately 20 cm deep and 40 cm diameter in alluvial gravels in the dry streambed adjacent to the waters edge. The hole was allowed to infiltrate with water from the surrounding alluvium, and then the water column was swept with a modified 53 µm mesh plankton net immediately after the hole had filled, and again after approx. 30 minutes, after other sampling at the site had been conducted. Hyporheic sampling was not conducted at Kazput Pool on the Hardey River (HR5) as the substrate at this site was clay/silt rather than gravel and not conducive to hyporheic sampling.
Samples were preserved in 70% ethanol and returned to the laboratory for processing. Any hyporheic fauna present was removed from samples by sorting under a low power dissecting microscope. Specimens were sent to appropriate taxonomic experts for identification and confirmation of their status as hyporheic fauna.
Chironomidae (non-biting midges) were sent to Dr Don Edward (The University of Western Australia), and Copepoda and Ostracoda to Dr Russ Shiel (Adelaide University).
All taxa recorded from hyporheic samples were classified using Boulton’s (2001) categories; • stygobite – obligate groundwater species, with special adaptations to survive such conditions • permanent hyporheos stygophiles - epigean 1 species which can occur in both surface- and groundwaters, but is a permanent inhabitant of the hyporheos • occasional hyporheos stygophiles – use the hyporheic zone seasonally or during early life history stages
1 Epigean – living or occurring on or near the surface of the ground.
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• stygoxene (species that appear rarely and apparently at random in groundwater habitats, there by accident or seeking refuge during spates or drought; not specialised for groundwater habitat).
2.6 Macroinvertebrates
Macroinvertebrate sampling was conducted with a 250 µm mesh FBA pond net to selectively collect the macroinvertebrate fauna. As many habitats as possible were sampled to maximise the number of species collected, including trailing riparian vegetation, macrophyte beds, woody debris, open water column and benthic sediments. Each sample was then washed through a 250 µm sieve to remove fine sediment, leaf litter and other debris (Plate 2). Samples were then preserved in 70% ethanol.
In the laboratory, macroinvertebrates were
removed from samples by sorting under a Plate 2. Using the 250 µm mesh net to selectively low power dissecting microscope. sample the aquatic macroinvertebrates at BR2. Collected specimens were then identified to the lowest possible level (genus or species level) and enumerated to log 10 scale abundance classes ( i.e. 1 = 1 - 10 individuals, 2 = 11 - 100 individuals, 3 = 101-1000 individuals, 4 = >1000). In-house expertise was used to identify invertebrate taxa using available published keys and through reference to the established voucher collections held by WRM. External specialist taxonomic expertise was sub-contracted to assist with Chironomidae (non-biting midges) (Dr Don Edward, The University of Western Australia).
2.7 Fish
Fish fauna were sampled using a variety of methods in order to maximise species richness and effectively collect as many individuals as possible from each site. Fish sampling methods included seine nets, gill nets and dip nets.
A beach seine (10 m net, with a 2 m drop and 6 mm mesh) was deployed in shallow areas where there was little vegetation or large woody debris. Generally, two seines were conducted at each site to maximise the number of individuals caught.
Gillnetting involved setting 10 m light-weight fine mesh gill nets with a 2 m drop (of varying stretched mesh net size 13 mm and 19 mm) at each site. Nets were left for the duration of sampling at that particular site.
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All fish were identified in the field, measured and then released alive. Fish nomenclature followed that of Allen et al. (2002). Measuring the fish captured provided information on the size structure, breeding and recruitment of the fish population.
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3 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
3.1 Water quality
As mentioned previously, water quality data were compared against ANZECC/ARMCANZ (2000) water quality guidelines. The default trigger values for physical and chemical stressors applicable to tropical northern Australia are provided in Appendix 2.
3.1.1 Physico-chemistry
Dissolved oxygen (DO)
In January, daytime dissolved oxygen (DO) levels ranged from 37.5% at BR3 to 77.2% at BR1 (Figure 6 and Appendix 3). In May, DO levels ranged from 44.5% at HR5 to 161.7% at BR2 (Figure 6 and Appendix 3). DO values were generally within ANZECC/ARMCANZ (2000) 180 guidelines, however, a number of 150 sites recorded DO levels either 120 above or below guidelines (Appendix 90 3). Super-saturated daytime DO DO% 60 levels (<100%) were recorded from a 30 number of sites in May, including 0 BR1, BR2 and BR3 (Appendix 3). BR1 BR2 BR3 HR5 HR6 These sites all supported dense macrophyte growth which would be Beasley River Hardey River producing high levels of oxygen through photosynthesis during the January May ANZECC Upper day (Wilcock and Nagels 2001). ANZECC Lower Point of Ecological Stress Site Although ‘high’ DO levels would not Figure 6. Dissolved oxygen (%) levels recorded in January be thought to cause environmental and May 2010. concern per se , it is likely that sites with high daytime DO (<120%) may go into oxygen stress at night. These sites likely become anoxic overnight as respiration by plants, algae and fauna deplete DO (Wilcock and Nagels 2001). Super-saturated DO can also lead to fish bubble disease. One site in particular, BR2 in May 2010, recorded exceptionally high daytime DO levels (161.7%). In most cases, the ‘low’ DO levels (<90%) were unlikely to be low enough to have an ecological impact. DO concentrations less than ~20% typically represent environmental conditions of ‘stress’ to resident aquatic fauna, particularly fish with high metabolic demand for oxygen. Whilst no DO values this low were recorded during the current study, one site recorded particularly low DO (site BR3 in January 2010, 37.5%). pH
Most river systems in Western Australia (including those in the Pilbara e.g. Robe, Harding and lower Fortescue at Millstream) have a natural pH range circum-neutral. In the absence of baseline data, ANZECC/ARMCANZ (2000) guidelines recommend average pH should be between 6 and 8 in lowland rivers of tropical northern Australia. The pH values recorded
12 Hardey Aquatic Surveys: 2010 Wetland Research & Management during the current study were generally higher than these guidelines and were circum- neutral to basic. pH ranged from 7.53 (HR5) to 8.89 (HR6) during January 2010, and from 7.66 (HR5) to 8.8 (BR1) in May 2010 (Appendix 3). The circum-neutral to slightly basic pH characteristic of the sites sampled along the Hardey and Beasley rivers is natural and likely due to surrounding geology. Although outside of the ANZECC guidelines, it is unlikely that the slightly basic pH would adversely affect the aquatic biota. Similarly basic pH has previously been reported from other systems in the East Pilbara (Johnson and Wright 2003, Streamtec 2004, Jess Delaney, WRM, pers. obs.).
Electrical conductivity (Ec)
Water quality from sites sampled during the current study ranged from fresh through to brackish, as classified by the DoE (2003)2 (Appendix 3). During January 2010, electrical conductivity ranged from 1417 µS/cm (HR5) to 1792 µS/cm (HR6), and in May 2010 from 1242 µS/cm (HR5) to 1672 µS/cm (HR6). All conductivity values were above ANZECC/ARMCANZ (2000) guidelines for 2500 the protection of 2000 aquatic ecosystems. There is a general 1500 acceptance that when 1000 conductivity is less than 1500 µS/cm, 500 freshwater ecosystems 0 experience little
Electrical Electrical conductivity (µS/cm) BR1 BR2 BR3 HR5 HR6 ecological stress (Hart et al. 1991, Horrigan et Beasley River Hardey River al. 2005). With the exception of HR5, all January May ANZECC trigger Point of Ecological Stress sites recorded brackish Figure 7. Electrical conductivity (µS/cm) recorded in January and May 2010. Ec in excess of this value, in either January or May of 2010 (Figure 7). Therefore, it is likely that the aquatic biota currently supported by these permanent pools are already adapted to the brackish conditions, and likely comprise the more salt-tolerant remnants after the more sensitive species have been eliminated. The groups most sensitive to increasing salinity are the structurally simple, often soft-bodied animals such as hydra, insect larvae and molluscs (Hart et al. 1991, Nielson et al . 2003). Any future increases in the electrical conductivity of these waters will likely result in a change in faunal composition.
Ionic composition
2 Fresh defined as < 1500 µS/cm, Brackish = 1500 – 4500 µS/cm, Saline = 4500 – 50,000 µS/cm, Hypersaline > 50,000 µS/cm (DoE 2003). Classifications were presented as TDS (mg/L) in DoE (2003) so a conversion factor of 0.68 was used to convert to conductivity µS/cm as recommended by ANZECC/ARMCANZ (2000).
13 Hardey Aquatic Surveys: 2010 Wetland Research & Management
Alkalinity refers to the capacity of water to neutralise acid and is an expression of buffering capacity. It essentially relates to the amount of bases 3 in water which buffer against sudden changes in pH (McDonald and Wood 1993, Riethmuller et al. 2001, Lawson 2002). Bases are able to buffer water by absorbing hydrogen ions when the water is acidic and releasing them when the water becomes basic (Lawson 2002). Therefore, alkalinity is important for aquatic fauna as it can protect against rapid pH changes (Riethmuller et al. 2001). Alkalinity of less than 20 mg/L is considered low; waters would be poorly buffered and the removal of carbon dioxide during photosynthesis would result in rapidly rising pH (Sawyer and McCarty 1978, Romaire 1985, Lawson 2002). If alkalinity is naturally low (< 20 mg/L) there can be no greater than a 25% reduction in alkalinity. In the current study, alkalinity was high at all sites (Appendix 3). Alkalinity ranged from 365 mg/L at BR3 to 520 mg/L at HR6 in January, and 440 mg/L at BR2 to 560 mg/L at HR6 in May (Appendix 3). This suggests that the buffering capacity of all sites in the study is high.
The ionic composition of waters is determined by rain-borne salts (i.e. wind-blown dusts) and geology (e.g. weathering of soils) of the catchment (DeDeckker and Williams 1986). However, the composition over the warmer months, will be altered by evapo-concentration and precipitation of less soluble salts, such as calcium carbonate and magnesium sulphate (Hart and McKelvie 1986). The ionic composition of inland waters in Australia is known to vary widely, but the proportions of calcium, magnesium and bicarbonate are often enriched compared to seawater (DeDeckker and Williams 1986).
The composition of major ions at all sites was dominated by sodium and hydrogen + 2+ 2+ + - - 2- - bicarbonate (Na >Mg >Ca >K ; HCO 3 >Cl >SO 4 >CO 3 ) (Appendix 3). There was no difference in the dominance of major ions between sampling period or system (Appendix 3).
Nutrients
Nutrient enrichment in aquatic systems can lead to increased algal growth and cyanobacterial blooms (ANZECC/ARMCANZ 2000), which may become more apparent as water levels recede, nutrients are evapo-concentrated, and water temperature increases. Such nuisance blooms can result in adverse impacts to the aquatic ecosystem through toxic effects, reductions in dissolved oxygen and changes in biodiversity (ANZECC/ARMCANZ 2000). Highly eutrophic waters tend to support high abundances of pollution-tolerant species, but few rare taxa, and overall, a less complex community structure. During the current study, all sites recorded elevated levels of total nitrogen and total phosphorus, with the exception of BR2 (total P in January and May) and HR5 (total P in January) (Figure 8 and Appendix 3). The levels of nitrogen and phosphorus were variable between sites and seasons (Figure 8). Total nitrogen levels ranged from 0.22 mg/l at BR2 to 13 mg/l at BR3 in January, and from 0.2 mg/l at BR2 to 0.69 mg/l at BR3 in May. The high total nitrogen levels recorded during the current study could perhaps be attributed to pastoral operations in the area and unrestricted cattle access to the rivers. Cattle were observed in and around most sites during both sampling occasions.
3 Bases are ions which release hydroxyl ions (OH-) when dissolved in water. Generally these bases are principally bicarbonate and carbonate ions (Lawson 2002).
14 Hardey Aquatic Surveys: 2010 Wetland Research & Management
During January, total phosphorus ranged from 0.01 mg/l at both BR2 and HR5 to 0.83 mg/l at BR3. Total phosphorus recorded in May varied between 0.01mg/l at BR2 to 0.04mg/l at BR3 (Figure 8).
13 mg/L 0.83 mg/L 1 0.1
0.8 0.08
0.6 0.06
0.4 0.04 0.02 0.2 Total nitrogenTotal (mg/L)
Total phosphorus Total (mg/L) 0 0 BR1 BR2 BR3 HR5 HR6 BR1 BR2 BR3 HR5 HR6 Beasley River Hardey River Beasley River Hardey River January May ANZECC Trigger
Figure 8. Total nitrogen (left) and total phosphorus levels (right) recorded in January and May 2010.
It should be noted that spot measurements of nutrients are not necessarily indicative of total nutrient loads.
Metals
Elevated bioavailable metal concentrations are known to adversely impact aquatic biota; especially populations of metal-sensitive groups such as crustaceans (e.g. Hynes 1960). Therefore, concentrations of heavy metals were compared to ANZECC/ARMCANZ guidelines (2000) for the protection of 99% of species. Metal levels were generally low; however, boron, copper and zinc exceeded ANZECC/ARMCANZ (2000) guidelines for the protection of 99% of species at some sites (Figure 9 and Appendix 3).
Concentrations of boron in excess of the ANZECC/ARMCANZ (2000) 99% trigger values were recorded from all sites during both sampling events (Appendix 3). All values recorded in May also exceeded the 95% trigger value. Boron is an essential element for some aquatic biota, and is used in plants for a variety of metabolic processes, growth, membrane structure and function, and the maintenance of cell walls (Lovatt 1985, Maier and Knight 1991, Takano et al. 2009), in frogs for early embryonic development (Fort 1998, Fort 1999), and is required for reproduction in some fish species (Eckhert 1998, Rowe et al. 1998). Therefore, boron is relatively non-toxic to aquatic systems, and those with moderate concentrations (1-2 mg/L) are unlikely to experience direct effects (Maier and Knight 1991). The boron concentrations recorded during the current study were in excess of these ‘moderate’ concentrations. At high levels boron can become toxic, particularly to rooted macrophytes. In a study examining the toxicity of boron to Myriophyllum alterniflourum , Nobel et al. (1983) reported that growth was inhibited at 2.0 mg/L (boric acid). Aquatic macroinvertebrates are considered more tolerant than aquatic macrophytes (Maier and Knight 1991), while early life stages of fish have been found to be sensitive to high boron levels.
15 Hardey Aquatic Surveys: 2010 Wetland Research & Management
Elevated concentrations of copper were recorded from BR1, BR3 and HR6 in January, and HR5 in May (Figure 9 and Appendix 3). Copper can be highly toxic in aquatic environments and can adversely affect algae, invertebrates, fish, amphibians and water birds (Horne and Dunson 1995). Acute toxic effects to algae and cyanobacteria include reductions in photosynthesis and growth, loss of photosynthetic pigments, disruption of potassium regulation, and mortality. Highly sensitive algae may even be affected by free Cu at low (parts per billion) concentrations in freshwater. Copper toxicity in amphibians impacts the juvenile stages (tadpoles and embryos) and includes mortality and sodium loss (Owen 1981, Horne and Dunson 1995). Copper bioconcentrates in the organs of fish and molluscs (Owen 1981) and birds can experience reduced growth rates, lowered egg production, and developmental abnormalities. Elevated copper levels have been shown to lead to reductions in overall macroinvertebrate richness, particularly in sensitive ‘EPT’ (Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera and Trichoptera) taxa (Malmqvist and Hoffsten 1999).
All sites recorded elevated levels of zinc on both sampling occasions (Figure 9 and Appendix 3). Considerably high zinc concentrations were recorded from BR1 and HR6 in May, with values exceeding the ANZECC/ARMCANZ (2000) guidelines by up to 16 times (Figure 9). At these concentrations, zinc can become toxic to aquatic organisms, particularly crustaceans and molluscs.
0.003 0.04
0.03 0.002 0.02
0.001 (mg/L) Zinc 0.01 Copper (mg/L) Copper
0 0 BR1 BR2 BR3 HR5 HR6 BR1 BR2 BR3 HR5 HR6
Beasley River Hardey River Beasley River Hardey River
January May ANZECC 99% Trigger Figure 9. Concentrations of copper (left) and zinc (right), recorded from the study area in January and May 2010.
Given that elevated levels of zinc and copper have previously been recorded from waterbodies in the East Pilbara region (Streamtec 2004, Jess Delaney, WRM, unpub. dat.), including sites that are not downstream of mine-sites, the high metal levels recorded during the current study were considered due to local geology. A number of heavy metals occur naturally in sediment, including mercury, cadmium, copper and zinc, and the concentration of such metals can build up over time through natural processes. Generally boron is freshwater systems in derived from the natural weathering of sediments or sedimentary rocks or soils. These data provide a good baseline to determine future changes, and to document current (pre-development) condition of the receiving environment.
Even though elevated, it is unknown what proportion of the measured dissolved metals was labile (bio-available) or unavailable through complexing (i.e. with dissolved organic carbon; e.g. tannin). The bioavailability of trace metals is affected by a number of factors including, water hardness (Stephenson and Mackie 1989), alkalinity, salinity (Jackson et al. 2000), pH
16 Hardey Aquatic Surveys: 2010 Wetland Research & Management
(Jackson et al. 2000) as well as what chemical form the metal is in (Sander et al. 2007). Zinc is an essential micronutrient, whereas cadmium is extremely toxic, but when they occur in the same environment there is potential for the two metals to compete for the same biological binding sites. In a study of the complexation of Cd and Zn in alpine lakes in New Zealand, Sander et al. (2007) found that despite cadmium being recorded in much lower total concentrations than copper and zinc, it exhibited the highest toxicity for aquatic organisms.
ANZECC/ARMCANZ (2000) recommends the use of techniques such as DGTs (Diffuse Gradients in Thin Films; see Box 1) as a speciation measurement to provide a better estimate of the bio-available metal concentration if the dissolved metal concentrations exceed the guideline trigger values. It is possible that the current complexing capacity of the receiving water renders the observed levels of dissolved metals non-labile (i.e. non- bioavailable). However, a small increase in concentration of a particular dissolved metal may exceed the complexing capacity of the waters, resulting in labile concentrations, and toxicity to biota. Therefore, even though background concentrations may be elevated, they may not be toxic, but small additional increases due to development could result in toxicity.
Box 1. Diffuse Gradients in Thin Films (DGTs).
The DGT technique was first developed in 1994 as a time averaged, in situ speciation measurement of heavy metals in waters. Since its introduction it has been validated in the field for the determination of metals in fresh and seawater, and more recently in estuarine waters. The DGT technique is based on a simple device, which accumulates metal ions in a well-defined manner from solution. Soluble species diffuse through a diffusive layer of known thickness in which a concentration gradient is maintained. Behind the diffusive layer is a binding layer in which reactive metal species are bound. The mass of accumulated metal is measured following retrieval and is used to calculate the average concentration of DGT labile metal species in the bulk solution over the deployment time. As the device does not accumulate the major ions that cause interference with the measurement, the measurement does not suffer the degree of interference associated with the direct analysis of waters.
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3.2 Microinvertebrates 3.2.1 Taxonomic composition and species richness
The microinvertebrate fauna recorded during the current study was highly diverse. A total of 103 taxa were recorded from the five sites sampled on two occasions, with 75 taxa being recorded in January, and 67 taxa in May 2010 (Table 3 and Appendix 4). A considerably greater number of microinvertebrate taxa were collected from Beasley River sites (a total of 90 taxa) compared with Hardey River sites (51 taxa); although this may in part be due to the additional site sampled on the Beasley River (three sites compared to two on the Hardey River) (see Table 4 and Appendix 4). The microinvertebrate fauna comprised Protista (Ciliophora & Rhizopoda), Rotifera (Bdelloidea & Monogonata), Cladocera (water fleas), Copepoda (Cyclopoida) and Ostracoda (seed shrimp). In comparison to other pools in the Pilbara sampled by the DEC, the Hardey and Beasley sites were more speciose, and appeared to be richer in testates and rotifers, but comparable or slightly less speciose in microcrustaceans (Dr Russ Shiel, University of Adelaide, pers. comm.).
The microinvertebrate fauna was typical of tropical systems reported elsewhere (e.g. Koste and Shiel 1983, Tait et al. 1984, Smirnov and De Meester 1996, Segers et al . 2004). For example, a greater number of Lecanidae taxa (15 taxa) were recorded than Brachionidae taxa (8 taxa) within the Rotifera (Appendix 4). Brachionidae tend to dominate temperate rotifer plankton, but is overshadowed by Lecanidae in tropical waters, as was the case here. Within the Cladocera fauna, daphniids tend to predominate in temperate waters, with low representation in the tropics. Only two daphniids were recorded during the current study (Appendix 4). In tropical systems throughout the world, daphniids tend to be replaced by sidids, moinids, and in the case of heavily vegetated or shallow waters, by chydorids, as seen here (see Appendix 4).
Table 3. Composition of microinvertebrate fauna recorded from the study area in January and May 2010.
Microinvertebrate division Common name No. of taxa Jan May Protista Protists 13 15 Rotifera Rotifers 42 38 Cladocera Water fleas 10 5 Copepoda Copepods 7 6 Ostracoda Seed shrimp 3 3 Total number of taxa 75 67
Table 4. Composition of microinvertebrate fauna recorded from the Hardey River and Beasley River during the current study.
Microinvertebrate division Common name No. of taxa Hardey Beasley Protista Protists 12 19 Rotifera Rotifers 24 54 Cladocera Water fleas 5 8 Copepoda Copepods 7 7 Ostracoda Seed shrimp 3 2 Total number of taxa 51 90
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Microinvertebrate taxa richness varied considerably between river and sampling occasion 40 (Figure 10). During January 2010, the 30 greatest number of microinvertebrate taxa 20 was recorded from BR3 (39 taxa), and the least 10 from HR6 (10 taxa). Due to inadequate 0 preservation, however,
Microinvertebrate taxa richness BR1 BR2 BR3 HR5 HR6 the sample taken from Beasley River Hardey River HR6 in January had deteriorated in quality, January May with loss of some taxa. Figure 10. Microinvertebrate taxa richness. This likely resulted in the apparently lower taxa from HR6 in January. During May 2010, the greatest number of taxa was recorded from BR1, BR2 and HR5 (all recorded 33 taxa). Again, the least number of micro-invertebrate taxa was recorded from HR6 (10 taxa). Generally, most sites recorded more microinvertebrate taxa in May, with the exception of BR3 (Figure 10).
3.2.2 Conservation significance of microinvertebrates
The majority of microinvertebrate taxa recorded are common, ubiquitous species. Of the 51 microinvertebrate taxa collected from the Hardey River, 39% were cosmopolitan, occurring widely throughout the world, 2% were Australasian, and 2% had a pan-tropical distribution (Figure 11). Over 50% of taxa were indeterminate due to insufficient information/taxonomy. One species, however, was endemic to Australia. This was the Cladocera Moina cf. micrura (Plate 3); recorded from HR5 in January. Moina micrura has a cosmopolitan distribution, but genetic studies of the Australian species separate it from the common cosmopolitan species. Therefore, this species was identified as Moina cf. micrura , and was classified as an Australian endemic. This species is known from across Australia, with a greater number of records in the eastern states due to the higher sampling intensity of microinvertebrate fauna Plate 3. The Australian endemic there. cladocera, Moina cf micrura (photo by Russ Shiel) During the current study, 90 taxa of microinvertebrates were recorded from the Beasley River. Of these, 50% had a cosmopolitan distribution and are known to occur widely throughout the world, 3.5% had a pan-tropical distribution, and 3.5% were Australasian
19 Hardey Aquatic Surveys: 2010 Wetland Research & Management
(Figure 11). Of interest, however, was the collection of one species which is only known from the Australian continent. This was the Cladocera Alona cf . rigidicaudis . This species was collected from BR3 in January. Like the Moina endemic species, A. cf . rigidicaudis has been collected across Australia, with a greater number of records from the eastern states.
Other microinvertebrate taxa of interest included one species which is rarely recorded within Australia, the Rotifera Asplanchnopus hyalinus , and another which is cosmopolitan but rare, the Rotifera Trichocerca cf . agnatha . The former species was recorded from BR2 in January, and the latter from BR1 in May (Appendix 4).
BEASLEY RIVER HARDEY RIVER
Australasian Australian endemic Cosmopolitan Pantropical Indeterminate Figure 11. Conservation category of microinvertebrate taxa recorded from the Beasley River (left) and Hardey River (right).
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3.3 Hyporheic fauna 3.3.1 Taxonomic composition and species richness
A total of 33 taxa were recorded from hyporheic samples collected during the current study (Appendix 5). Of these taxa, the vast majority were classified as stygoxene (67%) and do not have specialised adaptations for groundwater habitats. However, 15% of the taxa were classified as occasional hyporheos stygophiles, 3% were stygobites 4, and 6% were possible hyporheic taxa (Figure 12). No permanent hyporehic stygophiles were recorded. Around 9% of taxa collected from hyporheic samples were unknown due to insufficient taxonomy and/or information (Figure 12). Classifications followed those by Boulton (2001), however, this type of analysis should be treated with some caution as results are likely affected by Stygoxene Occasional stygophile Stygobite Possible hyporheic available information on life history, taxonomic Unknown resolution, and interpretation of classification categories. Figure 12 . Proportion of species from each hyporheic classification category. The results from this study are similar to those reported previously in the Pilbara (Halse et al. 2002, Jess Delaney, WRM, pers. obs), in that <20% of taxa collected in hyporheic habitats were entirely dependent on groundwater for their persistence as a species. Halse et al . (2002) suggested that it is not surprising that the hyporheos is dominated by species with some 10 affinity for surface water, because the hyporheos is an “ecotone between 8 productive, species-rich surface water systems and nutrient-poor groundwater 6 systems with lower number of species per sampling unit”. 4
hyporheos fauna 2 Hyporheos fauna (including those classified No. of of No.occurrences of as possible hyporheic species) were recorded 0 from both river systems (Figure 13). A Beasley River Hardey River greater number of occurrences of hyporheos Figure 13. Number of occurrences of taxa taxa were recorded from the Beasley River, considered hyporheos recorded from each river although this may be a reflection of the system. greater sampling effort in this system (three sites successfully sampled for hyporheos in the Beasley River compared with one site on the Hardey River).
4 A stygobite is an aquatic animal that is restricted to groundwater and/or hyporheic environments (i.e. stygofauna). They have adaptations to survive such conditions, including elongated appendages and antennas, no eyes, and a lack of pigmentation.
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3.3.2 Hyporheos taxa
Species considered to be restricted to the hyporheos included the stygobitic amphipod ?Nedsia sp.; occasional stygophiles Mesocyclops cf. darwini (copepod), Microcyclops varicans (copepod), Candonopsis tenuis (ostracod), Elmid beetle larvae Austrolimnius sp., and Hydraenid beetle Hydraena sp.; and, the possible hyporheos species Oligochaeta spp. and dytiscid beetle Limbodessus sp.
The stygobitic amphipod collected from the Beasley River was identified as a Melitid, likely to be a species of Nedsia (Plate 4). As is common with many groundwater animals (Strayer 1994), this species is likely a short range endemic. The ? Nedsia sp. amphipod was collected from the hyporheic sample of BR2 during May 2010 (Appendix 5).
Plate 4. Stygal amphipod ? Nedsia sp., collected from the hyporheic zone at BR2 on the Beasley River (photo by Russ Shiel).
Both the copepod species collected from hyporheic samples were considered occasional stygophiles. Mesocyclops cf. darwini have been recorded from surface waters, springs and wells throughout the Pilbara (Holyńska and Brown 2002, Halse et al. 2002, DEC 2009). This species was recorded from BR3 during the current study (Appendix 5). Microcyclops varicans have also been collected from surface waters and groundwater (bores and hyporheic environments) throughout the Pilbara (Martens and Rossetti 2002, Pesce et al . 1996, Halse et al. 2002, DEC 2009). During the current study, M. varicans was collected from both the Beasley (BR2 and BR3) and Hardey rivers (HR6) (Appendix 5). Given that Elmidae larvae Austrolimnius sp. and species of Hydraena have been commonly reported from hyporheic habitats throughout the world (Boulton et al . 1997, del Rosario and Resh 2000, Olsen and Townsend 2003, Belaidi et al. 2004, Storey and Williams 2004), they were classified as occasional stygophiles in the current study. Austrolimnius sp. larvae were recorded from BR2, and Hydraena sp. from HR6 (Appendix 5). One other species was classified as an occasional hyporheic stygophile, the ostracod Candonopsis tenuis . This species is known from surface waters (Sommer et al. 2008, DEC 2009), bores (Karanovic and Marmonier 2002), wells (Reeves et al. 2007, Schmidt et al . 2007), and springs (Halse et al. 2002) across the Pilbara. During the current study it was collected from the Beasley River (BR1 and BR2).
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3.4 Macroinvertebrates 3.4.1 Taxonomic composition and species richness
A total of 92 macroinvertebrate taxa were recorded from the five sites sampled in January and May 2010 (Table 5 & Appendix 6). Of these, 58 were recorded in January and 71 were recorded in May (Table 5 & Appendix 6). Similar to the microinvertebrate fauna, a greater number of macroinvertebrate taxa were recorded from the Beasley River (80 taxa) than the Hardey River (62 taxa) (Table 6). Again, this may be due, at least in part, to the additional site sampled on the Beasley River. The macroinvertebrate fauna comprised Turbellaria (flat worms), Cnidaria (freshwater hydra), Mollusca (snails and freshwater mussels), Oligochaeta (aquatic segmented worms), Crustacea (side swimmers), Acarina (water mites), Ephemeroptera (mayflies), Odonata (dragonflies and damselflies), Hemiptera (aquatic true bugs), Coleoptera (aquatic beetles), Diptera (fly larvae), Trichoptera (caddisflies) and Lepidoptera (moth larvae). This list also includes groups which could not be identified to species level due to lack of suitable taxonomic keys (i.e. Diptera families, some families of Coleoptera, etc), and some groups were not considered as macroinvertebrates and so not taken further (i.e. micro-crustacea). Therefore, the total macroinvertebrate species richness for these sites is likely greater.
Table 5. Composition of macroinvertebrates recorded from the study area in January and May 2010.
Macroinvertebrates No. of taxa January May Turbellaria (flat worms) 0 1+ Cnidaria (freshwater hydra) 1+ 1+ Mollusca (snails & bivalves) 3 3 Oligochaeta (aquatic worms) 1+ 1+ Crustacea (side swimmers) 1 0 Acarina (water mites) 1+ 2 Ephemeroptera (mayflies) 1 2 Odonata (dragonflies & damselflies) 8 9 Hemiptera (true bugs) 7 11 Coleoptera (aquatic beetles) 12 14 Diptera (two-winged flies) 20 26 Trichoptera (caddis-flies) 2 1 Lepidoptera (moths) 1 0 Total number of taxa 58 71
The taxonomic listing includes records of larval and pupal stages for groups such as Diptera and Coleoptera. Current taxonomy is not sufficiently developed to allow identification of larval and pupal stages of all members of these groups to species level. In many instances, it is likely that these stages are the same species as the larval/adult stages recorded from the same location. However, because this could not be definitively determined, they were treated as separate taxa. In any case, different life stages often have different functional roles in the ecosystem and therefore it is acceptable to treat them as separate taxa.
23 Hardey Aquatic Surveys: 2010 Wetland Research & Management
Table 6. Composition of macroinvertebrates recorded from the Hardey and Beasley rivers during the current study.
Macroinvertebrates No. of taxa Hardey Beasley Turbellaria (flat worms) 1+ 1+ Cnidaria (freshwater hydra) 1+ 1+ Mollusca (snails & bivalves) 2 3 Oligochaeta (aquatic worms) 1+ 1+ Crustacea (side swimmers) 1 0 Acarina (water mites) 2+ 2+ Ephemeroptera (mayflies) 1 2 Odonata (dragonflies & damselflies) 10 11 Hemiptera (true bugs) 8 13 Coleoptera (aquatic beetles) 12 15 Diptera (two-winged flies) 21 28 Trichoptera (caddis-flies) 2 2 Lepidoptera (moths) 0 1 Total number of taxa 62 80
The composition of macroinvertebrate taxa was typical of freshwater systems throughout the world (Hynes 1970), and was dominated by Insecta (90% of taxa). Of the insects, the majority were Diptera (36% of Insecta), closely followed by Coleoptera (25% of Insecta). Molluscs only comprised 3% of the total fauna.
Of the 92 taxa, three were common and occurred in all samples (see Appendix 6). These were Hydracarina spp., the dytiscid Necterosoma regulare and the ceratopogonid Dasyheleinae. In contrast, a total of 34 taxa were uncommon and only recorded once (i.e. from one sample; Appendix 6). 40 Macroinvertebrate taxa richness varied between 30 site and sampling period (Figure 14). In January, 20 the number of macroinvertebrate taxa 10 recorded ranged from 22 at BR2 to 33 at both 0 BR1 and HR5 (Figure 14
Macroinvertebrate taxa richness BR1 BR2 BR3 HR5 HR6 and Appendix 6). In May, the greatest Beasley River Hardey River number of taxa was recorded from BR3 (39 taxa), and the least from January May HR6 (30 taxa; Figure 14). Figure 14 . Macroinvertebrate taxa richness recorded from each site on each Three of the five sites sampling occasion. recorded more macroinvertebrate taxa in May than January (Figure 14).
24 Hardey Aquatic Surveys: 2010 Wetland Research & Management
3.4.2 Conservation significance of macroinvertebrates
The majority of macroinvertebrate taxa recorded were common, ubiquitous species. Of the 80 macroinvertebrate taxa recorded from the Beasley River, 15% were Cosmopolitan, occurring widely across the world, and 34% were Australasian with a distribution extending across Australia, New Guinea and neighbouring islands, including those of Indonesia (Figure 15). Almost half (48%) were indeterminate due to insufficient taxonomy/information. Species with restricted distributions were recorded in lower proportions; 2% were Northern Australian species, and 1% was endemic to the Pilbara (Figure 15). Of the 62 taxa recorded from the Hardey River, 45% were Indeterminate, 37% were Australasian, and 8% were Cosmopolitan. A number of taxa were also recorded which had restricted distributions; 5% were Northern Australian and 5% were Pilbara Endemic species (Figure 15).
BEASLEY RIVER HARDEY RIVER
Australasian Indeterminate Cosmopolitan Northern Australian Pilbara Endemic
Figure 15. Conservation category of macroinvertebrate taxa recorded from the Beasley River (left) and Hardey River (right).
Of interest was the collection of species known only from the Pilbara region of Western Australia, including the stygal amphipod ? Nedsia sp., beetle Tiporus tambreyi and the dragonfly Ictinogomphus dobsoni . Only one Pilbara endemic species was recorded from the Beasley River, while all three endemic species were found in the Hardey River.
The amphipod collected from the Hardey River HR6 in January was of stygal origin and identified as a species of Nedsia (Family: Melitidae). Without DNA analysis it is not possible to determine if it is the same species as that collected from the hyporheic zone at site BR2. Given that stygal amphipods tend to be short range endemics, it was classified amongst the macroinvertebrate fauna as a Pilbara endemic.
Although endemic to the Pilbara, Tiporus tambreyi appears to be commonly recorded and widespread throughout its range. It is previously known from the Millstream area (ANIC Database), Palm Pool in Millstream National Park (DEC 2009), Dales Gorge in Karijini National Park (DEC 2009), the Upper Fortescue River, Weeli Wolli Creek, Coondiner Creek, Kalgan Creek, and Bobswim Pool in Karijini NP (Jess Delaney, WRM, unpub. dat.). During the current study this species was collected from BR1, BR2, BR3 and HR6 (Appendix 6). The beetle Tiporus tambreyi is most abundant in the littoral zone at the edge of ponds, lakes,
25 Hardey Aquatic Surveys: 2010 Wetland Research & Management billabongs and pools in intermittent streams. This wide range of habitats includes numerous types of substrata, such as rock, pebbles, gravel, sand, mud, silt, peat and other organic debris.
The Pilbara Tiger dragonfly, Ictinogomphus dobsoni (Plate 5), occurs in permanent still or sluggish waters (Watson 1991). This species is known only from a few localities in the Pilbara region of north-west Western Australia (Watson 1991). It has been collected previously from Gregory Gorge (ANIC Database), Fortescue River on Millstream Station (ANIC Database), Bobswim Pool, Dales Gorge (DEC 2009), Fortescue Falls in Karijini National Park (Adrian Pinder, DEC, pers. comm.), and Weeli Wolli Creek Plate 5. The Pilbara Tiger, Ictinogomphus dobsoni (photo (Jess Delaney, WRM, unpub. dat.). taken and provided by Dr Jan Taylor/WA Insect Study During the current study, I. dobsoni was Society). recorded from HR5.
3.4.3 Functional feeding groups
It is generally considered that the functional complexity and ‘health’ of an aquatic ecosystem is reflected by the diversity of functional feeding groups 5 present (groups that reflect the obligate feeding mode of each species) (Cummins et al. 1995). As a result, aquatic macroinvertebrates are often classified into functional feeding groups, which reflect the mode of feeding by individual species. These groups include shredders, predators, filterers, grazers and collectors. The functional composition (i.e. the proportions of these groups) may be used to infer ecological health, whereby an ecologically healthy system has a mix of the different groups present. Covich et al. (1999) suggested that if each functional group is present in a system, ecological processes and energy flow are maintained.
All functional feeding groups were represented in both systems (Figure 16). Predators were the dominant taxa from both the Hardey and Beasley rivers, followed by collectors (Figure 16). There were a high proportion of unknowns, reflecting a general lack of knowledge on the biology of Pilbara aquatic macroinvertebrates.
5 Functional feeding groups: ‘shredders’ feed on coarse particulate matter (CPOM >1mm); ‘collector’s feed on fine particulate matter (FPOM < 1mm); ‘filterers’ filter suspended particles from the water column and are often viewed as a subset of collectors; ‘grazers’ are those animals that graze or scrape algae and diatoms attached to the substrate; ‘predators’ capture live prey.
26 Hardey Aquatic Surveys: 2010 Wetland Research & Management
HARDEY RIVER BEASLEY RIVER
Collectors/gatherers Shredders Filterers Grazers/scrapers Predators Other/unknown Figure 16. Pie-charts showing the proportion of macroinvertebrate taxa from each functional feeding group recorded from the Hardey River (left) and Beasley River (right).
27 Hardey Aquatic Surveys: 2010 Wetland Research & Management
3.5 Fish 3.5.1 Species richness
The fish fauna of the Pilbara is characterised by low species diversity yet high levels of endemicity; over 42% of species recorded from the Pilbara are restricted to the region (Unmack 2001, Allen et al . 2002). Masini (1988) found the relatively clear waters of permanent and semi-permanent waterbodies supported the best developed fish assemblages in the region. In a study of the biogeography of Australian fish fauna, Unmack (2001) recognised ten distinct freshwater fish biogeographic provinces, of which the Pilbara Province was one. This region was considered distinct because its fauna did not cluster with other drainages in multivariate (parsimony and UPGMA) analysis of fish distribution patterns (Unmack 2001).
Allen et al. (2002) suggested the sparse freshwater fish fauna of the Pilbara was due to its aridity. The fish which inhabit the region are adapted to the extreme conditions and many have strategies for surviving drought (Unmack 2001). For example, Australia’s most widespread native fish, the spangled perch ( Leiopotherapon unicolor ), is thought to survive drought by aestivating in wet mud or under moist litter in ephemeral waterbodies (Allen et al. 2002). Although conclusive evidence is still required to validate this hypothesis, anecdotal evidence does exist. This species is often found in large numbers shortly after rain in locations which were previously dry and have no connection to permanent water. Spangled perch can migrate in very shallow waters, and can be found in any temporary water of the Pilbara following rainfall, including wheel ruts of vehicle tracks (Allen et al. 2002). They are known to tolerate extremes in the aquatic environment (Llewellyn 1973, Beumer 1979, Glover 1982) and occupy a wide range of habitats (Bishop et al . 2001, Allen et al. 2002). Spangled perch and western rainbowfish are the only species known from an area in the Pilbara with little or no surface run-off in the Great Sandy Desert (Morgan and Gill 2004).
Seven of the twelve freshwater fish species known from the Pilbara were recorded during the current study (Table 7). These were the western rainbowfish Melanotaenia australis (Plate 7), spangled perch Leiopotherapon unicolor (Plate 7), Hyrtl’s tandan (eel-tailed catfish) Neosiluris hyrtlii (Plate 7), Fortescue grunter Leiopotherapon aheneus , bony bream Nematalosa erebi , flathead goby Glossogobius giurus and barred grunter Amniataba percoides . Spangled perch and western rainbowfish were the most common species recorded, and were found at all sites, while Hyrtl’s tandan was only recorded from BR1 and HR5 (Table 7). The greatest number of fish species was recorded from BR1 and HR5 (seven species; Table 7). All other sites recorded six species (Table 7).
3.5.2 Conservation significance of fish fauna
Generally, the fish recorded are common widespread species. However, the Fortescue grunter, Leiopotherapon aheneus , has a restricted distribution within the Pilbara Region of Western Australia. It is only known from the Fortescue, Robe and Ashburton river systems (Allen et al . 2002), but is considered reasonably common within its range. This species is currently listed as ‘Lower Risk Near Threatened’ on the IUCN Redlist of Threatened Species
28 Hardey Aquatic Surveys: 2010 Wetland Research & Management
(IUCN 2009) and as a Priority 4 Species on the DEC Priority Fauna List (DEC 2010). Priority 4 species are those in need of monitoring (DEC 2010). This species was recorded from all sites on both the Hardey and Beasley rivers (Table 7).
Table 7. List of fish species recorded from each site. indicates presence in January, * indicates presence in May 2010.
Beasley River Hardey River BR1 BR2 BR3 HR5 HR6 Bony bream Nematalosa erebi * * Fortescue grunter Leiopotherapon aheneus * * * Spangled perch Leiopotherapon unicolor * * * * * Barred grunter Amniataba percoides * * * * Western rainbowfish Melanotaenia australis * * * * Flathead goby Glossogobius giurus * * * Hyrtl’s tandan Neosiluris hyrtlii Species richness 7 6 6 7 6
Plate 6. Western rainbowfish Melanotaenia australis (left) and spangled perch Leiopotherapon unicolor (right) (photos taken and provided by Mark Allen ©).
Plate 7. Hyrtl’s tandan, Neosiluris hyrtlii (photo taken and provided by Mark Allen ©).
3.5.3 Length Frequency Analysis
Breeding characteristics of fish species in the Pilbara, such as fecundity and the size at first maturity, vary between river systems and rainfall zone. Beesley (2006) found life history
29 Hardey Aquatic Surveys: 2010 Wetland Research & Management strategies of fish species in the Fortescue River lay between ‘opportunistic’ and ‘periodic’, reflecting the seasonal yet unpredictable nature of rainfall in the region.
Western rainbowfish Breeding in western rainbowfish ( Melanotaenia australis ) occurs throughout the year, with multiple spawning bouts which take full advantage of the regions intermittent rainfall and streamflow (Beesley 2006). Morgan et al. (2002) captured small juveniles on most sampling occasions in the Fitzroy River. The size at first maturity varies between river systems, but western rainbowfish generally attain a maximum size of 110 mm total length (TL) (Morgan et al . 2002).
The length-frequency plots of western rainbowfish from most sites show a range of size- classes, including new recruits (<30 mm), juveniles, sub-adults and adults (Figure 17). This suggests good recruitment and some degree of population stability, with juveniles and adults through all size classes present in the population. No western rainbowfish were recorded from HR5 in May (Figure 17).
BR1 BR2 80 80
60 60
40 40 Frequency Frequency 20 20
0 0 0-10 11-20 21-30 31-40 41-50 51-60 61-70 0-10 11-20 21-30 31-40 41-50 51-60 61-70 Length (mm) Length (mm)
HR5 HR6 80 80
60 60
40 40 Frequency Frequency 20 20
0 0 0-10 11-20 21-30 31-40 41-50 51-60 61-70 0-10 11-20 21-30 31-40 41-50 51-60 61-70 Length (mm) Length (mm) Jan May Figure 17. Length-frequency plots for western rainbowfish from selected sites on the Hardey and Beasley rivers.
Hyrtl’s tandan (catfish) Very little is known of the breeding ecology of Hyrtl’s tandan ( Neosiluris hyrtlii ). It is thought that individuals may mature in their first year at a size of approximately 135 mm TL for both sexes (Lake 1971, Bishop et al . 2001). Species of Neosilurus catfish usually attain a maximum size of only 200 mm however, N. hyrtlii , along with N. ater , can reach up to 400
30 Hardey Aquatic Surveys: 2010 Wetland Research & Management mm TL (Lake 1971, Bishop et al. 2001). Breeding is thought to occur in the early wet season (Morgan et al. 2002, Bishop et al. 2001), when initial flooding increases the area and diversity of aquatic habitat available, while also initiating increases in plankton and other foods (Bishop et al . 2001).
Very low numbers of Hyrtl’s tandan were recorded, with the species only being caught at two sites, BR1 and HR5 (Table 7). Only one individual of approximately sub-adult size (99 mm) was recorded from the Hardey River at HR5. Five individuals were collected from BR1 which would be considered juveniles and sub-adults (Figure 18). The low number of Hyrtl’s tandan catfish collected may be a reflection of sampling difficulty, as this species is a bottom-dweller and would have plenty of places to hide from gill and seine nets in the dense macrophyte growth characteristic of the Hardey and Beasley river sites. Due to the elevated conductivity of the waters it was not possible to electrofish, however, electrofishing in other Pilbara rivers routinely catches Hyrtyl’s catfish, when seine and gill netting does not. Therefore, it is likely this species is more common than it appears in the Hardey/Beasley system.
BR1 10 8 6 4 2 Frequency 0 20 40 60 80 - - - - 100 130 - 0-10 - 11 21-30 31 41-50 51 61-70 71 81-90 91 101-110 111-120 121 Length (mm) Jan May Figure 18. Length-frequency plot for Hyrtl’s tandan catfish collected from BR1 on the Beasley River.
Spangled perch Breeding in spangled perch ( Leiopotherapon unicolor ) of the Pilbara occurs during the summer wet season, between late November and March (Beesley 2006, Morgan et al. 2002). During this time, multiple spawning events are known to occur (Beesley 2006). In the Fitzroy River, Morgan et al . (2002) collected mature specimens in summer and larvae at the end of the wet season, indicating that spawning coincided with the flooding of the river. Spangled perch mature in their first year at approx. 58 mm TL for males and 78 mm TL for females. They reach a maximum size of 300 mm TL.
Juvenile spangled perch (<50 mm) were recorded from all sites in January, but none in May (Figure 19). No large adults (>160 mm) were collected, however sexually mature individuals (>70 mm) were evident at all sites. All sites recorded higher numbers of spangled perch in January than in May (Figure 19).
31 Hardey Aquatic Surveys: 2010 Wetland Research & Management
BR1 BR2 10 10
8 8
6 6
4 4 Frequency
2 Frequency 2
0 0 50 60 70 80 - - - - 40 50 60 70 0-10 - - - - 110 120 130 11-20 21-30 31-40 41 51 61 71 81-90 - - - 0-10 91-100 31 41 51 61 71-80 81-90 11-20 21-30 101-110 111-120 121-130 91-100 Length (mm) Length (mm) 101 111 121 BR3 10
8
6
4 Frequency
2
0 30 50 70 80 90 10 ------110 120 130 100 - - - - 0 11-20 21 31-40 41 51-60 61 71 81 91 101 111 121 Length (mm) HR5 HR6 10 10
8 8
6 6
4 4 Frequency Frequency 2 2
0 0 10 50 60 70 40 50 60 80 90 10 ------110 120 130 120 130 100 0 ------0 11-20 21-30 31-40 41 51 61 71-80 81-90 11-20 21-30 31 41 51 61-70 71 81 91-100 91 101-110 111 121 101 111 121 Length (mm) Length (mm) Jan May Figure 19. Length-frequency plots of spangled perch from all sites sampled in January and May 2010.
Fortescue Grunter Little is known about the biology of the Fortescue grunter, Leiopotherapon aheneus . Few specimens were recorded from each site during the current study, with the exception of HR5 on the Hardey River, which in January had very high numbers representing all size classes between 41 mm and 100 mm (Figure 20). It is likely that these size classes cover the range from juvenile to adult, suggesting good recruitment at this site.
32 Hardey Aquatic Surveys: 2010 Wetland Research & Management
HR5 80
60
40 Frequency 20
0 30 50 70 90 10 - - - - - 110 100 - - 0 11-20 21 31-40 41 51-60 61 71-80 81 91 101 Length (mm) Jan May Figure 20. Length-frequency plot for Fortescue grunter from HR5.
Bony bream Breeding in bony bream ( Nematalosa erebi ) is independent of flooding. Reaching sexual maturity at about 144 mm for males and 180 mm for females; they mature in their second or third year (Puckridge and Walker 1990). In the Murray River, spawning is known to occur over summer when water temperatures are 21-23 °C (Puckridge and Walker 1990). Commonly 150 – 200 mm in length, bony bream can reach a maximum of 300 mm TL (Allen et al 2002).
Bony bream were recorded at a range of size classes from sites BR1, BR2 and HR6 (Figure 21). Sexually mature individuals (>~130 mm SL) were recorded from all three sites (Figure 21). Juveniles and sub-adults were recorded in low numbers, with the majority being in the larger size classes > 100 mm (Figure 21). Bony bream were not recorded in May from BR2 or HR6, but were taken from BR1 (Figure 21).
Flathead goby The flathead goby ( Glossogobius giurus ) is found throughout northern Australia from the Ashburton River (WA), to the Burdekin River in north Queensland (Merrick and Schmida 1984, Allen et al. 2002, Morgan et al. 2002). They are also found throughout the Indo-West Pacific (Allen et al. 2002). Although this species is thought to have a marine larval stage (Allen 1989, Herbert and Peeters 1995, Allen et al . 2002), Morgan et al . (2002) captured larvae, juveniles and adults in the freshwaters of the Fitzroy River, suggesting they do breed in freshwater. Similarly, juveniles have been collected from creeks above the Ord River dam (AW Storey, unpub. dat.), which is a major barrier to fish passage. Little could be found on the breeding biology of this species, but the maximum size is thought to be at least 200 mm TL.
During the current study, flathead gobies were recorded from all sites during both sampling periods (Table 7). Sites for which sufficient individuals were collected for length-frequency analysis included BR1, BR2 and HR6 (Figure 22). A variety of size classes were found at BR1, BR2 and HR6, ranging between 21 mm and 70 mm (Figure 22).
33 Hardey Aquatic Surveys: 2010 Wetland Research & Management
BR1 25
20
15
10 Frequency 5
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 ------100 110 120 130 140 150 160 170 180 190 200 210 220 230 240 - 0 ------11 21 31 41 51 61 71 81 91 101 111 121 131 141 151 161 171 181 191 201 211 221 231 Length (mm) BR2 25
20
15
10 Frequency 5
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 ------100 110 120 130 140 150 160 170 180 190 200 210 220 230 240 - 0 ------11 21 31 41 51 61 71 81 91 101 111 121 131 141 151 161 171 181 191 201 211 221 231 Length (mm)
HR6 25
20
15
10 Frequency 5
0 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 10 ------110 120 130 140 150 160 170 180 190 200 210 220 230 240 100 ------0 11 21 31 41 51 61 71 81 91 101 111 121 131 141 151 161 171 181 191 201 211 221 231 Length (mm) Jan May Figure 21. Length-frequency plots of bony bream from selected sites.
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BR1 BR2 10 10
8 8
6 6 4 4 Frequency 2 Frequency 2 0
10 0 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 ------100 - 0 11 21 31 41 51 61 71 81 10 40 50 60 70 80 91 ------0
Length (mm) 11-20 21-30 31 41 51 61 71 81-90 91-100 Length (mm) HR6 10
8
6
4 Frequency 2
0 10 20 30 40 50 70 80 90 ------100 - 0 11 21 31 41 51-60 61 71 81 91 Length (mm) Jan May Figure 22. Length-frequency plots for flathead goby from selected sites on the Hardey and Beasley rivers.
Barred grunter The barred grunter ( Amniataba percoides ) is widely distributed in coastal drainages from the Ashburton River in the Pilbara Region of Western Australia, around northern Australia, south to the Burnett River in Queensland (Allen et al . 2002). Breeding is thought to take place between August and March (Allen et al . 2002). Bishop et al. (2001) reported that barred grunter spawn at the onset of the wet season and grow about 30 mm in six months. Size at first maturity varies between sexes, with males being sexually mature at around 77 mm (SL) and females at 88 mm (Rowland 2001). This species is highly fecund (Allen et al. 2002), with females between 70 and 90 g spawning up to 77 000 demersal eggs (Merrick and Schmida 1984, Hebert and Peeters 1995). The barred grunter attains a maximum size of up to 200 mm (Rowland 2001).
Barred grunters were recorded at all sites (Table 7). Sites for which sufficient individuals were collected for length-frequency analysis included BR1 and HR6 (Figure 23). A range of size classes were recorded from these, including new recruits (<30 mm), juveniles, sub- adults and adults (>70 mm; Figure 23). This suggests good recruitment of barred grunter at these sites.
35 Hardey Aquatic Surveys: 2010 Wetland Research & Management
BR1 HR6 10 10
8 8
6 6
4 4 Frequency
Frequency 2 2
0 0 20 30 50 80 - - - - 20 50 80 - - - 0-10 0-10 11 21 31-40 41 51-60 61-70 71 11 21-30 31-40 41 51-60 61-70 71 Length (mm) Length (mm) Jan May Figure 23. Length-frequency plots for barred grunter from selected sites on the Hardey and Beasley rivers.
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4 CONCLUSIONS 4.1 Water quality
The main water quality findings were:
• Super-saturated DO levels (>100%) were recorded from all sites along the Beasley River in May. These sites all supported dense macrophyte growth which would be producing high levels of oxygen through photosynthesis during the day. However, these sites likely become anoxic overnight as respiration by plants, algae and fauna deplete DO. Super-saturated DO can also lead to fish bubble disease. • The circum-neutral to slightly basic pH characteristic of the sites sampled along the Hardey and Beasley rivers is natural and likely due to surrounding geology. Similarly basic pH has previously been reported from other systems in the East Pilbara. • Water quality from sites sampled during the current study ranged from fresh through to brackish. There is a general acceptance that when conductivity is less than 1500 µS/cm, freshwater ecosystems experience little ecological stress. As all sites except HR5 recorded Ec in excess of this value, it is likely the aquatic biota currently supported by these permanent pools are already adapted to the brackish conditions and comprise the more salt-tolerant remnants after the more sensitive species have been eliminated. Any future increases in the electrical conductivity of these waters will likely result in a change in faunal composition. • Alkalinity, and therefore the buffering capacity of waters, was high at all sites. • Ionic composition was dominated by sodium and hydrogen bicarbonate. There was no difference in the dominance of major ions between sampling period or system. • All sites recorded elevated levels of either total nitrogen or total phosphorus. Total nitrogen levels ranged from 0.22 mg/l at BR2 to 13 mg/l at BR3 in January, and from 0.2 mg/l at BR2 to 0.69 mg/l at BR3 in May. The high total nitrogen levels recorded during the current study could perhaps be attributed to pastoral operations in the area and unrestricted cattle access to the rivers. Total phosphorus ranged from 0.01 mg/L (at BR2 and HR5) to 0.83 mg/L at BR3. • Dissolved copper concentrations in excess of the ANZECC/ARMCANZ (2000) 99% trigger values were recorded from BR1, BR3 and HR6 in January, and HR5 in May. All sites recorded elevated levels of zinc and boron on both sampling occasions. Given that elevated levels of zinc and copper have previously been recorded from waterbodies in the East Pilbara region, including sites that are not downstream of mine-sites (i.e. other reference sites), the high metal levels recorded during the current study were considered due to local geology. These data provide a good baseline to determine future changes. The presence of elevated dissolved metal levels indicate naturally enriched systems. However, the basic/alkaline conditions likely prevent excessive mobilisation of available metals into solution. Increased acidity (i.e. pH falling below 7) may progressively release available metals, and could lead to toxicity issues.
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4.2 Microinvertebrate fauna
The main microinvertebrate fauna findings were:
• The microinvertebrate fauna recorded during the current study was highly diverse. In comparison to other pools in the Pilbara sampled by the DEC, the Hardey and Beasley sites were more speciose, and appeared to be richer in testates and rotifers, but comparable or slightly less speciose in microcrustaceans (Dr Russ Shiel, University of Adelaide, pers. comm.). A total of 103 taxa were recorded, with 75 taxa being recorded in January, and 67 taxa in May 2010. A considerably greater number of microinvertebrate taxa were collected from Beasley River sites (a total of 90 taxa) compared with Hardey River sites (51 taxa); although this may in part be due to the additional site sampled on the Beasley River. • The microinvertebrate fauna was typical of tropical systems reported elsewhere. • Microinvertebrate taxa richness varied considerably between river and sampling occasion. During January 2010, the greatest number of microinvertebrate taxa was recorded from BR3 (39 taxa), and the least from HR6 (10 taxa). During May 2010, the greatest number of taxa was recorded from BR1, BR2 and HR5 (all recorded 33 taxa). Again, the least number of microinvertebrate taxa was recorded from HR6 (10 taxa). • Of interest within the microinvertebrate fauna was the collection of two species which are only known from the Australian continent, including the Cladocera Moina cf. micrura recorded from HR5 and Alona cf. rigidicaudis from BR3. Both of these species are known from across Australia, with a greater number of records in the eastern states. • Other microinvertebrate taxa of interest included one species which is rarely recorded within Australia, the Rotifera Asplanchnopus hyalinus , and another which is cosmopolitan but rare, the Rotifera Trichocerca cf . agnatha . The former species was recorded from BR2 in January, and the latter from BR1 in May.
4.3 Hyporheic fauna
The main hyporheic fauna findings were:
• The vast majority of taxa recorded from hyporheic samples were classified as stygoxene (67%) and do not have specialised adaptations for groundwater habitats. However, 12% of the taxa were classified as occasional hyporheos stygophiles, 3% were stygobites, 3% were permanent hyporheic stygophiles, and 6% were possible hyporheic taxa. • Hyporheos fauna (i.e. stygobites, possible hyporheic, occasional stygophiles, and permanent hyporheos stygophiles) were recorded from both river systems. A greater number of occurrences of hyporheos taxa were recorded from the Beasley River, although this may be a reflection of the greater sampling effort in this system (three sites successfully sampled for hyporheos in the Beasley River compared with one site on the Hardey River).
38 Hardey Aquatic Surveys: 2010 Wetland Research & Management
• Species considered to be restricted to the hyporheos included the stygobitic amphipod ?Nedsia sp.; occasional stygophiles Mesocyclops cf. darwini (copepod), Microcyclops varicans (copepod), Elmid beetle larvae Austrolimnius sp., and Hydraenid beetle Hydraena sp.; the permanent hyporheic stygophile Candonopsis tenuis (ostracod); and, the possible hyporheos species Oligochaeta spp. and dytiscid beetle Limbodessus sp.
4.4 Macroinvertebrate fauna
The main macroinvertebrate findings were:
• A total of 92 macroinvertebrate taxa were recorded from the five sites sampled in January and May 2010. Of these, 58 were recorded in January and 71 were recorded in May. A greater number of macroinvertebrate taxa were recorded from the Beasley River (80 taxa) than the Hardey River (62 taxa). Again, this may be due, at least in part, to the additional site sampled on the Beasley River. • The composition of macroinvertebrate taxa was typical of freshwater systems throughout the world (Hynes 1970), and was dominated by Insecta. Of the insects, the majority were Diptera (36% of Insecta), closely followed by Coleoptera (25% of Insecta). Molluscs only comprised 3% of the total fauna. • Macroinvertabrate taxa richness varied between sites and sampling period. In January, the number of macroinvertebrate taxa recorded ranged from 22 at BR2 to 33 at both BR1 and HR5. In May, the greatest number of taxa was recorded from BR3 (39 taxa), and the least from HR6 (30 taxa). • The majority of macroinvertebrate taxa recorded were common, ubiquitous species. Of the taxa recorded from the Beasley River, 3% had restricted distributions, with 2% being Northern Australian species, and 1% being endemic to the Pilbara. A total of 10% of the macroinvertebrate taxa from the Hardey River had restricted distributions; 5% were Northern Australian and 5% were Pilbara Endemic species. • Of interest was the collection of species known only from the Pilbara region of Western Australia, including the stygal amphipod ? Nedsia sp., beetle Tiporus tambreyi and the dragonfly Ictinogomphus dobsoni . Only one Pilbara endemic species was recorded from the Beasley River, while all three species were found in the Hardey River. • It is generally considered that the functional complexity and ‘health’ of an aquatic ecosystem is reflected by the diversity of functional feeding groups present. All functional feeding groups were represented in both systems. Predators were the dominant taxa from both the Hardey and Beasley rivers, followed by collectors.
4.5 Fish
The main fish findings were:
39 Hardey Aquatic Surveys: 2010 Wetland Research & Management
• Seven of the twelve freshwater fish species known from the Pilbara were recorded during the current study. These were the western rainbowfish Melanotaenia australis , spangled perch Leiopotherapon unicolor , Hyrtl’s tandan (eel-tailed catfish) Neosiluris hyrtlii , Fortescue grunter Leiopotherapon aheneus , bony bream Nematalosa erebi , flathead goby Glossogobius giurus and barred grunter Amniataba percoides . • Spangled perch and western rainbowfish were the most common species recorded, and were found at all sites, while Hyrtl’s tandan was only recorded from BR1 and HR5. • The greatest number of fish species was recorded from BR1 and HR5 (seven species). All other sites recorded six species. • Generally, the fish recorded are common widespread species. However, the Fortescue grunter has a restricted distribution within the Pilbara Region of Western Australia. It is only known from the Fortescue, Robe and Ashburton river systems. The Fortescue grunter is reasonably common within its range. This species is currently listed as ‘Lower Risk Near Threatened’ on the IUCN Redlist of Threatened Species (IUCN 2009). Its status is considered to require updating. This species was recorded from all sites on both the Hardey and Beasley rivers.
40 Hardey Aquatic Surveys: 2010 Wetland Research & Management
5 RECOMMENDATIONS
Recommendations are provided for future work:
1) The original design was to sample up to 11 sites, with 6 reference sites (three on the Beasley River and three on the Hardey River upstream of the resource) and 5 potentially exposed sites (two in the resource area itself and three on the Hardey River immediately downstream of the resource). This design was based on locating potential waterbodies from topographic maps. However, due to exceedingly dry weather there were few waterbodies available to sample. It is therefore recommended that this survey is repeated in 2011, assuming a better wet season, which will enable aquatic sampling of additional control and potentially exposed sites.
2) The data presented in this report provides a good baseline for both systems under drought conditions, and likely shows an extreme condition. The survey should be repeated under average wet season conditions to show the fauna under a less stressed condition. The natural range in condition will provide a context for any future mine effects, which may be small relative to natural variability.
3) The snap-shot of water quality data indicate natural (non mine-related) exceedances of ANZECC TVs, especially in dissolved metals, but also some in situ parameters. Continued water quality monitoring is recommended to determine the representativeness of the current data, collected under drought conditions.
4) Two specimens of the hyporheic/stygal ? Nedsia amphipod were collected. These may be the same or different species, and they may also be the same as Nedsia previously collected from the Pilbara. It is recommended the two specimens are DNA-sequenced to identify whether they are know species, or species new to science using the gen-bank database of Pilbara Amphipod DNA sequences.
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6 REFERENCES Allen GR (1989) Freshwater fishes of Australia . T.F.H. Publications, New Jersey. 240pp. Allen GR, Midgley SH, Allen M (2002) Field Guide to the Freshwater Fishes of Australia. Western Australian Museum, Perth WA. ANZECC/ARMCANZ (2000) Australian and New Zealand Guidelines for Fresh and Marine Water Quality. Australia and New Zealand Environment and Conservation Council and the Agriculture and Resource Management Council of Australia and New Zealand. Paper No. 4. Canberra. http://www.deh.gov.au/water/quality/nwqms/index.html Beesley L (2006) Environmental stability: Its role in structuring fish communities and life history strategies in the Fortescue River, Western Australia. Unpublished pHD thesis, School of Animal Biology, The University of Western Australia. Belaidi N, Taleb A, Gagneur J (2004) Composition and dynamic of hyporheic and surface fauna in a semi-arid stream in relation to the management of a polluted reservoir. Annales de Limnolgie – International Journal of Limnology 40 : 237-248. Beumer JP (1979) Reproductive cycles of two Australian freshwater fishes: the spangled perch, Therapon unicolor Gunther, 1859 and the east Queensland rainbowfish, Nematocentris splendida Peters, 1866. The Journal of Fish Biology 15 : 111-134. Bishop KA, Allen SA, Plooard DA, Cook MG (2001) Ecological studies of the freshwater fishes of the Alligator Rivers region, Northern Territory: Autecology. Supervising Scientist report 145. Supervising Scientist, Darwin. Boulton AJ, Scarsbrook MR, Quinn JM, Burrell GP (1997) Land-use effects on the hyporheic ecology of five small streams near Hamilton, New Zealand. New Zealand Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research 31 : 609-622. Boulton AJ (2001) Twixt two worlds: taxonomic and functional biodiversity at the surface water/groundwater interface. Records of the Western Australian Museum Supplement 64 : 1-13. Cummins KW, Cushing CE, Minshall GW (1995) Introduction: An overview of stream ecosystems. Pages 1-8 [In] Cushing CE, Cummins KW, Minshall GW (eds). River and Stream Ecosystems. Amsterdam: Elsevier. Covich AP, Palmer MA, Crowl TA (1999) The role of benthic invertebrate species in freshwater ecosystem. Bioscience 49 : 119-127. DeDeckker P, Williams WD (1986) Limnology in Australia . CSIRO, Melbourne. del Rosario RB, Resh VH (2000) Invertebrates in intermittent and perennial streams: is the hyporheic zone a refuge from drying? Journal of the North American Benthological Society 19 : 680-696. DEC (2009) Resource condition report for significant Western Australian wetland: wetlands of the Fortescue River system. Department of Environment and Conservation, Perth Australia.
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DoE (2003) Stream and Catchment Hydrology in southwest Western Australia. Report No. RR19 Waterways WA Program. Managing and Enhancing Our Waterways for the Future. Department of Environment, June 2003. Eckhart CD (1998) Boron stimulates embryonic trout growth. Journal of Nutrition 128 : 2488- 2493. Fort DJ, Propst TL, Stover EL, Strong PL, Murray FJ (1998) Adverse reproductive and developmental effects in Xenopus from insufficient boron. Biological Trace Element Research 66 : 237-259. Fort DJ, Propst TL, Stover EL, Murray FJ, Strong PL (1999) Adverse effects from low dietary and environmental boron exposure on reproduction, development and maturation in Xenopus laevis . Journal of Trace Elements in Experimental Medicine 12 : 175-185. Glover CJM (1982) Adaptations of fishes in arid Australia. In: WR Barker and PJM Greensdale (eds) Evolution of the Flora and Fauna of Arid Australia. Peacock Publications, South Australia. Hart BT, McElvie ID (1986) Chemical Limnology in Australia [In] P DeDecker and WD Williams (eds) Limnology in Australia. CSIRO/DR Junk Publishers, pp 3-32. Hart B, Bailey, Edwards P, Hortle K, James K, McMahon A, Meredith C, Swadling K (1991) A review of salt sensitivity of Australian freshwater biota. Hydrobiologia 210 : 105-144. Horne MT, Dunson WA (1995) Effects of low pH, metals and water hardness on larval amphibians. Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology 29: 500-505. Horrigan N, Choy S, Marshall J, Recknagel F (2005) Response of stream macroinvertebrates to changes in salinity and the development of a salinity index. Marine and Freshwater Research 56 : 825–833. Herbert B, Peeters I (1995) Freshwater Fishes of Far North Queensland. Department of Primary Industries, Brisbane. Holyńska M, Brown M (2002) Three new species of Mesocyclops G.O Sars, 1914 (Copepoda, Cyclopoida) from Australia and Burma, with comments on the Mesocyclops fauna of Australia. Crustaceana 75 : 1301-1334. Hynes HBN (1970) The ecology of running water. Liverpool University Press, Liverpool. IUCN (2009) IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2009.1.
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Lovatt CJ (1985) Evolution of xylem resulted in a requirement for boron in the apical meristems of vascular plants. New Phytologist 99 : 509-522. Maier KJ, Knight AW (1991) The toxicity of waterborne boron to Daphnia magna and Chironomus decorus and the effects of water hardness and sulfate on boron toxicity. Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology 20 : 282-287. Martens K, Rossetti G (2002) On the Darwinulidae (Crustacea, Ostracoda) from Oceania, with the description of Vestalenula matildae n . sp. Invertebrate Taxonomy 16 : 195- 208. Masini RJ (1988) Inland waters of the Pilbara, Western Australia. Part 1. Environmental Protection Authority, Perth Western Australia. Technical Series No 10, 58 pp. Merrick JR, Schmida G (1984) Australian Freshwater Fishes. Biology and Management. JR Merrick: North Ryde. McDonald DG, Wood CM (1993) Branchial mechanisms of acclimation to metals in freshwater fish. [In] Rankin JC, Jensen FB (eds) Fish Ecophysiology , pp. 297-321. London, UK: Chapman and Hall. Morgan D, Allen M, Bedford P, Horstman M (2002) Inland fish fauna of the Fitzroy River Western Australia (including the Bunuba, Gooniyandi, Ngarinyin, Nyikina, and Walmajarri names). Unpublished report to the Natural Heritage Trust, December 2002. Morgan DL, Gill HS (2004) Fish fauna in inland waters of the Pilbara (Indian Ocean) Drainage Division of Western Australia – evidence for three subprovinces. Zootaxa 636 : 1-43. Nielsen DL, Brock MA, Rees GN, Baldwin DS (2003) Effects of increasing salinity on freshwater ecosystems in Australia. Australian Journal of Botany 51 : 655-665. Nobel W, Mayer T, Kohler A (1983) Submerged water plants as testing organisms for pollutants. Zeitschrift fur Wasser und Abwasser Forschung 16 : 87-90. Olsen DA, Townsend CR (2003) Hyporheic community composition in gravel-bed stream: influence of vertical hydrological exchange, sediment structure and physic- chemistry. Freshwater Biology 48 : 1363-1378. Pesce GL, de Laurentiis P, Humphreys WF (1996) Copepods from ground waters of Western Australia, I. The genera Metacyclops , Mesocyclops , Microcyclops and Apocyclops (Crustacea: Copepoda: Cyclopidae). Records of the Western Australian Museum 18 : 67-76. Puckridge JT and Walker KF (1990) Reproductive Biology and Larval Development of a Gizzard Shad, Nematalosa erebi (Giinther) (Dorosomatinae : Teleostei), in the River Murray, South Australia. Australian Journal Maritime and Freshwater Research 41 : 695-712. Reeves JM, DeDeckker P, Halse SA (2007) Groundwater Ostracods from the arid Pilbara region of northwestern Australia: distribution and water chemistry. Hydrobiologia 585 : 99-118.
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Riethmuller N, Markich SJ, van Dam RA, Parry D (2001) effects of water hardness and alkalinity on the toxicity of uranium to a tropical freshwater hydra (Hydra viridissima). Biomarkers 6: 45-51. Romaire RP (1985) Water quality [In] Hunter JV, Brown EE (eds) Crustacean and Mollusc Aquaculture in the United States. AVI Publishing Co. Inc., Westport. Rowe RI, Bouzan C, Nabili S, Eckhart CD (1998) The response of trout and zebrafish embryos to low and high boron concentrations is U-shaped. Biological Trace Element Research 66 : 261-270. Rowland SJ (2001) Record of the banded grunter Amniataba percoides (Teraponidae) from the Clarence River, New South Wales. Australian Zoologist 31 : 603-607. Sawyer CN, McCarty PL (1978) Chemistry for Environmental Engineering. New York: McGraw-Hill. Schmidt SI, Hellweg J, Hahn HJ, Hatton TJ, Humphreys WF (2007) Does groundwater influence the sediment fauna beneath a small, sandy stream? Limnologica 37 : 208- 225. Sommer B, Horwitz P, Hewitt P (2008) Assessment of wetland invertebrate and fish biodiversity for the Gnangara sustainability strategy (GSS) Final report to the Western Australia Department of Environment and Conservation. Centre for Ecosystem Management, Edith Cowan University, Joondalup, WA. November 2008. Storey RG, Williams DD (2004) Spatial responses of hyporheic invertebrates to seasonal changes in environmental parameters. Freshwater Biology 49 : 1468-1486. Takano J, Miwa K, Fujiwara T (2008) Boron transport mechanisms: collaboration of channels and transporters. Trends in Plant Science 13 : 451-457. Unmack (2001) Biogeography of Australian freshwater fishes. Journal of Biogeography 28 : 1053-1089. Watson JAL (1991) The Australian Gomphidae (Odonata). Invertebrate Taxonomy 5: 289- 441. Wilcock RJ, Nagels JW (2001) Effects of aquatic macrophytes on physicochemical conditions of three contrasting lowland streams: a consequence of diffuse pollution from agriculture? Water Science and Technology 43 : 163–168.
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APPENDICES
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Appendix 1. Site photographs BEASLEY RIVER BR1 JAN MAY
BR2 JAN MAY
BR3 (WOONGARRA POOL) JAN MAY
HARDEY RIVER
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HR5 (KAZPUT POOL) JAN MAY
HR6 JAN MAY
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Appendix 2. ANZECC/ARMCANZ (2000) trigger values for the protection of aquatic systems in tropical northern Australia
Table A2-1. Default trigger values for some physical and chemical stressors for tropical Australia for slightly disturbed ecosystems (TP = total phosphorus; FRP = filterable reactive phosphorus; TN = total nitrogen; NOx = total nitrates/nitrites; NH4+ = ammonium). Data derived from trigger values supplied by Australian states and territories, for the Northern Territory and regions north of Carnarvon in the west and Rockhampton in the east (ANZECC/ARMCANZ 2000).
+ TP FRP TN NOx NH 4 DO pH Aquatic Ecosystem (µg L -1) (µg L -1) (µg L -1) (µg L -1) (µg L -1) % saturation f Upland River e 10 5 150 30 6 90-120 6.0-7.5 Lowland River e 10 4 200-300 h 10 b 10 85-120 6.0-8.0 Lakes & Reservoirs 10 5 350 c 10 b 10 90-120 6.0-8.0 Wetlands 3 10-50 g 5-25 g 350-1200 g 10 10 90 b-120 b 6.0-8.0 b = Northern Territory values are 5µgL -1 for NO x, and <80 (lower limit) and >110% saturation (upper limit) for DO; c = this value represents turbid lakes only. Clear lakes have much lower values; e = no data available for tropical WA estuaries or rivers. A precautionary approach should be adopted when applying default trigger values to these systems; f = dissolved oxygen values were derived from daytime measurements. Dissolved oxygen concentrations may vary diurnally and with depth. Monitoring programs should assess this potential variability; g = higher values are indicative of tropical WA river pools; h = lower values from rivers draining rainforest catchments.
Table A2-2. Default trigger values for salinity and turbidity for the protection of aquatic ecosystems, applicable to tropical systems in Australia (ANZECC/ARMCANZ 2000).
Salinity Comments Aquatic Ecosystem (µs/cm) Conductivity in upland streams will vary depending on Upland & lowland rivers 20-250 catchment geology. The first flush may result in temporarily high values Higher conductivities will occur during summer when water Lakes, reservoirs & wetlands 90-900 levels are reduced due to evaporation Turbidity
(NTU) Can depend on degree of catchment modification and Upland & lowland rivers 2-15 seasonal rainfall runoff Most deep lakes have low turbidity. However, shallow lakes have higher turbidity naturally due to wind-induced re- Lakes, reservoirs & wetlands 2-200 suspension of sediments. Wetlands vary greatly in turbidity depending on the general condition of the catchment, recent flow events and the water level in the wetland.
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Table A2-3. Trigger values for toxicants at alternative levels of protection.
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Appendix 3. Water quality data from January and May 2010.
Table A3-1. In situ water quality data collected in January 2010. Shading indicates values outside ANZECC/ARMCANZ (2000) guidelines.
Site Date Time pH Temp (ºC) EC (µS/cm) DO (%) DO (mg/L) BR1 15/01/2010 830 8.59 30.9 1718 77.2 8.50 BR2 14/01/2010 1245 8.62 34.1 1582 77 5.10 BR3 15/01/2010 1200 8.38 29.2 1628 37.5 2.95 HR5 16/01/2010 1100 7.53 31.2 1417 55 3.24 HR6 16/01/2010 900 8.89 29.7 1792 69.1 5.19
Table A3-2. In situ water quality data collected in May 2010. Shading indicates values outside ANZECC/ARMCANZ (2000) guidelines.
Site Date Time pH Temp (ºC) EC (µS/cm) DO (%) DO (mg/L) BR1 18/05/2010 1200 8.8 21 1509 126.8 11.55 BR2 18/05/2010 1410 8.65 23 1421 161.7 13.70 BR3 18/05/2010 1530 8.75 21.2 1925 115.3 10.50 HR5 19/05/2010 1015 7.66 20.5 1242 44.5 3.88 HR6 19/05/2010 900 8.54 21.3 1672 46.3 4.14
Table A3-3. Nutrient and ionic composition data collected in the January 2010. Shading indicates values outside ANZECC/ARMCANZ (2000) guidelines. All values are mg/L. Refer Table A3-1 for dates and times of water sample collection.
Site Na Mg Ca K HCO3 CO3 Cl SO4_S Alkalinity N_NH3 N_NO3 Total_N Total_P BR1 209 100 32.9 6.2 439 42 265 122 430 0.02 0.005 0.68 0.04 BR2 193 94.4 22.6 4.6 354 60 224 138 390 0.01 0.005 0.22 0.01 BR3 203 81.1 29.8 7.1 372 36 249 131 365 0.5 0.005 13 0.83 HR5 137 89.7 55.8 1.8 561 0.5 156 80.4 460 0.01 0.08 0.51 0.01 HR6 209 118 21.7 4.1 549 42 270 67.8 520 0.005 0.01 0.43 0.02
Table A3-4. Nutrient and ionic composition data collected in the May 2010. Shading indicates values outside ANZECC/ARMCANZ (2000) guidelines. All values are mg/L. Refer Table A3-2 for dates and times of water sample collection.
Site Na Mg Ca K HCO3 CO3 Cl SO4_S Alkalinity N_NH3 N_NO3 Total_N Total_P BR1 217 105 37 5.5 500 30 277 133 460 0.005 0.01 0.39 0.02 BR2 176 87.7 42.9 3.9 439 48 236 146 440 0.005 0.005 0.2 0.01 BR3 291 109 30.1 10.5 433 84 402 204 495 0.02 0.005 0.69 0.04 HR5 131 85.7 58.2 2.9 598 0.5 178 104 490 0.01 0.37 0.68 0.02 HR6 186 111 34.5 5.4 598 42 272 113 560 0.17 0.05 0.91 0.03
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Table A3-5. Metal concentration data collected in January 2010. Shading indicates values outside ANZECC/ARMCANZ (2000) guidelines. All values are mg/L.
Beasley River Hardey River BR1 BR2 BR3 HR5 HR6 Aluminium 0.011 0.0025 0.0025 0.0025 0.0025 Arsenic 0.002 0.0005 0.002 0.002 0.0005 Boron 0.21 0.2 0.34 0.34 0.39 Barium 0.027 0.024 0.049 0.033 0.02 Cadmium 0.00005 0.00005 0.00005 0.00005 0.00005 Cobalt 0.0001 0.00005 0.0003 0.00005 0.00005 Chromium 0.00025 0.00025 0.00025 0.00025 0.00025 Copper 0.0026 0.0009 0.0015 0.001 0.0019 Iron 0.026 0.005 0.026 0.018 0.019 Manganese 0.015 0.0005 0.007 0.013 0.082 Molybdenum 0.001 0.002 0.003 0.002 0.001 Nickel 0.0005 0.0005 0.0005 0.0005 0.0005 Lead 0.0001 0.00005 0.00005 0.00005 0.00005 Selenium 0.0005 0.0005 0.0005 0.001 0.0005 Uranium 0.0009 0.0005 0.0003 0.0013 0.0005 Vanadium 0.0054 0.0038 0.0024 0.012 0.0024 Zinc 0.003 0.003 0.003 0.003 0.003
Table A3-6. Metal concentration data collected in May 2010. Shading indicates values outside ANZECC/ARMCANZ (2000) guidelines. All values are mg/L.
Beasley River Hardey River BR1 BR2 BR3 HR5 HR6 Aluminium 0.0025 0.0025 0.0025 0.0025 0.0025 Arsenic 0.002 0.001 0.003 0.002 0.004 Boron 0.49 0.41 0.68 0.41 0.53 Barium 0.03 0.074 0.079 0.039 0.039 Cadmium 0.00005 0.00005 0.00005 0.00005 0.00005 Cobalt 0.0001 0.0001 0.0002 0.0002 0.0002 Chromium 0.00025 0.00025 0.00025 0.00025 0.00025 Copper 0.0006 0.001 0.0004 0.0018 0.0006 Iron 0.016 0.026 0.11 0.046 0.066 Manganese 0.003 0.034 0.1 0.031 0.026 Molybdenum 0.003 0.003 0.004 0.003 0.006 Nickel 0.002 0.0005 0.0005 0.0005 0.0005 Lead 0.00005 0.00005 0.00005 0.0002 0.00005 Selenium 0.0005 0.0005 0.0005 0.001 0.0005 Uranium 0.0017 0.0019 0.0005 0.0022 0.0026 Vanadium 0.011 0.006 0.0029 0.017 0.0086 Zinc 0.016 0.005 0.005 0.007 0.039
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Appendix 4. Microinvertebrate data from January and May 2010.
Abundance of microinvertebrates (log 10 abundance category) from each site sampled, where 1 = 1 individual, 2 = 2-10 individuals, 3 = 10 – 100, and so on.
January 2010 May 2010 BR1 BR2 BR3 HR5 HR6 BR1 BR2 BR3 HR5 HR6 PROTISTA Ciliophora Euplotes 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 3 0 med. indet. ciliate 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Rhizopoda Arcellidae Arcella discoides 0 0 2 1 0 2 2 0 3 1 Arcella hemisphaerica 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 Arcella megastoma 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Arcella a 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Arcella b 0 2 1 0 0 1 0 0 2 0 Arcella c 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 2 2 Centropyxidae Centropyxis aculeata 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 Centropyxis ecornis 1 0 1 1 1 2 2 0 0 0 Centropyxis a 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Cyclopyxidae Cyclopyxis sp. 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 Difflugiidae Difflugia gramen 0 0 0 0 1 2 0 0 2 0 Difflugia sp.a 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 2 Difflugia sp.b [med, ovoid] 1 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Euglyphidae Euglypha sp . a [sm] 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 Euglypha sp. b [med] 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 0 0 0 Lesquereusiidae Lesquereusia modesta 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 Lesquereusia spiralis 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 2 0 Netzelia oviformis 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 Netzelia tuberculata 0 0 2 2 1 1 0 0 1 0 Nebilidae Nebela sp. 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 ROTIFERA Bdelloidea bdelloid sp. a [sm. contr] 0 0 2 0 0 3 0 0 2 0 bdelloid sp. b [med. contr] 2 1 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 bdelloid sp. c [lg. contr] 0 0 2 0 0 3 2 0 2 1 Monogononta Asplanchnidae Asplanchnopus hyalinus 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
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January 2010 May 2010 BR1 BR2 BR3 HR5 HR6 BR1 BR2 BR3 HR5 HR6 Brachionidae Anuraeopsis fissa 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Brachionus angularis 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 3 1 0 Brachionus calyciflorus 3 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 Brachionus falcatus 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Brachionus quadridentatus 2 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 1 0 Brachionus sp. 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 Keratella tropica 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Platyias quadricornis 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 Dicranophoridae Dicranophorus epicharis 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 Euchlanidae Euchlanis cf. dilatata 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 Tripleuchlans plicata 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 Gastropodidae Ascomorpha ovalis 3 3 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Lecanidae Lecane arcula 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 Lecane batillifer 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 0 0 0 Lecane bulla 2 1 3 1 1 1 2 1 2 0 Lecane cf. crepida 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 Lecane curvicornis 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 Lecane cf. elsa 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Lecane hamata 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Lecane leontina 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Lecane cf. ludwigii 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Lecane luna 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 Lecane papuana 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 Lecane cf. thalera 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 Lecane (M. ) sp. a 1 0 2 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 Lecane (M. ) sp. b 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 1 0 Lecane (M. ) sp. c 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 Lepadellidae Colurella 0 1 3 0 0 2 3 0 2 0 Lepadella cf. acuminata 2 1 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 Lepadella (H.) ehrenbergii 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 Lepadella ovalis 0 0 1 0 0 2 0 1 2 0 Lepadella triptera 2 0 3 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 Lepadella sp. a 0 0 2 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 Squatinella sp. 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 Mytilinidae Mytilina ventralis 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0
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January 2010 May 2010 BR1 BR2 BR3 HR5 HR6 BR1 BR2 BR3 HR5 HR6 Notommatidae Cephalodella forficula 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Cephalodella gibba 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 2 0 Cephalodella sp. a 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 Monommata sp. 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 Notommata sp. 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 Proalidae Proales sp. 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Scaridiidae Scaridium longicaudum 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 3 0 Synchaetidae Polyarthra sp. 1 3 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 Synchaeta sp. 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 Testudinellidae Testudinella amphora 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Testudinella patina 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 1 Trichocercidae Trichocerca cf. agnatha 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 Trichocerca pusilla 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Trichocerca similis 2 2 0 4 0 1 0 0 2 0 Trichocerca similis grandis 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Trichocerca cf. tigris 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Trichocerca sp. [sm] 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 Trichotriidae Macrochaetus sp. 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0
indet rotifer 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 CLADOCERA Chydoridae Alona cf. intermedia 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Alona cf. rigidicaudis 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Alona cf. pseudoverrucosa 0 0 2 0 0 0 1 0 3 0 Alona sp. [decomposed] 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 Alonella sp. [juv.] 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 Armatalona macrocopa 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Ephemeroporus barroisi 0 0 3 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 Daphniidae Ceriodaphnia cornuta 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 3 2 1 Simocephalus sp. [juv] 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 Macrotrichidae Macrothrix sp. 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 Moinidae Moina cf. micrura 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 COPEPODA Cyclopoida Mesocyclops cf. darwini 2 1 2 0 0 0 0 1 2 1 Mesocyclops sp. a 0 0 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 1
Hardey Aquatic Surveys: 2010 Wetland Research & Management
January 2010 May 2010 BR1 BR2 BR3 HR5 HR6 BR1 BR2 BR3 HR5 HR6 Microcyclops ?varicans 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 cf. Paracyclops 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 Thermocyclops sp. 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 0 Tropocyclops sp. 0 1 1 2 0 1 1 1 0 0 copepodites 3 2 3 3 1 3 2 3 3 2 nauplii 4 4 3 3 0 3 4 4 3 4 OSTRACODA Limnocythere 0 0 2 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 indet camouflg. ostracod 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 juv. ostracod a [ovoid] 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 juv. ostracod b [elongate] 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0
Taxa richness 28 22 39 20 10 33 33 14 33 10
Hardey Aquatic Surveys: 2010 Wetland Research & Management
Appendix 5. Hyporheic fauna recorded from the Hardey and Beasley rivers in January and May 2010.
Abundance of invertebrates (log 10 abundance category) from each hyporheic sample, where 1 = 1 individual, 2 = 2-10 individuals, 3 = 10 – 100, and so on.
January 2010 May 2010 BR1 BR2 BR3 HR6 BR1 BR2 BR3 HR6 ANNELIDA OLIGOCHAETA Oligochaeta spp. 0 0 0 1 2 0 0 0
CRUSTACEA AMPHIPODA Crangonyctoid Melitidae ?Nedsia sp. 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 COPEPODA Cyclopoida Cyclopodidae Mesocyclops cf. darwini 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 Microcyclops varicans 0 3 2 2 0 0 0 2 OSTRACODA Candonopsis tenuis 0 2 0 0 2 0 0 0
ARACHNIDA ACARINA Hydracarina spp. 1 0 2 0 2 1 0 0
COLLEMBOLLA Collembolla spp. 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
INSECTA COLEOPTERA Carabidae Carabidae spp. (A) 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Dytiscidae Limbodessus sp. (A) 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 Elmidae Austrolimnius sp (L) 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 Heteroceridae Heteroceridae spp. (L) 0 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 Hydraenidae Hydraena sp. 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 Hydrophilidae Hydrophilidae spp. (L) 2 1 2 1 1 0 0 0 Georissidae Georissus sp. 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 Scirtidae Scirtidae spp. (L) 0 0 2 2 0 3 1 0
DIPTERA Chironomidae Tanypodinae Paramerina sp. 0 2 0 3 0 0 0 0 Procladius sp. 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0
Hardey Aquatic Surveys: 2010 Wetland Research & Management
January 2010 May 2010 BR1 BR2 BR3 HR6 BR1 BR2 BR3 HR6 Orthocladinae Thienemanniella sp. 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 Corynonoeura sp. 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 WWO8 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 WWO12 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 Chironomini Paratendipes "K1" 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 Chironomus sp. 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 Dicrotendipes sp2 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 Cladopelma curtivala 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 Tanytarsus sp. 3 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 Paratanytarsus sp. 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 Ceratopogonidae Ceratopogoniinae spp. (P) 0 0 2 1 0 0 0 0 Ceratopogoniinae spp. 3 3 3 2 2 3 3 2 Dasyheilenae spp. 3 2 1 1 3 3 0 1 Muscidae Muscidae spp. 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 Pelecorhynchidae Pelecorhynchidae spp. 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 Tipulidae Tipulidae spp. 2 0 0 0 2 0 0 0
TAXA RICHNESS 10 11 10 19 8 6 3 3
Hardey Aquatic Surveys: 2010 Wetland Research & Management
Appendix 6. Macroinvertebrate data from January and May 2010.
Abundance of macroinvertebrates (log 10 abundance category) from each site sampled, where 1 = 1 individual, 2 = 2-10 individuals, 3 = 10 – 100, and so on.
January 2010 May 2010 BR1 BR2 BR3 HR5 HR6 BR1 BR2 BR3 HR5 HR6 TURBELLARIA Turbellaria spp. 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0
CNIDARIA HYDROZOA Hydra sp. 0 0 0 2 0 0 2 2 2 4
MOLLUSCA GASTROPODA Planorbidae Gyraulus hesperus 0 2 0 0 2 3 4 2 0 4 Lymnaeidae Austropeplea lessoni 1 0 0 2 2 0 0 2 0 3 BIVALVIA Hyriidae Velesunio wilsonii 2 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0
ANNELIDA OLIGOCHAETA Oligochaeta spp. 2 3 2 3 0 2 1 2 2 4
ARTHROPODA CRUSTACEA AMPHIPODA Melitidae ?Nedsia sp. 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0
ARACHNIDA ACARINA Hydracarina spp. 3 3 3 2 3 5 3 4 3 4 Oribatida spp. 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0
INSECTA COLEOPTERA Dytiscidae Allodessus bistrigatus 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 Antiporus bakewelli 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 Cybister godeffroyi 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Cybister tripunctatus 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 Hydroglyphus daemeli 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 1 0 Hydroglyphus trilineatus 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0
Hardey Aquatic Surveys: 2010 Wetland Research & Management
January 2010 May 2010 BR1 BR2 BR3 HR5 HR6 BR1 BR2 BR3 HR5 HR6 Hyphydrus elegans 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 Hyphydrus lyratus 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Hyphydrus sp. (L) 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 Laccophilus sharpi 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 Necterosoma sp. (L) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 Necterosoma regulare 2 2 2 3 2 1 1 3 2 2 Onychohydrus sp. (L) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 Tiporus tambreyi 3 3 3 0 3 0 1 2 0 2 Tribe Bidessini sp. (L) 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Gyrinidae Dineutus australis 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 2 Hydraenidae Hydraena sp. 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 Limnebius sp. 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 Octhebius sp. 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Hydrochidae Hydrochus sp. 3 1 0 3 2 1 0 0 2 0 Hydrophilidae Berosus sp. (L) 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 3 0 0 DIPTERA Ceratopogonidae Ceratopogonidae spp. (P) 1 0 3 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 Ceratopogoninae spp. 2 3 2 2 3 3 2 4 3 0 Dasyheleinae spp. 2 3 2 3 3 4 3 2 2 4 Chironomidae Chironomidae spp. (P) 0 0 2 1 3 0 0 0 0 3 Paramerina sp. 1 2 0 1 0 2 0 0 3 0 Larsia ?albiceps 3 3 3 3 3 3 4 0 4 3 Procladius sp. 2 2 2 1 3 0 3 3 2 4 Nanocladius sp. 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 WWT13 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 Chironomus sp. 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 5 3 3 Cryptochironomus griseidorsum 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 Paratendipes "K1" 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Polypedilum (Pentapedilum) leei 1 1 0 0 1 5 2 1 0 0 Polypedilum nubifer 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 2 Dicrotendipes sp1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 Dicrotendipes sp2 0 0 0 1 0 0 2 0 0 2 Cladopelma curtivala 1 0 1 2 1 0 3 0 0 1 Polypedilum sp . 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 2 0 Kiefferulus intertinctus 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 Parachironomussp. (?K2) 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Hardey Aquatic Surveys: 2010 Wetland Research & Management
January 2010 May 2010 BR1 BR2 BR3 HR5 HR6 BR1 BR2 BR3 HR5 HR6 Tanytarsus sp. 2 2 2 2 0 3 2 2 3 0 Paratanytarsus sp. 3 3 3 3 3 3 2 0 4 0 Cladotanytarsus sp. 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 4 0 WWTS5 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 Culicidae Anopheles sp. 2 0 2 0 2 2 2 0 3 0 Culex sp . 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 Empididae Empididae spp. 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 Psychidae Psychodidae spp. 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 Stratiomyidae Stratiomyidae spp. 0 0 1 2 0 2 1 0 0 0 Tabanidae Tabanidae spp. 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 EPHEMEROPTERA Baetidae Cloeon sp. 1 3 2 3 0 5 4 4 2 4 Caenidae Tasmanacoenis arcuata 0 0 0 0 0 2 3 2 0 0 HEMIPTERA Belostomatidae Diplonychus sp. (imm) 2 0 2 0 2 2 2 2 0 2 Diplonychus eques 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 Gelastocoridae Nertha sp. 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Corixidae Micronecta sp. (imm) 0 0 0 0 0 3 3 4 2 4 Gerridae Limnogonus fossarum gilguy 2 2 0 2 0 0 2 0 0 0 Hebridae Hebrus axillaris 0 0 0 1 0 0 2 0 0 0 Notonectidae Anisops sp. (imm.) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 Anisops sp. (female) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 0 0 Anisops deanei 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 Anisops nabillus 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 Anisops nasutus 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 1 Mesoveliidae Mesovelia vittigera 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 Paraplea Ranatra occidentalis 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Paraplea brunni 3 2 0 2 3 5 4 2 0 3 LEPIDOPTERA Nymphulinae sp. WRM 1 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 ODONATA Zygoptera Zygoptera spp. (imm) 2 2 2 1 2 0 0 2 0 3 Coenogrionidae Coenagrionidae spp. (imm) 2 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 Agriocnemis rubescens 2 2 3 0 2 3 2 2 2 3 Pseudagrion aurefrons 0 1 1 2 0 3 2 2 2 3 Pseudagrion microcephalum 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Anisoptera Anisoptera spp. (imm) 0 0 0 0 0 4 0 0 0 0 Aeshnidae Aeshnidae spp. (imm.) 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 1 3
Hardey Aquatic Surveys: 2010 Wetland Research & Management
January 2010 May 2010 BR1 BR2 BR3 HR5 HR6 BR1 BR2 BR3 HR5 HR6 Hemianax papuensis 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 2 0 0 Gomphidae Austrogomphus gordoni 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 Lindeniidae Ictinogomphus dobsoni 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 Libellulidae Diplacodes haematodes 0 0 2 1 2 2 2 2 2 2 Orhtetrum caledonicum 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 4 0 2 Tramea sp. 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 2 TRICHOPTERA Ecnomidae Ecnomus sp. 0 2 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 Hydroptilidae Orthotrichia sp. 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0
TAXA RICHNESS 33 22 28 33 26 32 37 39 31 30